Public comment needed on this subject please? South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources has added a new incentive to its coyote tagging and bounty program. DNR officials announced Wednesday they are offering a free lifetime hunting license to anyone who kills and reports one of the coyotes DNR has tagged and released back into the wild.
The South Carolina General Assembly in 2016 and 2017 gave DNR approval to tag and release 16 coyotes around the state. The free hunting license is offered as an incentive for people to kill the animals in an effort to help control coyote population.
According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ website, coyotes first appeared in the upstate in 1978 but are now present in all South Carolina counties.
The website also reports that coyotes were illegally imported to South Carolina for hound running, and eastern migration of coyotes has also resulted in the natural expansion of them in South Carolina.
SCDNR said that anyone who kills a tagged coyote needs to save the carcass for verification and contact it to receive a complimentary lifetime hunting license. The lifetime license may be issued to a designee of the winner’s choice.
SCDNR said so far eight of the 18 tagged coyotes from last year have been reported.
Potentially, 24 tagged coyotes still remain that would be eligible for the lifetime license incentive.