Hunt Georgia · The official source
Georgia’s coyote rules turn on a single sentence about legal hours, and on which species that sentence names.
Coyotes are one of seven animals Georgia exempts from daylight-only hunting, so night hunting needs no permit and no season. Then the very next sentence restricts the light you may use — and lists raccoons, opossums, foxes and bobcats. Coyote is not on it.
That omission is the most consequential thing on this page, and it is easy to miss because the two sentences sit side by side.
Coyote classification & license in Georgia
What is the classification of coyotes in Georgia?
An unprotected species:
UNPROTECTED SPECIES — Coyotes, armadillos, groundhogs, beavers, starlings, pigeons, English sparrows, and nutria are unprotected species. No closed season. No limit. Electronic calls may be used for hunting coyotes.1
The classification does real scoping work in Georgia. Georgia’s baiting prohibition, its hunter orange requirements and much of its methods framework are written for game animals and big game, and an unprotected species sits outside those categories.
Note also that the same paragraph settles the electronic call question in its last sentence, which is the kind of thing you would otherwise go looking for in three other places.
Are coyotes protected in Georgia?
No. No closed season, no limit.1
Is a hunting license required to hunt coyotes in Georgia?
Yes, with a broad landowner exemption. A resident hunting or combination license is required of resident hunters 16 and older, except when hunting on their own land or on land owned by immediate family — blood or dependent relationship — residing in the same household.
That household condition is narrower than it looks. A cousin’s farm does not qualify; your parents’ farm, if you live with them, does.
A non-resident pays more, and may need a different license — see what a non-resident needs.
Is hunter education required?
Yes, on the standard pattern. Residents and non-residents born on or after 1 January 1961 must complete a hunter education course before buying a season hunting license.2
Three exits from that requirement, and the last one matters on a farm: the Apprentice License and any Short Term license do not require it, a certification from any other state wildlife agency or Canadian province is accepted, and it is not required at all to hunt your own land or the land of a parent or guardian.2
Can a non-resident hunt coyotes in Georgia?
Yes, with a non-resident hunting license. The night hunting provision and the light position below apply to non-residents on identical terms.
See also is a hunting license required — the license rules there, and the exemptions and add-ons that go with them, apply to you too.
Season, hours & bag limits in Georgia
What is the season for coyote hunting in Georgia?
No closed season, statewide.1
On WMAs the position is different — see public land.
What is the bag limit for coyotes in Georgia?
No limit.1
What are the legal hunting hours for coyotes in Georgia?
None — coyotes are named in the exception:
LEGAL HOURS — Legal hours for hunting are 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset, except alligators, raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes, bobcats and feral hogs which may be hunted at night.3
Coyote is in that list. There is no separate night season to be inside, no permit to buy and no land-type restriction on the hours themselves.
Can you hunt coyotes during deer or big game season?
Yes. Coyotes may be taken during any small or big game season with the weapons lawful for that season, which is the ordinary Southeastern pattern.
Hunter orange applies during firearms deer season on the usual terms — an outer garment of the required amount, worn by the hunter and anyone accompanying them.3
Night hunting in Georgia
Can you hunt coyotes at night in Georgia?
Yes, any night of the year, with no permit. Coyotes are named in the exception to legal hours.3
That puts Georgia among the most straightforward night states in the Southeast — no license like Alabama’s, no sheriff call like Louisiana’s, no season window like Tennessee’s.
The statute underneath says why, and it is worth reading before the digest. O.C.G.A. § 27-3-2 does not grant coyotes a night exception; it never reaches them:
It shall be unlawful to hunt at night any game bird or game animal in this state except for alligators, raccoons, opossums, foxes, and bobcats.4
The prohibition is written about game birds and game animals. A coyote is an unprotected species, so it is outside the sentence entirely, which is why the digest can list it among the species that may be hunted at night without anything having to be carved out for it. The same statute then attaches the body-mounted light rule to the four species it names, and the coyote is not one of those either.
Can you use artificial lights for coyote hunting in Georgia?
