BOISE, Idaho—Wildlife advocates are protesting a coyote hunt planned in rural Custer County, where the resilient predators have long thrived and proven a nimble adversary for the farmers and ranchers of central Idaho.
The tournament was advertised earlier this month in Challis, where a local sporting goods store owner plans to host the event and offer prizes—such as rifle scopes—to the hunters with the biggest and smallest kills on Saturday.
Idaho offers no protections for coyotes, which have historically been considered predators across the western United States, and here they can be hunted any time of year with no restrictions on the type of weapons used.
Coyotes are one of the few animals that can be legally shot from moving vehicles, such as snowmobiles, although there are rules barring hunters from firing their weapons across public roads.
Coyotes are abundant in Idaho and attempts to make a dent in the population have failed.
“They have taken decades of persecution throughout the West and done just fine,” said Tom Keegan, a regional wildlife manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Custer and Lemhi counties.
The animals can adapt to most environments, Keegan said, but they have drawn the ire of hunters and the agricultural community for preying on sheep, calves, deer and antelope.
Wildlife advocates contend coyotes survive primarily on rodents, such as mice.
The Idaho chapter of Wildlife Watchers, a nonprofit founded in Wyoming and aimed at protecting wildlife habitat, is among the local and regional groups condemning the hunting tournament in Challis.
“We’re not making the claim they are doing something illegal, we’re saying here is a business hosting a daylong coyote slaughter that brings needless pain to wildlife,” said Brian Ertz, president of the Wildlife Watchers branch in Idaho.
The groups have urged state and federal wildlife managers to patrol the hunt and ensure the coyotes are not shot from public roads. They have also encouraged local residents to protest the tournament.
At the center of the controversy is Greg Webster, a 51-year-old hunting and fishing enthusiast who opened the Bent Rod Outdoors store in Challis eight years ago and decided to initiate an annual coyote hunt tournament this year.
“These are varmints,” Webster said, “It’s understood in the West that coyotes are pests, there are not rules or regulations as far as when they can be shot.”
Farmers and ranchers in Custer County have been killing the animals for years, Webster said, adding he was surprised the tournament sparked criticism in this tiny community of about 900 along U.S. Highway 93.
Since Idaho does not regulate the coyotes, there are no records on how many local hunts have been organized.
In Challis, about 20 hunters are expected to enter the tournament. Participants will be able to attract the coyotes using manmade or electronic calls, mimicking howls or animals in distress, Webster said.
The coyotes will be weighed to determine which hunter made the biggest kill and entry fees—$50 for a team of two—will be used as a cash reward, Webster said. Other prizes include hunting decoys.
