You don’t want to get the police hunting you down while you’re on a jovial coyote-hunting picnic. Thereby, hunters must read the rules and regulations for coyote hunting in their specific area.
As far as California is considered, Coyotes are classified as non-game animals. It means that there is no legal restriction in hunting coyotes. However, certain requirements must be fulfilled. This guide walks individuals through the requirements of hunting coyotes in California.
Threats imposed by Coyotes in California
First of all, let’s have a brief look at the coyote population of California and the threats they impose. According to the California Department of Fish and Game, the coyote population in California ranges from 250,000 to 750,000 organisms. This number is pretty high and considerate.
Moving on, from 1988 to 2003, 48 coyote attacks on humans have been documented in California. And that number has been increasing afterward. Most of such incidents have occurred in Southern California near the suburban-wildland interface. Coyotes behavior has also become somewhat aggressive due to a variety of reasons.
Coyotes have no problem finding food at this time. Leftovers from pets’ food given by humans are found everywhere. Moreover, some compassionate humans often feed stray animals. While their intentions may be pure, they often harbor bad results. The coyotes don’t show any fear of humans now, thanks to which they often aggressively attack children and adults on various occasions.
Recently, the spotting of coyotes near human residences during daytime and night, the spotting of coyotes near children’s parks, and attacks of coyotes on pets, including cats dogs, and toddlers have also been increasing. This imposes a serious threat the commission must consider. Normally, under such circumstances, the state issues bounty programs for the killing of such animals. We have also seen new rules being announced for hunting coyotes at night in Arkansas.
However, there’s no such news currently in California. The department has taken the issue into its own hands. It issues a full-scale investigation to locate coyotes in the woodland hills and kill them.
Requirements of Hunting Coyotes in California
The California Code of Regulation, Title 14, section 472(a) declares Coyoes as a non-game animal. This means that is legal to shoot a coyote down as long as you fulfill the following requirements:
- Proper hunting license
- A hunting place.
The details of this are as under:
Popper Hunting Liscence:
Residents and non-residents need a proper license for hunting, which can be purchased through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. If individuals have not had any California-established hunting license in the past, they’ll need to attend proper training to get a hunting certificate.
Furthermore, individuals belonging to some other state must have a hunting license issued from their state within the last 2 years. Additional details regarding licensing requirements can be obtained by accessing the California Hunter Education Portal.
A Hunting Place
Having a hunting place is necessary for hunting. If you don’t own one, you have three options. Firstly, you can purchase one. But of course, that’s going to cost a good fortune.
Secondly, you can join a hunting club. Hunting clubs have a variety of lands, filled with roaming animals. These animals, including coyotes, can be hunted at a person’s will.
The third option is rather within reach for common individuals. If you don’t want to spend money on buying hunting land or partaking in a hunting club, you can resort to public parks and other lands. However, you’ll need permission from the landowner or property agent. There’s also a wide variety of public parks you can choose from, except the following locations:
1: North on Highway 33-166 till Soda Lake Road
2: On the Simmler Soda Lake and northwest on the Soda Lake Road
3: Northwest on Cerro Noroeste Road till Highway 33-166
4: South on Interstate 5 near Mendota or to Highway 198
5: East on Highway 198 till Highway 99
6: South on Highway 99 till Interstate 5
7: Beginning at Mendota, at the intersection of Little Panoche Road and Interstate 5
8: Near Fort Tejon Historical Monument, Interstate 5 south till the Los Padres National Forest boundary in Section 8, T 9 N, R 19 W, S.B.B.M
9: West along the National Forest boundary till the Cerro Noroeste Road
10: North and east on the Little Panoche Road till the point of beginning at Interstate 5
11: San Diego Creek Road till Highway 58 at Simmler
12: North along with the Fresno-Monterey county and Fresno-San Benito county lines till the Little Panoche Road
13: West on Highway 58 till the Cammotti Shandon Road
14: Northwest on Highway 198 till the Fresno-Monterey county line
15: North on the Cammotti Shandon Road till the Shandon San Juan Road
16: North on Parkfield Coalinga Road and Parkfield Grade till Highway 198
17: North on the Shandon San Juan Road till Highway 41
18: Northwest on Cholame Valley Road and Cholame Road till the Parkfield Coalinga Road in Parkfield
19: Northeast on Highway 41 till the Cholame Valley Road
Hunting Period of Coyotes in California
California Department of Fish and Wildlife has also issued a hunting period. If you stray from this period, you’ll definitely end up in jail because of breaking the law. Coyotes can be hunted in California from July of 2023 to the end of March 2024. You must keep a good look for this period as the department can change it every year.
Bag Limit of Coyotes in California
Fortunately, there’s no limit to how much coyote you can hunt n California. As aforementioned, coyotes are included in the non-game category in California. You’re basically helping the nation in conservating wildlife by hunting coyotes.
Legal Hunting Lights in California
Hunters must also study the list of legal hunting equipment so that they fall within the boundaries of the law. The use use spotlights or artificial lights from a vehicle in certain zones, provided the vehicle is stationary with the engine off. However, doing so on public roads or highways is strictly prohibited.
Moreover, in specific zones, you can only resort to 9-volt lights or smaller handheld. These lights must have self-contained batteries and must not be connected to a vehicle. Hunters must also use these lights on foot.
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Night visions are also prohibited for hunting use. Lighting equipment that emits light of specific wavelengths and is used in conjunction with viewing instruments is also considered as a night vision and is prohibited. Moreover, optical instruments using battery or electricity-powered amplification circuits are also prohibited. These may include specific scopes or binoculars.
Legal Ways to Hunt Coyotes in California
Decoys and recorded or electronically amplified game calls are legally allowed during coyote hunting. Hunter can use this method to gather coyotes. Then considering firearms are your preferred weapon of choice for hunting, they’re completely legal as well.
However, there are certain prohibitions. Using a shotgun larger than 10 gauge for coyote hunting is illegal. Moreover, possessing a machine gun, silencer, shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches, or rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches during coyote hunting is unlawful.
Baiting coyotes with food or smaller animals like dogs is strictly prohibited. Lastly, it’s also illegal to poison coyotes since it can also have adverse effects on other populations.
To Sum up:
In conclusion, hunting coyotes in California involves adherence to specific rules and regulations designed to ensure responsible and ethical practices. Coyotes, classified as non-game animals, can be legally hunted within the defined parameters. However, you must meet certain requirements:
First of all, you must possess a proper hunting license issued by the state and should hunt on lands specified for hunting. The use of equipment like Night Visions is illegal. But you can use lights of 9 V and can hunt via forearms. Poisoning the coyotes and baiting them is also prohibited. That said, make sure you fulfill all these requirements. Happing legal hunting!
