Just as the sun peaks over the hills and legal hunting hours commence, a lone coyote answers your call with a howl of his own. The Wyoming plains slowly come to life as the predator comes into view. As he wanders within range, you prepare to claim the first coyote of the competition.
Although these hunts are not as glorified as some, many hunters in Wyoming choose to partake in coyote calling competitions during the winter months. Due to the predator status given to coyotes by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, these animals are able to be harvested year round and do not require a designated license. However, hunters must still follow basic hunting regulations outlined by the Game and Fish.
Rules of the Competition
During coyote calling competitions, teams of two hunters are given two days to harvest as many coyotes as they can during legal hunting hours. Once the competitor chooses a spot, they begin their “stand” where they attempt to call in coyotes. These stands last from 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the response the hunter gets from the animals. Once a stand is completed, the team relocates and repeats the process.
“The best stands are spots with high vantage points,” Krista Willis, an avid hunter from Lander, said. Willis and her father often team up for the competitions.
“The higher spots allow you to see into the draws and see the coyotes coming in. It also helps if you hunker down in the sagebrush, so they can’t see you.”
Daniel Burget, a recent graduate from the University of Wyoming, says he always tries to get in at least 15 stands in a full day of hunting.
The winner of the competition is the team with the greatest number of coyotes retrieved. If two teams present equal numbers of coyotes, the winner is decided by the total weight of the animals.
Many contests offer prizes for the top hunters. These range from cash, new calls, guns, camouflage items and, sometimes, trips for exotic hunts.
“Usually the host of the event will pay out 75 percent of the entry fee to the winners. Sometimes, this is up to eight places.” Burget said. “The hosts will give the other 25 percent to the Game and Fish, local charities that educate youth on hunting safety and conservation efforts.”
Families in the Field
Aside from the enticement of the prizes, hunters also experience other benefits from participating in the hunts. These hunts provide a full-body workout outside of the gym and it keeps the competitors in practice for the next hunting season.
“Coyote hunting is a fun sport that promotes great exercise, practiced marksmanship and skills with a coyote call. Coyotes have better eyesight and sense of smell than most other animals that are hunted, so it requires a much higher skill level in my opinion,” Burget said. “Coyote hunting is, in my eyes, practice for hunting larger game, but I will still show a coyote the same respect as I would an elk or a moose. If I cannot take the shot with confidence and ethically, I will not take the shot.”
These morals and ethics also are taught to younger generations in the field. It is not an uncommon sight to see fathers and mothers bringing their children, who have successfully completed a hunter’s safety course, into the competitions. They also are typically successful in their endeavors. Husband and wife teams also are common.
Giving Back to Landowners
“I also like being able to help out local ranchers” Burget added, “They view the coyotes, as well as other predators, as a threat to their livestock and livelihood.”
Although coyotes are small in stature, these animals have been dubbed ‘the most adaptable predator ever’ by Jan Loven, USDA Animal Damage control specialist.
Ranchers and landowners benefit from the harvest of coyotes by the decreased predator pressure on their herds. Coyotes prefer prey upon smaller animals such as calves, sheep and goats and that directly impacts the profits of the livestock operation.
According to the National Agricultural Statistic Service, an estimated 17,500 sheep were killed in Wyoming by predators in 2011. Of those sheep deaths, 10,900 were due to coyotes.
These high predation numbers have prompted Wyoming to launch a coyote bounty program that pays hunters $20 per coyote brought in. This reward can be collected outside of designated hunts until the delegated money for the project runs out.
Coyotes also are harbingers of disease and carry mange, parvo virus and rabies. These animals are smart, reproduce quickly and look after their own, which ensures strong population numbers. These traits have created problems in other states besides Wyoming with predation and transmission of diseases.
Hunt Year Round or Sign Up
In Wyoming, competitions take place during the winter months — December to February — but frequency and location can vary depending on the organization sponsoring the hunt.
Hunts are sponsored by different states and organizations so hunters always have a good selection. More information on events in the area can be found at the forums at Predator Masters, Coyote Hunting Today and National Predator Hunting Association.
Regardless of the time of year, as long as the hunter is in possession of a hunter’s safety license, these animals can be harvested. Hunters do not have to wait for competitions to get out into the field.
“It’s nice to just get out into nature. It is always fun to get there and call them in,” Willis said.