Yes — and here is the sentence that matters, read together with the one above:
Any light used to hunt raccoons, opossums, foxes, or bobcats must be carried on the body of the hunter, affixed to a helmet or hat worn by the hunter, or be part of a belt system worn by the hunter. There is no voltage restriction on such lights.3
Coyote is not in that list. Georgia names seven species that may be hunted at night, then imposes the body-mounted light requirement on only four of them — raccoon, opossum, fox and bobcat. Coyotes and feral hogs are left out of it.
So the body-mounting requirement, the helmet-or-belt-system wording and the voltage note are all rules for raccoon hunters. For coyotes, Georgia’s regulations impose no light restriction at all — not on mounting, not on color, not on power.
Two cautions on top of that. The general prohibitions still apply: hunting from a vehicle, plane or boat under power is unlawful,5 and Georgia’s rules on hunting near roads and dwellings are unaffected by any of this. And on public land, see WMAs.
Can you use night vision or thermal in Georgia?
Neither is restricted, and that is a researched answer rather than an assumption.
Checked, in order:
- The Legal Hours section, which names coyotes among the species that may be hunted at night and imposes the light rule on four other species.3
- The Unprotected Species entry, which sets no method restriction beyond permitting electronic calls.1
- The Unlawful Activities list, which covers drones, vehicles, sale of game, hunting without permission and the rest — and names no optics.5
- The WMA regulations, whose only weapon condition for coyotes is that you use weapons legal for the species the area is open for.6
Nothing in Georgia’s regulations restricts night vision or thermal for coyote hunting, and unlike most states there is not even a light rule to reason around.
An absence is not a permission. Nobody in Georgia has written the answer down, so it can move in a single Board of Natural Resources cycle. Sign up below and you will hear if it changes.
Are there specific weapons restrictions for hunting coyotes at night in Georgia?
No night-specific weapon rule on private land. What applies is the general position: coyotes taken during another season must be taken with weapons lawful for that season.
On WMAs, the weapon rule is the binding one — see public land.
Firearms, ammunition & suppressors in Georgia
What firearms are allowed or restricted for coyote hunting in Georgia?
On private land, broad. Georgia’s detailed weapon specifications are written for deer, bear and turkey.
The rule that binds is the one about which season you are in: coyotes may be taken during any big or small game hunt, but with the weapons allowed for the game species in season. On a dedicated coyote outing on private land outside any other season, that constraint falls away.
For comparison, bobcats and foxes “may be hunted with small game firearms or centerfire firearms of .17 caliber or larger,”7 which is a useful indication of what Georgia considers appropriate for an animal of that size.
Are suppressors allowed for coyote hunting in Georgia?
Yes, on private property with the landowner’s permission. Georgia permits hunting with a lawfully possessed suppressor, and the permission condition is part of the rule rather than a courtesy.
Federal requirements apply: ATF Form 4, a $200 stamp and the wait.
Are there any ammunition restrictions?
None specific to coyotes on private land. On WMAs, buckshot is prohibited during special coyote hunts, and the season-weapon rule governs otherwise.6
Can you hunt using a .22 LR or other rimfire cartridge?
Yes on private land. A rimfire is legal and undergunned; a centerfire is the better tool.
On a WMA, the rimfire question is answered by whichever season is open — during small game hunts and dates, centerfire firearms are not allowed.6
Is there a magazine capacity limit for hunting coyotes in Georgia?
No. Georgia sets no magazine capacity limit for coyote hunting. A standard AR-15 is lawful on private land.
Calls, decoys, bait & dogs in Georgia
Are electronic calls allowed for coyote hunting in Georgia?
Yes, expressly — the permission sits inside the Unprotected Species entry itself:
Electronic calls may be used for hunting coyotes.1
Georgia also permits electronic calls for bobcat and fox.7
Are decoys allowed for coyote hunting in Georgia?
Yes, including motion decoys. Nothing in the unprotected species rules restricts them.
Is baiting allowed for coyote hunting in Georgia?
This is a scoping question, and the answer turns on “game animal.” Georgia’s prohibitions are written as:
- Hunt any game animal or game bird upon, over, around or near bait.
