The Mosquito Creek Sportsmen’s Club recently completed its 33rd annual coyote hunt. For the first time in their contests, the top three entries of coyotes all weighed over 50 pounds.

With thousands of coyotes entered over the 32 previous contests, only 10 topped 50 pounds. 

The Mosquito Creek Club holds the largest and longest-running coyote contest in Pennsylvania. This year a total of 4,189 hunters brought in 263 coyotes.

This coyote contest is the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, funding youth programs and many other club activities.  

Coyotes brought in this year came from 39 counties representing the entire state. The highest number, 24, were taken in Erie County and Clearfield County came in second with 17 coyotes. 

Dustin Andreis won the contest with a 53.15 lb. male coyote and was awarded $8,378. Peter Evanoff took second place honors with a 53 lb. male coyote and was awarded $5,026.80, and Michael Stockdale Jr. took third place with a 52.05 lb. male coyote and was awarded $3,351.20.

Randy Clark brought in the heaviest female coyote 41.35 lb. and was awarded $8,378.

Prize money totaling $16,756 was divided up, 1st place received 50 percent, 2nd place received 30 percent and 3rd place received 20 percent. 

The other 50 percent of prize money was divided among all successful hunters who took coyotes. It amounted to $64 per coyote for a total of $16,756.

The District 9 Trappers held their coyote contest and 566 hunters brought in 82 coyotes and three of them were over 50 lb. Their contest organizer Terry Lutz said, “We raised our entry fee this year and we had about 100 fewer hunters. Our coyote numbers were down a little, but then hunters brought in 15 coyotes during the last hour to set a new record.” 

More than 23 other coyote and predator hunting contests were held this winter in Pennsylvania. 

2023 NY Hunting Season 2nd Safest!

DEC announced that the 2023 hunting season was the second safest season on record, but there were 12 hunting related shooting incidents and two fatalities in the field.

DEC stated that the 2021 and 2022 hunting seasons were the safest ever, with nine hunting related shooting incidents in each year. The 2023 total of 12 incidents was tied with 2019, 2020 saw that number soar to 22 incidents afield. There were two fatalities last season, compared to one each in 2021 and 2022. 

DEC’s safety report read, “One fatality involved a hunter using a rope to pull a loaded firearm into a ladder stand. The second fatality occurred when two hunters were dragging a deer out of the woods when a firearm being carried by one hunter accidentally discharged and hit the other hunter.”

There were no fatalities from tree stand falls in 2023. 

The report also read, “The average age of the shooters involved in a hunting related shooting incident was 47. Their years of hunting experience ranged from four to 60, with 10 of the 12 shooters having more than 15 years of hunting experience.” 

Six of the incidents involved rifles, while three involved shotguns and three others were with muzzleloaders.  

DEC officials said in the report, “Despite these incidents, hunting is safe and getting safer.”