Calif. coyote hunting contest to proceed as planned | Animal Lovers

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Despite pleas from animal welfare advocates, the California game commission has declined to intervene in a controversial coyote hunting contest this weekend in wolf country.

But members of the commission did ask at their meeting on Wednesday whether they had the authority to regulate the contests in the future.

On Saturday and Sunday, hunters will fan across Modoc County in northeast California to see who can kill the most coyotes in a contest sponsored by a local gun club. The winner gets a silver buckle.

Animal welfare advocates argued before the Fish and Game Commission that the hunt is inhumane. They also said coyotes help control vermin, playing an important role in the ecosystem.

Margo Parks of the California Cattlemen's Association said coyotes cause $4 million in damage annually.