A coyote.

Contests that promote the killing of coyotes and other unprotected mammals across the state are prohibited after a vote last week by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Five members of the commission voted to ban the practice and one member abstained, according to a news release from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. More than 40 people provided testimony during the meeting, which was held in Bend.

The new rules define contests and make it unlawful to organize, sponsor, conduct or participate in a contest that has the objective of killing unprotected mammals native to Oregon.

“This should have happened years ago, but we applaud the commission for taking an important first step to ban these unethical killing contests,” said Erik Fernandez, wilderness program manager for Oregon Wild, which is based in Bend.

Coyotes have few protections in Oregon, and the state defines them as predators regulated by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. They are described as common and can be hunted or trapped year-round with approved methods.

In December, the commission directed ODFW staff to work with the state Department of Justice to develop rules to stop coyote killing contests. The agency’s vote last week came after months of work to come up with rules that would be legally defensible.

Michelle Dennehy, a spokesperson for ODFW, said she is not aware of coyote killing contests occurring recently in Central Oregon, but said these have been organized in Southeast Oregon. In the past, the contests were visibly advertised in Harney and Lake counties. While contests are still held, they are usually done quietly, without publicity.

Ranchers have long maintained that contests are conducted to reduce predator numbers to protect their livestock.

While the rule change affects public lands, ODFW does not have the authority to prohibit coyote kill contests in all situations. That leaves them unprotected, for example, when they are known to be killing livestock on private land.

The lone abstention came from Leslie King, who stated during the meeting that she is against the loophole that still permits the contests under certain circumstances.

“Somebody can just do whatever they want on private land and we can’t do a thing,” said King. “I am struggling to see what this solves.”

Mark Labhart, a commissioner, described the rule as a compromise in accordance with the law.

“I can’t support the ethics of (coyote kill contests), and I am hunter,” he said.

Ian Isaacson, a Bend-based hunter, said he supports the commission’s decision, describing the hunting contests as a “huge black eye” for the hunting community. Hunting contests go against modern conservation efforts, he said.

“I unequivocally applaud the commission’s decision to ban coyote killing contests,” said Isaacson. “They are antithetical to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which is funded almost entirely by hunters, anglers and sport shooters.”