An attempt to ban coyote hunting contests in Oregon has failed for the third time after a key legislative committee didn’t take action on the bill.

House Bill 2728, which would have prohibited killing of coyotes in competitions for cash or prizes, passed the House 32-14 last month but has now died in the Senate Energy and Environment Committee.

The committee did not schedule a work session on HB 2728 by the Friday, May 14, deadline for keeping legislation alive.

Proponents of the bill argued that it would stop a cruel and counterproductive practice while still allowing ranchers to protect their livestock.

“It is past time we put an end” to this vestige of a bygone era of non-fair chase wildlife management, said Rep. Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie, referring to the “fair chase” ethical standard of hunting without unfair advantages.

Such coyote-killing contests are different than hunting competitions or fishing derbies in which participants vie to obtain the largest antlers or fish within bag limits, he said before the House floor vote.

Killing coyotes on a large scale also doesn’t result in meaningful population control of the predators because since they typically respond by accelerating reproduction, Witt said.

However, the bill would not have limited hunting coyotes for population control, he said. “Problem animals or not, coyotes may still be hunted or shot year-round, just not for contest money or prizes.”

Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, said he disagrees with the characterization of coyote hunting contests as wasteful slaughter.

The pelts are collected and used to raise money for good causes, while the average number of coyotes killed by a competitor is less than one, he said.

The contests also bring a surge of tourism to remote parts of Oregon during the wintertime, Owens said.

While the science shows that contests aren’t a long-term way to reduce coyote populations, the competitions do serve an intermediate purpose due to their timing, he said.

“They allow the dispatch of some coyotes around calving grounds and are historically done when the cows begin to calve,” Owens said.