A total of 39 coyotes carcasses were found in the desert west of Las Cruces. Officials believe the coyotes were killed in a contest similar to one that apparently is being organized in Ruidoso this weekend. (Robin Zielinski Sun-News)

Ruidoso apparently will be the site of a coyote contest hunt this weekend.

The hunt comes at the same time members of the New Mexico State Legislature are considering Senate Bill 253, sponsored by Sens. Mark Moores, a Republican from Albuquerque and Jeff Steinborn, a Democrat from Las Cruces, that would ban staging or participating in hunt competitions that offer prizes.

A group called Antlers Obsession Outdoors circulated information about the rules of the local hunt and how winners will be determined. On the Antlers website, Rusty Silva is listed as the guide and outfitter of the business, but the Ruidoso News was unable to contact him for comment. The notice specifically states that no Calcutta, which is illegal in New Mexico, will be allowed where betters gamble on how well a particular contestant will fare.

Preston Stone, a rancher and chairman of the Lincoln County Commission, said he's not against the contest hunts. While he doesn't find much in the current legislation that is objectionable, he said he's worried that passage of the bill would set a precedent and the next bill introduced would be more detrimental to the ranching industry. The next bill also might further restrict or remove the predator control services now used heavily by ranchers in Lincoln County, he said, adding that the licensed predator control trappers already have seen many of their weapons for controlling coyote removed.

Phil Carter, wildlife campaign manager for Animal Protection of New Mexico, said coyotes are classified in the state as unprotected fur bearers and that's one of the drivers of such hunts, where the goal is to "rack up bodies" for a prize or payoff.

Coyote killing contests hit the news in 2012 when it was learned that a state game commissioner was president of a group sponsoring a hunt in Farmington, he said. That was followed by a battle between a Los Lunas gun shop owner, who was sponsoring a coyote hunt contest, and opponents of such hunts.

Carter said his group is a lobbying organization with the goal of improving the lives of domestic and wild animals. Members have been working with the sponsors of the legislation to make sure it was targeted to contest hunts and did not infringe on anyone's right to protect property and livestock, he said.

"If this passes, it still will be legal to shoot coyotes," Carter said. "We ran a similar bill in 2013, with a House sponsor and it made it through committees, then was narrowly defeated on the House floor, because it became (mixed up) with gun rights issues. We've been careful that this bill only targets contests for prizes."

The legislation was introduced two weeks ago near the beginning of the session.

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Coyote hunt this weekend in Ruidoso