- Hunt any area for 10 days following complete removal of all bait.
- Hunt any big game or feral hog over bait, or place bait on any State or Federal managed lands.
A coyote is an unprotected species, not a game animal,1 so the first prohibition does not reach it on private land.
Two hard limits remain, and they matter more than the permission. Bait may not be placed on any State or Federal managed land at all. And the 10-day rule applies to the area rather than to the species — bait a field for coyotes and you have made it unhuntable for deer and turkey for ten days after the bait is gone. In a state where deer management drives most land use, that is the consideration that should decide it.
Can you use dogs to hunt coyotes in Georgia?
On private land, yes.
On WMAs, no:
[It is unlawful to] hunt any big game species, feral hogs, or coyotes with dogs unless otherwise specified.8
Note that this prohibition sits in the WMA rules and names coyotes explicitly alongside big game and hogs. Unless a specific area says otherwise, hounds are not an option on Georgia public land.
Private property, vehicles & public land access in Georgia
Is it legal to shoot coyotes on private property (e.g. in your backyard) in Georgia?
On rural private land, yes, and residents hunting their own land or immediate family land in the same household need no license.
In town, municipal discharge ordinances govern.
Can you hunt coyotes from a motorized vehicle in Georgia?
No:
[It is unlawful:] Hunting from a vehicle, plane, or boat under power.5
Drones are separately prohibited, and the wording is broad:
Using a drone to locate any game species on public or private land.5
On WMAs the rule is repeated as “use a drone to locate any game animal or feral hogs.”8
Can you hunt coyotes on public land in Georgia?
Yes, and Georgia’s WMA rule is genuinely different from its statewide one:
COYOTES may be taken anytime a WMA is open to hunting, but hunters may only use weapons legal for the species for which the area is open. During small game hunts and dates, centerfire [firearms are not allowed].6
Read both halves. You may take a coyote whenever the area is open — which is generous — but your weapon is dictated by whatever season that area is running. Turn up during a small game hunt and your centerfire is illegal.
Georgia also runs a dedicated WMA coyote season:
A Feral Hog and Coyote season is held 16–31 May on all WMAs unless otherwise specified.6
That is a genuinely useful late-spring window, but note how often it is switched off: dozens of individual WMA entries carry the line “No May 16-31 coyote & hog season.”6 Check the specific area’s listing rather than assuming the statewide date applies — this is the single most common way to be wrong about Georgia public land.
Hunter orange is required during special opportunity coyote and feral hog hunts on WMAs, VPAs and federal lands.6 Dogs are prohibited.8 Bait may not be placed on any State or Federal managed land.
Federal areas are stricter again, and this is the exception to everything above. National wildlife refuges and Corps of Engineers land in Georgia commonly restrict coyote hunting to daylight hours only, and several close it entirely — the area listings carry lines reading “during daylight hours only. Coyotes…”, “No coyote hunting,” and “No May 16-31 coyote season.”9
So the statewide permission to hunt coyotes at night does not travel onto federal ground. If you are hunting an NWR or a Corps lake in Georgia, assume daylight until that specific area’s listing says otherwise.
Is it legal to trap or snare coyotes in Georgia?
Yes, and there is no closed season for it:
There is no closed season for trapping beavers and coyotes.
Trapping requires the appropriate license and Georgia’s trap specification rules apply. Confirm your setup with GA DNR before setting.
Is it legal to poison coyotes in Georgia?
No. Predator toxicants are restricted-use pesticides handled through USDA Wildlife Services and the Georgia Department of Agriculture, not by private individuals.
Are there protected areas or additional local restrictions in Georgia?
Yes, four kinds:
- WMA weapon rules, which tie your firearm to whichever season the area is running.6
- Individual WMA closures of the 16–31 May coyote and hog season, listed area by area.6
- Federal areas — NWRs and Corps of Engineers land, commonly daylight-only for coyotes and sometimes closed to them entirely.9
- Bait prohibition on all State and Federal managed lands.
- Municipal ordinances near towns, and posted safety zones on public land.8
After the shot: pelts, bounties & contests in Georgia
Are there regulations for possessing or transporting dead coyotes or pelts across state lines?
