Coyote Harvest Incentive Program

Coyote - Photograph courtesy of Jay Butfiloski The Coyote Harvest Incentive Program was created in 2016 by a Legislative Budget Provision (47.10), which directed SCDNR to develop and implement a coyote tagging and reward program. Annually, SCDNR traps, tags and releases four coyotes per game zone (16 total). Beginning in July of 2023, the budget proviso was modified to change the reward from a free lifetime hunting license to a $3,000 reward per tagged coyote taken after this date. Anyone who successfully takes and reports a specially tagged coyote will be rewarded with $3,000. The person reporting the tagged coyote has the option to designate anyone for the monetary reward such as a child, relative, or friend. No hunter/trapper, or their designee, may collect the $3,000 reward on more than two coyotes per fiscal year. Employees of the Department of Natural Resources, members of the General Assembly, and their immediate families are not eligible to receive this reward.

Over the last seven years, a total of 112 coyotes have been tagged and released, including the 16 coyotes tagged this last trapping season. To date, just less than half of the tagged coyotes have been reported taken. Coyotes tagged in any year are eligible for the reward incentive. The specially marked tags provide contact information directly on them. Only the uniquely identifiable SCDNR coyote tags are eligible for this reward as there are potentially some coyotes that have been tagged for research purposes.

Coyote Harvest Estimates
from Years 2005 - 2022
Year Reported
Trapped 		Estimated
Shot from
Hunters' Survey		 Reported Predator
Management
Permits		 Reported
Night Hunting		 Total
Harvest
Estimate
2005
1,039
20,159
21,198
2006
1,112
20,194
21,306
2007
1,223
23,957
25,180
2008
1,520
25,526
27,046
2009
2,384
29,783
32,167
2010
2,123
30,800
32,923
2011
2,205
32,204
34,409
2012
2,584
28,211
 343
31,138
2013
2,595
30,076
 111
32,782
2014
2,500
31,306
 250
34,056
2015
2,751
29,027
 150
31,928
2016
2,429
28,513
 481
31,423
2017
2,159
22,441
 736 180
25,516
2018 2,619 22,731 590 267 26,207
2019 2,618 20,674 501 1,953 25,746
2020 3,448 18,919 142 2,308 24,817
2021 2,612 16,298 274 1,438 20,348
2022 2,243 21,750 257 1,618 25,856

Based on current harvest estimates, the overall coyote population appears to be down approximately 40% since 2011. This indicates that control efforts by hunters and trappers are having an impact.