The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board took its final vote on a regulation on trapping and hunting coyotes on Thursday, December 14. Information on the regulation and a permit application to hunt coyotes with dogs are available on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website.
The new regulation establishes a season for hunting coyotes with dogs and is effective on January 1, 2024. The season for hunting coyotes with the aid of dogs will be December 15 through March 31 each year.
Legal hunting hours for taking coyotes with the aid of dogs will be one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. The coyote dog training season will be from June 1 through September 15.
Previously there was no special season for hunting coyotes with dogs. The season for trapping coyotes remains the same, and there is an open season for hunting coyote without the aid of dogs.
Applications for hunting coyotes with the aid of dogs may be downloaded from Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website. The deadline to apply is January 15, 2024. No coyote hunting with dogs is allowed until permits are received.
Only 100 permits are available. If more than 100 permit applications are received, a lottery drawing will be held by the Fish and Wildlife Department.