How killing wildlife in the United States became a game

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC • April 27, 2023

The United States is the only country in the world where wild animals are killed by the tens of thousands strictly for prizes and entertainment. It is estimated that before the coronavirus pandemic, there were more than 400 contests annually, accounting for 60,000 dead animals each year. The contests are increasingly controversial, criticized as blood sport. “This isn’t hunting,” says Robert Brown, a member of the ethics committee of the nonprofit Boone and Crockett Club, established in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt and other hunters for the protection of wildlife resources. “It’s just shooting.” The techniques commonly used in contests are “unethical.” “Coyotes need to be put in check,” says John Van Etten, president of the Sportsmen’s Federation. “Hunters perform that role.” A number of studies have found that killing coyotes actually can cause their populations to grow.