Montpelier
The tournament ban was included in a general fish and wildlife bill, H.636, which Gov. Phil Scott allowed to become law on Tuesday, but declined to sign.
Scott said he saw the ban as unnecessary and confusing, since coyote hunting remains legal in the state.
“This bill sends a mixed signal to hunters, farmers and landowners that hunting coyotes is a bad thing when, in fact, that activity is likely a major reason coyotes remain wild and wary of people, which keeps human-coyote conflicts to a minimum,” Scott wrote in a letter to the House clerk on Tuesday.
Scott called the bill an example of legislative overreach, and said the Fish and Wildlife Board, a 14-member governor-appointed board that votes on the state’s fish and wildlife regulations, would have been the appropriate authority for deciding upon a ban.
“Further, I am concerned that once the Legislature has taken this path, it will begin to revisit all other wildlife hunting and fishing competitions in the state,” he wrote. “These competitions are enormously popular among sportsmen and encourage our Vermont youth to take part in permitted fishing and hunting activities.”
But, he wrote, “I am reluctant to veto this bill, as it does make significant improvements to fish and wildlife law.”
Vermont still has an open season on coyotes, dating back to the days when coyotes were considered “vermin” by white settlers of the state, according to a report prepared by Department of Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter.
Porter said in an interview on Thursday that the department did not regard the ban as necessary from a wildlife conservation perspective. Coyote tournaments have not been nearly as popular in Vermont as they have been in other states.
Porter said that without another act of the Legislature, the Fish and Wildlife Board would not, in fact, have had the authority to ban coyote tournaments.
After two days of debate on the House floor last February, the possibility of a prison sentence for organizing or participating in coyote killings contests was replaced by a fine of $400 to $1,000 for first-time offenders. Second-time offenders would face fines of $2,000 to $4,000.
Those caught participating in a coyote tournament would lose their hunting license for at least a year, depending on whether there had been previous wildlife offenses; organizers of tournaments would face longer license suspensions.
In addition to the ban on coyote contests, H.636 makes various improvements to state fish and wildlife laws including:
Allowing the commissioner to contract with consultants to conduct research.
Clarifying terms under which the ANR secretary can convey, exchange, sell, or lease land on behalf of the department of Fish and Wildlife — to resolve trespass, boundary, right of way and deed issues, or for conservation and recreation.
Allowing the Department of Fish and Wildlife, in limited circumstances, to correct boundary issues with neighbors who live next door to department land.
Allowing retail outlets and others who sell fishing and hunting licenses also to provide customers with applications for lotteries for doe tags and moose permits.
Clarifying which animals cannot be transported into the state without department approval.
Requiring trappers to notify officials within 24 hours of accidentally trapping a cat or dog.