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That's when Chavez, a former rancher and construction worker, took up the cause and decided to hold his own coyote hunt, scheduled to begin on private land on Saturday. "I felt that Calibers backed down to the pressure," he said. "We can't let that happen, especially since it's our right to hunt." Chavez said he was inundated with complaints and support just as soon as news broke that Gunhawk would organize the hunt. A letter by one resident warned Chavez that he would be dressing in a "coyote outfit" during the contest and said participants would feel guilty once they discovered they had killed a human. "I hope also there will be a doctor on hand to check this guy out," Chavez said. "Who says that kind of stuff?" Someone else called and made a death threat, Chavez said. The call was reported to the FBI. Participants in a coyote hunting contest won't be allowed to shoot coyotes on federal or state land. New Mexico Land Commissioner Ray Powell told Chavez in a letter Thursday that a permit or lease is needed for commercial use of the state lands and none has been issued. Anyone participating in the contest on state land will be considered a trespasser, Powell said. In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has also sent Chavez a letter to say that hunting won't be allowed on its land. Still, Chavez said 60 teams have signed up for a two-day contest that will be conducted on private land of willing ranchers. He said in addition to the angry phone calls and emails, he's getting support for hunters and ranchers who have been battling aggressive coyotes on their lands. "When I see the happy faces on the people who come in here, that's all the matters to me," he said.
[Associated
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