STATE LAND COMMISSIONER SIGNS ORDER TO BAN CONTESTS ON STATE LAND

NEW MEXICO (KSMX) – The New Mexico State Land Commissioner has signed an order banning coyote killing contests on state land. The order makes it illegal to organize, sponsor, or participate in a coyote killing contest for prizes or entertainment on state land. Land Commissioner Stephanie Richard Garcia called the practice “barbaric and inhumane.” The order, she said, is not to say that she doesn’t support hunters who hunt ethically, or hunters who use practices that follow the law and include fair chase. The commissioner added that this doesn’t keep ranchers who use state land from humanely combating depredation of their livestock.