Bounties are a financial incentive offered by the government to encourage the hunting and killing of an animal species. Specific animals are often targeted when they are thought to be a threat to humans in some capacity. The Omnibus Game and Fish bill in 2010 included a provision that would have allowed counties to offer a bounty on coyotes. This legislation passed both the Senate and the House, but was vetoed by Governor Pawlenty.

Bounties waste government resources, as individuals with coyote hunting licenses may collect this payment, even if they had intended to hunt regardless of the bounty offering. Also, the coyotes hunted for the bounty are not targeted, which means that those who are killed may have never caused a problem to any individual. Bounties also have not been proven to curb population growth. Minnesota previously offered a bounty on coyotes between 1865 and 1957, during which time the coyote population in the state increased.

———————————————————————————————————————-