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Coyote Killing Contest Prompt Howls
By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press Writer
BAKER, Mont. (AP) -- The barren buttes surrounding this small ranching town will offer scant places for coyotes to hide this weekend as hunters converge for a "calling" contest to see who can shoot the most coyotes.
Part predator control, part economic development ploy, the annual event began five years ago in a bid to pique outside interest in Baker via a $6,000 purse funded by entrance fees, local businesses and the Baker Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.
While organizers see success in the event's growth, the increasing popularity of such contests is prompting a backlash from animal rights groups and even some hunters, who contend the events trivialize the sport by turning it into a cash-fueled spectacle.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/COYOTE_HUNT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press Writer
BAKER, Mont. (AP) -- The barren buttes surrounding this small ranching town will offer scant places for coyotes to hide this weekend as hunters converge for a "calling" contest to see who can shoot the most coyotes.
Part predator control, part economic development ploy, the annual event began five years ago in a bid to pique outside interest in Baker via a $6,000 purse funded by entrance fees, local businesses and the Baker Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.
While organizers see success in the event's growth, the increasing popularity of such contests is prompting a backlash from animal rights groups and even some hunters, who contend the events trivialize the sport by turning it into a cash-fueled spectacle.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/COYOTE_HUNT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
