HELP #STOPTHEKILL

“Killing large numbers of predators as part of an organized contest or competition is inconsistent with sound, science-based wildlife management and antithetical to the concepts of sportsmanship and fair chase.”

~ Mike Finley, hunter and chair of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, 2019

The Problem

Each year thousands of coyotes, foxes, bobcats, prairie dogs, crows, and even wolves are targeted in wildlife killing contests where contestants compete for prizes and awards for killing the most, largest, or smallest animals. These contests, unmonitored by wildlife agencies, are legal throughout most of the United States. Such contests masquerade as “management” and “hunting” but instead increase the potential for conflict and violate ethical hunting principles. With dog- and cock-fighting now outlawed, wildlife killing contests are one of the last bloodsports that remain legal.

Modern science and societal values point to nonlethal methods as the only way for humans and wildlife to coexist in the face of 21st-century challenges. Wildlife killing contests are cruel and antithetical to ethics, science, and coexistence with wildlife in North America.

#STOPTHEKILL

“To the extent these contests reflect on the overall hunting community, public outrage with these events has the potential to threaten hunting as a legitimate wildlife management function.” – Arizona Game & Fish Commission, 2019

The Mission

The National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests is a growing alliance of national and state organizations working to permanently abolish contests that promote the killing of bobcats, coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, wolves, and other species for cash and prizes in wildlife killing contests, derbies, and tournaments in the United States.

The mission of the National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests is to apply the combined expertise and experience of our member organizations to work toward ending wildlife killing contests, derbies, and tournaments in the United States.

 The Coalition’s goals are to:

  • Expose the prevalence of wildlife killing contests—organized events where participants compete for cash and prizes for killing large numbers of many wild animal species—across the United States.
  • Inspire broad public engagement and leverage the collective efforts of organizations to end wildlife killing contests through legislation and regulatory reform.
  • Raise public awareness about how wildlife killing contests glorify violence, promote cruelty to animals, disrespect wild lives, and disrupt ecological function and health.
  • Advocate for responsible, humane, and ecologically sound wildlife management practices, focused on coexistence and science-based, non-lethal methods of conflict resolution.

     

    JOIN

    If you’re interested in joining the Coalition, please fill out this form.

New Mexico State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard speaks out against Wildlife Killing Contests and bans them on all State Trust Lands for unprotected species.

Wildlife killing contests are still legal in 40 U.S. states, but Americans are increasingly demanding an end to this bloodsport as the events come to light. Currently, ten states have banned killing contests for some or all species.

Take Action

We need your help to end wildlife-killing contests everywhere!  Here are some steps you can take:

 

  • Help pass a bill or regulatory effort to prohibit wildlife killing contests in your state–keep an eye out for updates here! 
  • If your state hasn’t prohibited killing contests, contact your state legislators and your state wildlife commission and ask them to end the bloodsport.
  • Share our resources to help raise awareness of killing contests and the importance of stopping them among your family, friends, and coworkers.
  • Help educate the public by writing letters to the editor of your local newspapers and posting on social media. See this community toolkit for tips on researching contests in your area and sample letters and social media posts.
  • Sign our petition supporting a ban of wildlife killing contests on federal public lands.
  • Share films on killing contests through your social networks or host a film screening at your home or local library.

“[P]art of my job, and frankly part of my soul, is to promote hunting, to get our youth hunting, to really have this be a core piece of what our society supports. And frankly, that job is a lot harder if we’re condoning these types of contests.”

~ Kelly Susewind, Director of Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

VIDEOS

KILLING GAMES ~ Wildlife in the Crosshairs

Coalition Members

“For me, hunting contests don’t sit well. As a sportsman, I’d never participate in one personally. Hunting is an important reverent tradition in Colorado and powerful management tool but I also think wildlife killing contests give sportsmen and sportswomen a bad name and damage our reputation.”

~ Dan Gibbs, Sportsman and Executive Director of Colorado Department of Natural Resources