There is no bounty on coyotes in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources does not pay for killed coyotes, and no statewide program offers a cash reward for taking one. What Ohio does offer is one of the most permissive coyote-hunting frameworks in the country: an open year-round season, no bag limit, legal night hunting, and no special permit beyond a standard hunting license.
Why Ohio Doesn’t Pay a Bounty
Bounty programs have a long history in the United States, but wildlife agencies have largely abandoned them. Coyotes compensate for population losses by producing larger litters, so even aggressive harvesting rarely puts a lasting dent in their numbers. Ohio’s approach relies on liberal seasons that let landowners and hunters manage coyotes locally, without the cost of a statewide payout. Some townships and sportsmen’s clubs have organized informal coyote contests or small cash prizes, but these are private efforts with no state backing.
Season, Bag Limit, and License
Ohio classifies coyotes as fur-bearing animals,1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 1531.01 – Division of Wildlife Definitions but unlike most furbearers they may be hunted and trapped year-round.2Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-15-18 – Furbearing Animals Seasons and Bag Limits There is no bag limit and no possession limit, so you can take as many as you want in a single outing or across a season.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-15-09
You need a valid Ohio hunting license. A resident one-year license costs $19.4Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Buy Hunting Licenses and Permits You do not need a fur taker permit for coyotes, even though most other furbearers require one. Ohio law carves coyotes out of that requirement specifically.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-15-09
Daytime, Nighttime, and the Deer-Season Catch
Coyotes are one of the few game animals in Ohio you can legally hunt after dark. Daytime hunting runs from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. For night hunting, anyone pursuing furbearers must carry a continuous white light visible from at least a quarter mile. If you are calling coyotes from a stationary position at night, you can use a single beam of light in any color, which covers spotlights and colored predator lights.5Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 2025-26 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations
The one restriction that catches people off guard is deer firearms season. During deer gun and deer muzzleloader seasons, coyote hunters have to follow deer-hunter rules: deer-season hours only, hunter orange, and only implements legal for that specific deer season. The regulations also state that coyote hunters out during deer gun season need both a hunting license and a valid deer permit.5Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 2025-26 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations Check ODNR’s current season dates before heading out in late fall and winter.
A smaller rule worth knowing: you cannot carry a firearm or other hunting device while training or running a dog on coyotes between sunset and sunrise.5Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 2025-26 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations
Legal Methods and Equipment
Firearms of essentially any caliber are permitted outside of deer gun season, and archery equipment is always legal. Electronic game calls are allowed for coyotes, though they remain off-limits for migratory game birds and wild turkeys.5Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 2025-26 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations Night vision scopes are legal outside of deer gun season.
Trapping and snaring are legal year-round. Ohio allows cage traps, body-gripping traps, foot-encapsulating traps, foothold traps, and snares. Traps with teeth on the gripping surface are prohibited, and any flesh bait must be completely covered. Land traps other than cage traps cannot be set within 150 feet of an occupied residence unless you notify someone who lives there, and that notice requirement does not apply on your own property.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-15-09 Setting traps on any path or road used by people or domestic animals is always illegal.
One method that is not legal: spotting wildlife with an artificial light from a vehicle while holding a hunting device. Ohio’s jacklighting law prohibits that, and it applies even on your own land unless you are actively protecting your property.6Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 1533.161 – Prohibiting Jacklighting
Landowner Exemption
If you own your land in Ohio, you do not need a hunting license or fur taker permit to hunt or trap furbearers on it. The exemption extends to your spouse, your parents, your children of any age, and your grandchildren under 18. Tenants and their children get the same treatment on land where they live.4Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Buy Hunting Licenses and Permits If your land is held by an LLC, partnership, or trust with three or fewer members, the individual members and their families also qualify.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1533 – Section 1533.111
Coyotes Causing Problems on Your Property
If a coyote is threatening livestock, harassing pets, or damaging property, you can act fast. Coyotes are one of the species that may be killed using lethal means without first getting written permission from the Division of Wildlife.8Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-15-03 – Nuisance Wild Animal Control Most other nuisance wildlife requires a permit before lethal control; coyotes are specifically exempted.
If you live-trap a coyote, you must either euthanize it or release it on the spot. Ohio does not allow you to relocate a trapped coyote elsewhere.8Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-15-03 – Nuisance Wild Animal Control That rule is partly a disease-control measure and partly a recognition that moving a coyote just hands the problem to someone else.
Where You Can Legally Hunt
Coyote hunting is allowed on public and private land across the state. On public land, check the posted rules or contact the managing agency, because individual state forests and wildlife areas may restrict methods, hours, or access. ODNR publishes area-specific regulations on its website and at trailheads.
On private land, you need the landowner’s permission. Written permission is the safer route, since a verbal agreement leaves no proof if a dispute arises. Hunting without consent is trespassing.
Hunting inside municipal limits is generally prohibited unless a local ordinance allows it. Even in rural areas, local governments set their own minimum distances for firearm discharge near occupied buildings, and those distances vary by county and municipality. Check with your local government before hunting near developed areas, and remember that you are responsible for what is behind your target.