Reading an article on Coyote/Predator contests written by outdoor writer Mark Nale was very interesting. Mark said there will be about 26 contests held this winter in Pennsylvania. Some will consist only with prizes for coyotes, and some will have prizes for coyotes, bobcat, fox and raccoon.

The month of February is the biggest month for these contests, with at least 16 scheduled. The largest contest in Pennsylvania is sponsored by the Mosquito Creek Hunting Club, that will take place on February 17-19.

4,200 hunters entered the Mosquito Creek coyote hunt last February. 270 coyotes were entered, making it a new record take for their contest. The hunts previous record coyote take was 227 in 2019.

The hunter who brought in the heaviest coyote for the 3-day hunt earned a check for $8,524 and the hunter who brought in the heaviest female coyote also earned a check for $8,524. 

Eight hunts are scheduled for the month of January, and a few are scheduled for the month of March.

Coyote hunt contest in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, that benefits area fire companies, will be held again this year. They do not publish the dates of the contest, only hunters on their mailing list will know the dates and details. Their organizer said, “We have been the target of an anti-coyote-hunting group from California. They claimed that our hunt was barbaric, tried to get sponsors to drop out and gave us lots of negative publicity. However, we will continue.”

Coyotes, a non-native predator, have been found in all Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, but it is anybody’s guess exactly how many coyotes live in the Keystone State.

Most wildlife experts agree that the population exceeds 100,000 coyotes. The Pennsylvania Game Commission estimates hunters and trappers take about 30,000 each year. All the organized coyote contests account for fewer than 2,000 per year. 

Looking at the list of all the coyote contests in Pennsylvania this winter, I see the District 9 PA Trappers Association contest dates are the same as our Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, New York coyote contest dates February 3-5. Many hunters in the past have hunted in both contests. This year they will have to decide which contest they prefer to participate in. 

Good luck and safe hunting to all you coyote hunters!