Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Committee on Natural Resources and its Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, today urged his colleagues to pass his H.R. 7398, the Prohibit Wildlife Killing Contests Act. The measure would end the practice of rewarding hunters for killing animals on federally owned land in contests that advance no legitimate wildlife-management purposes.
Congressman Cohen introduced the measure in April and the Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on it today.
In prepared remarks, Congressman Cohen said:
“Killing contests are unethical, inhumane, unsportsmanlike, and serve no valid ecological management purpose. They ignore traditional hunting principles that include fair chase and respect for life, and that discourage wanton waste. Wildlife management on our public lands should not be any of these things.
“Many killing contests target carnivores, such as wolves, coyotes, foxes, and bobcats. The participants set out to kill as many targeted animals as possible in the hopes of claiming a prize.
“The rules vary by contest, but many do not restrict activities that are typically frowned upon in sportsmen’s circles, such as the use of amplified distress calls of wounded animals to attract prey. This is not subsistence hunting, where you are killing to provide food for yourself and your family. This is not sport hunting, when you plan to skin each animal for taxidermy or other display. These contests are killing for killing’s sake.”
Original source can be found here.
