The Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County will hold its 2020 Coyote Hunt Feb. 7-9. The hunt covers the entire state of New York, plus six Pennsylvania counties (see link at the end of story for details). The following prizes will be awarded:
- $2,000 Grand Prize for the heaviest coyote
- $500 Second Place for the second heaviest coyote
- $250 Third Place for the third heaviest coyote
- $200 Daily Prize for the heaviest coyote weighed in on each day of the three-day hunt.
- $100 Prize to the youth (12-15 years old) who gets the heaviest coyote
- $100 Prize to the female hunter who gets the heaviest coyote
In addition, $80 will be awarded for each coyote weighed.
Registration is $35 if received by Jan. 24, or $40 if by Feb. 5 (postmarked by Feb. 1). s
Why would a group want to organize such a hunt? Because coyotes are held in very low-esteem by pretty much everyone, aren’t native to the northeast and their numbers seem to be increasing. White-tailed deer hunters hate them because they prey on fawns, and reports of coyotes attacking and killing pets have been on the rise in recent years.
“We have a coyote problem,” club president Jack Danchak told New York Upstate. “Their population is exploding.”
Here are the details on the contest.
For more on the long history of coyotes, including their role in mythology, the attempt to exterminate them, and how a scrawny desert scavenger colonized the northeast, check out our article, The wolf-like coyote in our backyard.
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