Senate panel advances bills to ban coyote contests, drone hunting
Senate panel advances bills to ban coyote-killing contests, hunting with drones
State Sen. Howie Morales, D-Socorro, listens as Jacob Sandoval, 11, of Farmington, a fifth-grader at Ladera Elementary School, speaks in support of a measure that would make it illegal to use drones for hunting. Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
Posted: Tuesday, February 3, 2015 9:00 pm | Updated: 12:18 am, Wed Feb 4, 2015.
The Senate Conservation Committee, on bipartisan votes Tuesday, endorsed bills that would ban coyote-killing contests and outlaw use of drones for hunting.
New Mexico made national news a couple of years ago after a gun store owner offered prizes for the most coyotes killed during a contest, and more than a dozen similar competitions have been held around the state since then. In an emotional two-hour session that drew a standing-room-only crowd, people spoke passionately on both sides of the issue before the committee endorsed the bill to ban such contests on a 6-3 vote.
Read more here: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legislature/senate-panel-advances-bills-to-ban-coyote-contests-drone-hunting/article_726c2186-b7de-56a6-af58-dd9d59eb1679.html