As wildlife killing contest season continues across America, many more competitions are scheduled that allow the use of hunting dogs to chase, corner and kill coyotes. Many states like Wisconsin and Michigan prohibit the allowance of dogs to fight, main or kill their prey, but the practice is still widespread as recent evidence uncovered by Wolf Patrol reveals.

In early January 2020, the private Facebook page, “Coyote Hunting with Hounds” held a cover photo contest, asking for “tasteful” submissions of photos from hound hunters across the country who enjoy the sport of hunting coyotes with the aid of hunting dogs.

Every photo in this article is from the Facebook page, “Coyote Hunting with Hounds” and gives you an idea of the level of dog-fighting and cruelty involved with each hound hunt for an animal that cannot escape the pursuit of dogs.

Many coyote hunters use the term “stretching” to describe their hunting dogs ability to literally bite, attack, and tear apart live prey. It is not a term used disparagingly, rather one used with pride, to describe the hunting ability strived for when training dogs to pursue coyotes.

Remember, most hound hunts for coyote take place in winter when water temperatures are near or below freezing. Still, many hound hunters allow their dogs to attack coyotes who have retreated into freezing waters to escape being torn apart by a pack of hounds.

This weekend will be like every other after deer hunting season has closed and hound hunting for coyotes has begun. In addition to the hundreds of individuals aiming to eradicate local coyote populations with the aid of electronic callers, assault rifles with thermal imaging scopes and bait, there will also be armies of houndsmen out with packs of dogs harassing and hunting the very same populations of wild animals.

Many hound hunters will be participating in various coyote killing contests scheduled for coming weekends in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania where cash and prizes will be awarded for the hound hunters with the most coyotes (and often bobcats and fox) killed.

Whether its the use of satellite tracked hounds or thermal imaging equipment designed for law enforcement and wartime, coyote killing contests and the people who love them are as far away from good sportsmanship and a conservation ethic as a hunter can get. Since when did it become sporting to encourage your hunting dogs to fight wildlife and then brag about it on social media?

Private Facebook pages like “Coyote Hunting with Hounds” are a breeding ground for unethical hunters who encourage each other to break the law, just don’t post about it. Yet, all of Wolf Patrol’s evidence of animal abuse committed by hound hunters this winter isn’t the result of painstaking investigations in the field, it’s gathered by simply scrolling through our multiple undercover accounts we maintain on multiple private Facebook groups that we’ve discovered are guilty of violating hunting regulations in multiple states.

The degradation of recreational sport hunting into a culture of straight up animal abuse is something predator hunters are proud of and not afraid of defending despite the negative reflection it casts on every ethical hunter simply trying to feed their families with the animals they choose to hunt. Predator hunters have no interest in eating what they kill, only using the animals to win prize money or make money selling their fur on the international fur market.

It’s time to put an end to animal abuse disguised as legitimate hunting. Nowhere is this more evident then in the pursuit of coyotes, bobcats and fox by predator hunters equipped with either high tech night vision gear or packs of bloodthirsty hounds.

Join Wolf Patrol in calling for an end to wildlife killing contests nationwide. Nowhere in the nation is there room for this kind of hunting, especially when it is encouraged with the awarding of cash and prizes for the most or smallest animals killed.

Call your state wildlife agency today to find out whether hunting coyotes with hounds or wildlife killing contests are legal in your own home state. If they are, start asking questions about how you can testify or write letters to those in charge about getting them stopped. If ethical hunters won’t call out others for their illegality and abuse, then its up to people like us to stop them.

Coyote Hunting with Hounds is Legalized Dog-Fighting!

End Wildlife Killing Contests Everywhere