Coyote Season Closures During Gun Deer Hunts
Wisconsin Ag Connection – 10/13/2008
With the first of the gun deer season just around the corner, hunters are reminded that coyote hunting is closed in approximately the northern third of the state during gun deer seasons.
“Coyote season closes in the north to avoid misidentification and unintentional shooting of gray wolves,” says Adrian Wydeven, mammalian biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources. “Although there are documented wolf packs in the mid-state region, the majority of wolf habitat is in the north and that is where misidentification is most likely.”
Wildlife biologists caution that lone wolves can occur almost anywhere in the state, and especially in forested areas. In those areas of the state where coyote hunting is still allowed during the gun deer hunts, it is the hunter’s responsibility to accurately identify their target.
Also, this rule does not apply to any deer management unit that does not have a gun deer season occurring, which is the case in the regular deer management units. A person may still hunt coyotes in the northern coyote closure zone from October 16 -19 if they are hunting in a regular deer management unit that is not open to the antlerless hunt.
The gray wolf was returned to the federal endangered species list following a September 29 U.S District Court decision making any shooting of gray wolves illegal.