SACRAMENTO (AP) - Despite pleas from animal welfare advocates, the California game commission has declined to intervene in a controversial coyote hunting contest this weekend in wolf country.

But members of the commission did ask at their meeting on Wednesday whether they had the authority to regulate the contests in the future.

On Saturday and Sunday, hunters will fan across Modoc County in northeast California to see who can kill the most coyotes in a contest sponsored by a local gun club. The winner gets a silver buckle.

Animal welfare advocates argued before the Fish and Game Commission that the hunt is inhumane. They also said coyotes help control vermin, playing an important role in the ecosystem.

Margo Parks of the California Cattlemen's Association said coyotes cause $4 million in damage annually.

Hartz Mountain Corp., who makes a variety of pet products, has issued a voluntary recall of two lines of dog treats.

According to KABC Los Angeles, the Hartz Chicken Chews and Hartz Oinkies Pig Skin Twists with Chicken for dogs were recalled due to "trace amounts of unapproved antibiotics residue found in samples of the products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said two-thirds of the products tested were free of the residue, but the lines were recalled as a precautionary measure.

"The trace amounts of antibiotic residue do not pose a health risk to pets at the levels detected, and it's highly unlikely that the antibiotics are related to reports of illnesses the agency has received related to jerky pet treats in the past," according to KABC.

The following products are included in the recall: