Update: This bill failed to pass.
Bill Description: If passed, this bill would appropriate $50,000 of state funding for predator control, which would be matched by federal funding. Of this amount, $25,000 would specifically be designated to be spent by the US Department of Agriculture for the aerial gunning of coyotes without a permit.
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The federal government already kills thousands of coyotes nationwide using low-flying aircraft, primarily to protect agricultural interests in the West. Aerial gunning is just one of the inhumane methods used by the USDA to kill predators. However, this program is ineffective and wasteful; there are inherent safety risks as well as the tremendous cost to taxpayers.
The dangerous mix of flying at low altitude and low speed has resulted in at least 19 crashes. Despite 70 years of federally subsidized predator killing, livestock losses have not declined. In 1995, the National Agricultural Statistics Service found that coyotes caused 1.6% of all cattle and calf deaths. Other causes of death were far greater: respiratory problems (27.5%), digestive problems (19.7%), unknown causes (15.2%), birthing (14.8%), weather (9.5%), other (9.1%), poison (1.1%), and theft (0.4%). An expansion of aerial gunning is not needed. In fact, the funding designated for aerial gunning of coyotes in this bill would be far better spent in effective ways, such as farmer education.