In an attempt to silence critics, the Nevada Wildlife Commission is primed to pass meaningless rules for inhumane coyote-killing contests at their meeting Saturday in Reno.

In these competitions, hunter groups scour an area with calling devices and night vision goggles to trick coyotes to emerge from hiding, shoot as many as they can, then gather to distribute awards of cash, guns and belt-buckles for those with the biggest, heaviest or ugliest coyote. Fair chase is not considered. Rotting carcasses decay in dumpsters.

The proposed regulations are a sham. They require contest participants to observe a seven-month season and hold a hunter or trapper license from the Nevada Department of Wildlife — profit for the department from viciously killing carnivores whose only crime is being born.

See Full Page