No tag or check-in for coyotes.
Note Georgia’s general prohibition on selling or purchasing any game species or parts thereof, except antlers and hides.5 A coyote is an unprotected species rather than a game species, so that prohibition does not reach it — and hides are excepted in any event.
Can you sell coyote pelts, and do you need a fur handler’s license?
Selling your own lawfully taken hides is permitted; buying and dealing at volume is a licensed fur dealer activity. Confirm with GA DNR before a first sale.
Georgia coyote fur is short and thin — this is a predator-control state, not a fur state.
Is there a coyote bounty program in Georgia?
No state bounty, and Georgia’s answer has historically been an incentive program rather than a per-animal payment — the Georgia Coyote Challenge has run as a spring participation scheme with prize drawings rather than bounties. Check with GA DNR for the current year’s format before planning around it.
County programs appear locally from time to time; verify with the county.
Are coyote contests legal in Georgia, or can I hunt in Georgia for an out-of-state contest?
Yes to both. Georgia has not restricted predator hunting contests.
Two scheduling notes. On private land the calendar is wide open — no closed season, no hours, no light restriction for coyotes.13 On public land a round must respect the weapons legal for whatever season the WMA is running, and any round built around the 16–31 May coyote and hog season needs each area checked individually, because many WMAs opt out of it.6
Coyotes in Georgia
Are there coyotes in Georgia? How many, and where?
Yes, in all 159 counties. Coyotes arrived in Georgia in the second half of the twentieth century and were established statewide by the 1990s — the mountains, the piedmont, the Fall Line sandhills, the coastal plain and the barrier island edges, plus the entire Atlanta metropolitan area.
GA DNR publishes no population estimate.
Are Georgia coyotes dangerous to people or pets?
To people, very rarely. To poultry, goats, calves and pets they are a routine problem, and fawn predation is the concern that drives most landowner interest — it is the reason Georgia has run spring coyote incentive programs at all.
Unattended small pets on the suburban fringe of Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta and Macon are at genuine risk.
When is coyote mating season in Georgia, and when do pups arrive?
Breeding runs January into February, with pups born in April in litters of five to seven. In Georgia’s climate pups move early and juveniles disperse from late summer.
The 16–31 May WMA season is deliberately placed, landing when pups are on the ground and adults are working hardest to feed them — which is also the peak of fawn predation. On private land you can hunt the breeding season in February, which gives the best calling and the best fur.
When are coyotes most active in Georgia?
First and last light year-round, with heavy night movement. Georgia’s heat pushes activity into the dark for much of the year, and since the state imposes no light or optics restriction on coyote hunters, night is a genuinely open option here in a way it is not in Alabama or Arkansas.
For the full breakdown of season, weather and moon phase, see when to hunt coyotes.
Are there black coyotes in Georgia?
Yes, and Georgia is among the best states in the country for them. Melanistic coyotes are reported regularly across the Southeast, and the trait traces to historical hybridization with domestic dogs. Georgia and the Carolinas produce more reports than anywhere else.
There is no separate rule for a black coyote — it is an unprotected species like any other.
These answers get re-checked before they go stale. The verification date at the top of the page is the record of when that last happened, not decoration.
Anything else worth noting about coyote hunting in Georgia
Georgia is one of the easiest states in the country to hunt coyotes in, and the reason is what its rules do not say. No closed season, no limit, night hunting named in the statute-level exception, no permit, and — uniquely — no light restriction, because the light rule names four other species.
Five things to get right:
The light rule is not yours. Body-mounted, helmet, belt system, no voltage limit — all of that is written for raccoon, opossum, fox and bobcat hunters. Coyote is not in the list.
On a WMA your weapon follows the season. Coyotes may be taken any time the area is open, but only with weapons legal for whatever species that area is open for.
Check the WMA before planning round 16–31 May. The statewide coyote and hog season exists, and a large number of individual areas opt out of it.
