Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban coyote killing contests.
Supporters at a public hearing today argued that the practice is not an effective management strategy for coyote populations, and not ethical hunting.
But David Trahan with the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, said the contests are an essential tool to protect deer populations.
"It is crucial to understand that these derbies are part of a larger biological sound strategy aimed at improving deer survival in a place where deer populations have been decimated," he said. "By using incentives to increase coyote harvest, these events help maintain a balanced ecosystem."
The state's Nate Webb testified that the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is neither for nor against the bill. He said there are currently no specific restrictions for coyote contests, but participants must follow all hunting and trapping regulations.
"We are currently aware of three such contests, and to our knowledge these contests have not resulted in a high number of participants, nor a high harvest of coyotes," Webb said. "Which supports prior research that shows very little evidence that killing contests successfully control predator populations."
