Utah coyote hunting laws treat coyotes as non-protected wildlife, which means Utah residents can hunt them any day of the year, with no bag limit and no hunting license required. Non-residents still need a small game license, and everyone has to follow the state’s rules on methods, night hunting, and where firearms can be discharged. The open framework exists to encourage ongoing population control, not to remove all restrictions.
Why Coyotes Sit Outside the Usual Game Rules
Utah Code 23A-1-101 defines “protected wildlife” and excludes coyotes from that definition, alongside red foxes, raccoons, jackrabbits, striped skunks, and several rodent species.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 23A-1-101 – Definitions Because coyotes are not protected, the seasonal-harvest framework that applies to deer and elk does not apply to them. No closed season. No daily or possession limit. No draw or permit. The state’s management priority is population reduction, and the rules reflect that.
Do You Need a License?
Utah residents do not need a hunting license to take coyotes or other non-protected wildlife. Non-residents do. A non-resident three-day small game license runs $89 through the Division of Wildlife Resources.2Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Fees: Licenses, Permits and Miscellaneous
Anyone born after December 31, 1965, must show proof of completing a state-approved hunter education course before buying a hunting license.3Legal Information Institute. Utah Admin Code R657-23-3 – Hunter Education Required Utah’s Trial Hunting Program lets first-timers buy a license without completing the full course, but participants hunt under additional supervision. Youth hunters under 16 must be accompanied by a qualified adult 21 or older.
Seasons and Bag Limits
There are none. You can take coyotes any day of the year, in any number, planning hunts around weather, fur quality, or livestock protection rather than a state-set window.
Legal Methods and Equipment
Rifles, shotguns, handguns, and archery equipment are all permitted for coyotes in Utah. Electronic calls and decoys are legal and widely used. Running dogs to track or flush coyotes is an accepted method.
Suppressors are legal for hunting in Utah. At the federal level, suppressors remain classified as NFA items requiring ATF registration and a background check, though the $200 federal tax stamp was eliminated as of January 1, 2026. You still cannot possess a suppressor until the ATF approves your Form 4 application, and wait times vary.
Night Hunting and Spotlighting
This is where the rules get stricter than most hunters expect. Utah does not give blanket permission to hunt coyotes at night with artificial light. Spotlighting for coyotes is allowed only in counties that have passed a specific ordinance authorizing it.4Legal Information Institute. Utah Admin Code R657-11-13 – Spotlighting
Where spotlighting is authorized, three baseline rules always apply. Any artificial light must be handheld and carried by the hunter; lights powered by a motor vehicle are not allowed. The hunter cannot occupy or operate a motor vehicle while hunting with artificial light. And individual county ordinances often add their own conditions, including notification requirements or restricted hours.
There is one exception. If you are protecting crops or domestic animals from active predation, you can use spotlighting without a county ordinance in place.4Legal Information Institute. Utah Admin Code R657-11-13 – Spotlighting Before any night hunt, contact the county sheriff’s office or clerk where you plan to hunt and confirm whether an ordinance is on the books and what it requires. Coyotes have no closed season, but hunting them at night without the proper county authorization is still a violation.
Where You Can Hunt
Public Land
Most Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land in Utah is open to coyote hunting unless a specific area closure is posted. The BLM prohibits discharging firearms on all developed recreation sites, including campgrounds, picnic areas, and trailheads, unless the site is designated for shooting.5Bureau of Land Management. Recreational Shooting Check with the local BLM or Forest Service office before hunting an unfamiliar area, since temporary closures for fire risk or habitat protection can restrict access without much notice.
National parks, national monuments managed by the Park Service, and state parks are off-limits. Utah state parks specifically prohibit firearm discharge within buildings, designated camp or picnic sites, boat ramps, and developed beaches.
Private Land
Cultivated or properly posted private land requires documented written permission from the owner or person in charge. Utah Code 23A-5-317 specifies that the permission document must include the owner’s signature, the hunter’s name, applicable dates, and a general description of the property.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 23A-5-317 – Posted Property – Hunting by Permission A verbal okay is not enough for posted or cultivated land.
Violating the statute is a class B misdemeanor and can lead to revocation of your hunting license and related permits. A second conviction within five years can be treated as a flagrant violation, which may block you from obtaining any hunting license for up to five years. Beyond the criminal side, you face civil liability for triple the value of any damages or $500, whichever is greater, plus up to $250 in the landowner’s attorney fees.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 23A-5-317 – Posted Property – Hunting by Permission
Vehicles, Roads, and Buildings
Utah law prohibits discharging a firearm from any vehicle, from or across any highway, and within 600 feet of a house, dwelling, barn, corral, or other building without written permission from the property owner. This applies even where you otherwise have permission to hunt. A violation is a class B misdemeanor. Park, get out, walk clear of the road, and confirm your distance from structures before taking a shot.
Utah’s Coyote Bounty Program
The Division of Wildlife Resources pays hunters for documented coyote kills through a program governed by Administrative Rule R657-64. There are two bounty tiers: $50 for coyotes taken outside designated mule deer habitat, and $100 for coyotes taken within mapped mule deer habitat areas. The Utah Wildlife Board approved the higher tier in 2025 to concentrate removal in areas where coyote predation most directly affects deer populations.7Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah’s Predator Control Program Summary, Fiscal Year 2025
Before your first hunt under the program, complete the free online training and registration course through the DWR. Keep both current, because an expired registration will disqualify you at check-in.8Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah’s Predator Control (Coyote Bounty) Program
After each kill, you report through the Utah Coyote Bounty Reporter, a mobile app built on ArcGIS Survey123 for iOS and Android. Submit the required information electronically along with a photo of the coyote. The app replaced the older paper process.8Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah’s Predator Control (Coyote Bounty) Program
You must then bring the coyote’s lower jaw to a designated DWR check-in station. Scalps are no longer required, and the DWR uses the jaw specimens for age-structure research. You have 365 days from the date of kill to submit an animal for payment; the DWR will not backpay past that window.8Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah’s Predator Control (Coyote Bounty) Program New participants also complete a W-9 and FI-170 vendor application form before receiving payment; the DWR emails those forms after your first submission. Bounty payments are taxable income, so keep records of what you receive across the year.
Federal Rules That Still Apply
Federal law under the Airborne Hunting Act prohibits using aircraft to shoot, harass, or drive wildlife anywhere in the United States. The only exceptions are for government employees acting in an official capacity and individuals operating under a state-issued permit for predator control or livestock protection.9eCFR. 50 CFR Part 19 – Airborne Hunting States cannot authorize sport hunting from aircraft. Using a drone to locate and then pursue coyotes could raise similar questions under this framework, so factor that in if you fly spotting drones.
If you plan to sell coyote pelts or transport carcasses across state lines, the federal Lacey Act applies. The Lacey Act prohibits transporting any wildlife taken in violation of state or federal law.10U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Lacey Act Because coyotes are legally taken in Utah without season or bag limits, compliance is straightforward as long as you followed the state rules during the hunt. The risk arises if you took an animal using an illegal method, such as spotlighting without county authorization, and then moved the pelt into another state. At that point, a state hunting violation becomes a federal offense. Some destination states also have their own import requirements for raw hides, so check the rules in the receiving state before shipping.