‘Defenders of Wildlife’, a US based non-profit dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities, has mobilised more than 145,000 people to demand end of predator derbies in which contestants kill wildlife for points and prizes (and wolf kills fetched the highest points). A petition delivered to the headquarters of two major corporate sponsors demands that both companies renounce their sponsorship of the unethical "predator derbies," the proceeds of which were funnelled to anti-wolf groups and litigation.

Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife said, “It's irresponsible that Cabela's and Sportsman's Warehouse sponsored such unsportsmanlike killing contests. Even more disturbing is that the proceeds from the derbies went directly into the pockets of extreme anti-wolf groups that would like to see wolves removed from the landscape by any means”.

"Cabela's claims to be ‘dedicated to conserving the fish, game and wild places that are our heritage' yet its actions directly threaten the survival of the American gray wolf - a symbol of America's wild heritage and environmental health. No true conservation-minded organization would knowingly sponsor competitions intended to take aim at an imperiled species, the fate of which is still playing out in the courts,” said Schlickeisen.