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Prizes for coyote hunting banned by state Fish and Game Commission

A new ban will put an end to rural California coyote hunts that awarded money and gifts to top hunters.
A new ban will put an end to rural California coyote hunts that awarded money and gifts to top hunters.
(Karen Nichols / Associated Press)
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The California Fish and Game Commission voted Wednesday to ban hunting contests that award prizes for nongame animals such as coyotes, beavers and bobcats.

In a 4-1 vote, the commission prohibited “giving inducements of any kind” in hunting contests for “nongame species and fur-bearing animals,” said Clark Blanchard, a Fish and Game spokesman. The ban will put an end to organized coyote hunts in rural parts of California that awarded up to $500 and other gifts to top hunters.

The competition was started after an increase in coyotes attacking livestock and destroying crops.

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The hunts were brought to the commission’s attention after a gray wolf dubbed OR7 was found roaming between the California and Oregon border, Blanchard said.

“There was concern that somebody hunting for coyote would mistake the wolf for a coyote,” he said.

Commissioner Jacque Hostler-Carmesin was the lone dissenter. She asked for more studies to see how a ban would affect the agriculture industry and cattle ranchers.

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The ban is expected to take effect in early 2015.

For more California breaking news, follow LATangel. She can be reached at angel.jennings@latimes.com.

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