It takes quite alot to hurt the coyote population, I think in some of the literature it says somewhere around 70-75% of the population needs to be culled before the population is low enough to have a lasting effect. You sir may find the coyote tournaments unethical but that in itself is also a personal view, which you are entitled to. I for one do not find the sport distasteful. Hunting in it's various forms should be respected and conducted responsibly, even if you are not an active participant of a particular form of hunting. Many of people's differences in views on hunting has to do with the region in which they come from, if you came from an area where you aren't allowed to hunt deer with dogs you'd have a different viewpoint than people where it is allowed. Or maybe you just feel that it's distasteful, whatever your view it won't affect mine.

I am not sure what poster Whydothat would mention transient coyotes coming into an area but doesn't mention what happens to the 3-4 pups when they mature and leave their mothers-they obviously spread out and increase their range. So what's the difference, a coyote is a coyote. Fact is, Yoda is correct. That is your opinion. Many species are hunt or trapped for various reasons other than eating. And here in the mid-south the only predator the coyote has is moving vehicles. No one traps anymore and hunting them is still not that popular. Give your opinion but don't attach dogma to it and certainly don't attack Outdoor Life for running an article. There is an amendment that covers that....

Hunting Coyotes is a way to extend your hunting season. We hunt with dogs, Walkers and Plotz hounds. From New Years to turkey season every weekend. Radios, #4 buck, and rifles are the items of choice. Last year we got 6 in one day, this year 3 is our best effort.

Coyotes taste like chicken. Just kidding, they are a menace, do not have a natural predator and are almost as bad as people at decimating local populations of the tasty tasty game animals. My local pop of deer has been affected and the coyotes are getting thinner, just wait untilk your kids puppy gets eaten by one, then tell me how much you want to protect them.

whydothat, you are not all that well informed. Coyotes are predators and carrion eaters. They have their place in nature, but due to many practices in some areas of the country they are a menace, to farmers and pets. Say what you will, another place in nature for them is downrange in the crosshairs.

Good luck fellas! I wish you all the luck and none for those coyotes.

I am surprised that Outdoor Life would encourage its readers to participate in coyote hunting contests! These unethical contests give hunting a bad name and should be banned. I doubt there will be much coyote meat stored in freezers!
I am not an "animal rights" advocate, and I don't oppose hunting to put food on the table. I respect wildlife. I thought "Outdoor Life" did too?!
Some hunters rationalize killing the highly intelligent, beautiful coyote because it sometimes preys on deer & small pets. However, most U.S. states are overrun by deer, which kill more Americans (through traffic accidents and Lyme Disease) than any other mammal. Small pets should be supervised. If allowed to wander, they are more likely to be hit by cars or poisoned, than snatched by a coyote, but it can happen.
Please consider this before entering one of these tournaments:
Coyotes mate for life and the alpha pair breeds only once a year. Both the male and female care for their young. If left alone, a small family of 3-6 coyotes establishes a territory, which it protects from competitors. But if you kill these coyotes, "transient" coyotes stream in and many females breed, producing far more puppies.
The howls you hear at night are often coyotes calling their young after a year or two to reconnect with them. When a mate is killed, coyotes have been observed in mourning, their howls silenced.
Don't ruin the reputation of hunters! Ban these unethical tournaments & stop indiscriminantly killing coyotes. Check projectcoyote.org for more info.