You have come to the perfect place if you want to start your coyote hunting quest in New Mexico. New Mexico attracts many people to its wild because of its substantially growing forests and wildlife. Many people consider New Mexico as a paradise to explore trivial sports like coyote hunting. This is because the state offers some of the most liberal seasons and bag limits for coyote hunting in the nation. This article goes into an in-depth analysis of laws and regulations regarding coyote hunting in the land of enchantment. Along the way, I will also try to answer a few FAQs related to coyote hunting in New Mexico.
Coyote Hunting in New Mexico
New Mexico Game and Fish Department regulates all the coyote hunting activities in the State. This department is also responsible for conserving, propagating, and protecting the wildlife and fish within the state of New Mexico. The Game and Fish Department of New Mexico has designated coyotes as non-protected furbearers. This means coyotes are not protected by state law as a furbearer. Furthermore, they are also classified as nongame animals. Therefore, coyote hunting in New Mexico has neither any closed season nor bag limits.
Related: Coyote Hunting in Louisiana: Rules and Regulations 2022
Do you need a license to hunt coyotes in New Mexico?
Since coyotes are classified as nongame species in New Mexico, residents do not need to have a license to hunt them. If you are a non-resident, you will need to purchase either a non-resident nongame license or any New Mexico non-resident hunting license in order to hunt coyotes. You can purchase all the necessary licenses or permits through the online sales portal.
Coyote Hunting seasons in New Mexico
There is no closed season for coyote hunting in New Mexico. That means hunters may hunt coyotes year-round. Furthermore, there are also no legal shooting hours for hunting coyotes in New Mexico. Keep in mind, coyote hunting is not permitted on wildlife management areas (WMAs) in New Mexico unless otherwise posted, except Water Canyon WMA, where hunting coyotes is permitted from January 1–March 31, 2023.
Bag Limits for Coyote Hunting in New Mexico
Since coyotes are classified as nongame animals, there are no bag limits for hunting coyotes in New Mexico. You can hunt coyotes in New Mexico all year round without having to worry about the season or bag limits.
Where to hunt Coyotes in New Mexico?
New Mexico provides premier coyote hunting habitat across its mix of high deserts, prairies and forested mountain ranges. Excellent public land access exists on Bureau of Land Management territory, National Forests and state holdings with healthy coyote populations.
The northern half of the state is a hotspot, with expansive grasslands and scrublands holding large numbers of coyotes with ample food sources. Public access abounds on quality areas like Vermejo Park Ranch, Cimarron Canyon State Park, Kiowa National Grassland and Rita Blanca National Grassland.
Southern and eastern New Mexico also produce great coyote hunting on public lands spanning the arid basins towards the higher terrain. Sparsely forested areas surrounding towns like Ruidoso, Carlsbad and Roswell maintain stable coyote populations even through winter months, offering year-round hunting.
Legal Ways to Hunt Coyotes in New Mexico
Electronic game calls are legal during coyote hunting in New Mexico. Furthermore, you may hunt coyotes with firearms, bows and arrows, crossbows traps, and snares. However, It is also illegal to use tracer ammunition, full-metal jacketed bullets, or fully automatic weapons to hunt coyotes in New Mexico. As for decoys, it is legal to hunt coyotes using decoys but using live protected species as decoys to hunt game animals is strictly prohibited.
It is unlawful to shoot at coyotes on, from, or across any paved, graded, or maintained public road or within the fenced right-of-way of any paved, graded, or maintained public road. Additionally, the state of New Mexico also prohibits hunting or shooting at coyotes from an aircraft or drone or flying an aircraft in any manner which causes any non-domesticated animal to move from its place of rest or change its direction of travel.
It is illegal to hunt or attempt to hunt coyotes with the aid of baiting. An area is considered to be baited for 10 days after the removal of the bait.
And lastly, it is unlawful to discharge a firearm within 150 yards of a dwelling or building (not including abandoned or vacated buildings on public land) without the permission of the owner or lessee.
Can you use dogs to hunt coyotes in New Mexico?
You can use dogs for coyote hunting in New Mexico. The state of New Mexico only prohibits the use of dogs for hunting big games except for bears and cougars.
Can you hunt coyotes from vehicles in New Mexico?
There are no specific rules on hunting nongame animals like coyotes from vehicles. However, it is unlawful to hunt or shoot at coyotes from an aircraft or drone or fly an aircraft in any manner that causes any non-domesticated animal to move from its place of rest or change its direction of travel.
Important Notice: The articles published on this website are only for informational purposes and we do not promote hunting/ killing animals. If you are willing to hunt please refer to Authorized sources for correct and updated information. Writer/ Website owner will not be responsible for any consequences due to information provided on this website. You can refer to relevant Government sources for updated information.
