Yes, you can kill coyotes in Michigan, and you can do it year-round. The state runs a regulated hunting and trapping season from October 15 through March 1, a management season from March 2 through October 14, and a separate landowner exception that lets you protect property, pets, or livestock at any time without a license.1State of Michigan. Hunting Season Calendar The current framework took effect March 1, 2026, so older online guidance may list different dates.
On Your Own Property
Landowners have the broadest authority. If coyotes are damaging or about to damage your private property, pets, or livestock, or threatening people, you or someone you designate can kill them without a hunting license, fur harvester license, or any written permit.2State of Michigan. Nuisance Wildlife This applies year-round, including outside the hunting and management seasons.
The livestock exception is especially broad. If coyotes are doing damage or are physically present where they could imminently cause livestock damage, the property owner or designee can act at any time of year.3Department of Natural Resources. Nuisance Coyote FAQ
A designee is simply someone you authorize — a neighbor, ranch hand, or family member. The DNR does not require a written agreement, but putting something on paper protects both people if a conservation officer asks questions later. You still have to use legal methods and follow local firearms ordinances. Some municipalities restrict discharging firearms within their limits, so check before you shoot.
Regular Hunting and Trapping Season
The October 15 through March 1 window is when most recreational coyote hunting and trapping happens. All established hunting and trapping methods are legal during this period. Hunting coyotes with dogs is prohibited from November 15 through November 30, which overlaps with firearm deer season.4State of Michigan. October 9, 2025 Coyote Resolution Non-lethal cable restraints are allowed only from January 1 through March 1, and only on private land.5State of Michigan. Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary
Management Season
From March 2 through October 14, lethal take continues on both private and public land to address overabundance and conflicts with other wildlife. Most legal methods carry over from the regular season with two differences. Non-lethal cable restraints are prohibited entirely, and dogs cannot be used for coyote hunting from April 16 through July 7.3Department of Natural Resources. Nuisance Coyote FAQ
Legal Methods
Michigan allows calls, bait, dogs (subject to the seasonal restrictions above), traps, non-lethal cable restraints during the January 1 through March 1 window on private land, nighttime hunting, and artificial lights.3Department of Natural Resources. Nuisance Coyote FAQ
Night hunting is legal, but the firearms rules change after dark. Centerfire rifles and pistols of .269 caliber or smaller can be used at night statewide, including in the Limited Firearms Deer Zone in the southern Lower Peninsula. Centerfire firearms cannot be used at night in state parks and recreation areas, and they cannot be used at night statewide from November 10 through November 30.6Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Coyote Season Changes – Closure April 16-July 14
Trappers face detailed trap-check schedules that depend on zone and trap type, along with size limits on body-gripping traps that vary between private and public land. If you plan to trap, review the current furbearer regulations before setting anything.5State of Michigan. Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary Electronic trap monitors do not satisfy any trap-check requirement.
License Requirements
Recreational coyote hunters need a current-year base license during either the regular season or the management season. Michigan residents pay $11. Nonresidents need both a base license and a fur harvester license ($15).7State of Michigan. Fishing and Hunting License Information There is no separate coyote tag and no bag limit. Landowners acting under the nuisance exception need no license at all.
What’s Prohibited
Some methods and behaviors are illegal regardless of season or who owns the land:
- Taking any animal from or upon a vehicle. Narrow exceptions exist for hunters with qualifying disabilities who hold a valid permit, and even then the vehicle must be stopped and other conditions apply.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 324.40111
- Discharging a firearm within 150 yards of an occupied house, cabin, barn, or other building without written permission from the owner, renter, or occupant.
- Poison. Michigan’s criminal code makes it a misdemeanor to expose poisonous substances where animals can eat them. A limited exception exists for predatory animals on rural property outside incorporated cities and villages, but federal pesticide rules, DNR restrictions, and the risk of killing non-target wildlife make poison practically unusable.
- Using drones or other unmanned devices to take game.
- Firing tranquilizing substances from a bow or firearm.
Do Not Mistake a Wolf for a Coyote
This is the mistake that turns a legal hunt into a federal crime. Gray wolves are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act throughout Michigan, and killing one, even accidentally, violates federal law.9U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Service Announces Gray Wolf Finding and National Recovery Plan Mistaken identity is not a defense that will reliably keep you out of trouble.
One Michigan hunter killed what he thought was a large coyote. It turned out to be an 84-pound gray wolf, more than double the weight of a big coyote. If you hunt in the Upper Peninsula or northern Lower Peninsula, where wolves live, learn the differences before you shoulder your rifle:
- Adult coyotes weigh 20 to 50 pounds and stand 16 to 20 inches at the shoulder. Adult gray wolves weigh 60 to 115 pounds and stand 26 to 32 inches.
- Coyotes are lean with narrow snouts and long, pointed ears. Wolves are stocky with broad, blocky muzzles and shorter, rounded ears.
- Coyotes measure 3.5 to 4.5 feet nose to tail. Wolves run 4.5 to 6.5 feet.
If the animal looks bigger than you expected, don’t shoot. Night hunters in wolf range face elevated risk because size and features are hard to judge in low light, and the consequences include federal criminal charges with substantial fines and possible imprisonment.
Carcass Disposal
Coyotes taken during the management season (March 2 through October 14) cannot be left where they fall. The 2026 Wildlife Conservation Order requires burying or composting the carcass completely, or wrapping it and disposing of it in a landfill in compliance with local ordinances.10State of Michigan. Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 10 of 2025 Keeping or selling the pelt counts as “use” under the order and satisfies the disposal requirement. Pelts taken during the regular October 15 through March 1 season follow standard furbearer regulations.