No dogs for coyotes on public land. Named explicitly, alongside big game and feral hogs.8
Night hunting stops at the federal boundary. Refuges and Corps of Engineers areas are commonly daylight-only for coyotes, whatever the statewide rule says.9
Baiting is a ten-day decision about the whole field. Coyote is not a game animal so the bait prohibition does not reach it, but the area stays baited for ten days for everything else — and bait is prohibited outright on State and Federal land.
Is it legal to own a coyote as a pet in Georgia?
No. Georgia regulates the possession of wild animals and a coyote is not an animal a private individual may keep as a pet. Wild animal licenses and permits exist for exhibition, rehabilitation and research rather than for pets, and local ordinances add their own prohibitions.
If you have found an orphaned pup, contact GA DNR at 1-800-366-2661 or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator rather than keeping it.
Know something we missed? Contact me and I’ll get it fixed.
Footnotes
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GA DNR Hunting & Fishing Regulations and Seasons 2026–2027 — Unprotected Species: coyotes among them, no closed season, no limit, and electronic calls permitted for hunting coyotes Printed page 15 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8
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GA DNR — Hunter Education Courses: the 1 January 1961 threshold for a season hunting license, the Apprentice and Short Term license exceptions, reciprocity with other state and Canadian provincial certifications, and the own-land and parent-or-guardian-land exemption Web edition ↩ ↩2
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GA DNR Hunting & Fishing Regulations and Seasons 2026–2027 — Legal Hours: the daylight rule, the seven species that may be hunted at night including coyotes, and the body-mounted light requirement scoped to raccoons, opossums, foxes and bobcats; and the hunter orange requirement Printed page 9 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
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O.C.G.A. § 27-3-2 — Hunting at night: unlawful to hunt at night any game bird or game animal except alligators, raccoons, opossums, foxes and bobcats, and the requirement that a light used for those four be carried on the person, affixed to a helmet or hat, or part of a belt system Statute ↩
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GA DNR Hunting & Fishing Regulations and Seasons 2026–2027 — Unlawful Activities: using a drone to locate any game species on public or private land, hunting from a vehicle, plane or boat under power, selling or purchasing game species except antlers and hides, and hunting without landowners’ permission Printed page 9 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
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GA DNR Hunting & Fishing Regulations and Seasons 2026–2027 — WMA regulations: coyotes may be taken whenever an area is open but only with weapons legal for the species the area is open for, the centerfire restriction during small game hunts, the 16–31 May feral hog and coyote season, the hunter orange requirement on special opportunity hunts, and the individual area listings that close the May season Printed page 20 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10
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GA DNR Hunting & Fishing Regulations and Seasons 2026–2027 — Bobcat & Fox: small game or centerfire firearms of .17 caliber or larger, electronic calls, dogs and night hunting Printed page 15 ↩ ↩2
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GA DNR Hunting & Fishing Regulations and Seasons 2026–2027 — WMA unlawful activities: hunting big game, feral hogs or coyotes with dogs unless otherwise specified, using a drone to locate game animals or feral hogs, and posted safety zones Printed page 21 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
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GA DNR Hunting & Fishing Regulations and Seasons 2026–2027 — federal area listings: national wildlife refuges and Corps of Engineers areas restricting coyote hunting to daylight hours only, closing it entirely, or closing the 16–31 May coyote season Printed page 56 ↩ ↩2 ↩3
From the field
Questions and answers from hunters over the years. Comments are closed; contact me if you spot something out of date.
Joey H. · 2017-10-24
Can you hunt coyotes at night with the aid of a light?
John · 2018-02-18
Is night hunting for coyotes allowed in Georgia? Legal hours for hunting are 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset, except alligators, raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes, bobcats and feral hogs which may be hunted at night. Any light used to hunt raccoons, opossums, foxes, bobcats or feral hogs must be carried on the body of the hunter, affixed to a helmet or hat worn by the hunter, or be part of a belt system worn by the hunter. There is no voltage restriction on such lights.
Carl S. · 2019-01-13
Yes, but the light must be affixed to you.
Mary · 2019-08-21
Carl….PLEASE UPDATE THIS ARTICLE to REFLECT CURRENT 2019 LAWS regarding coyotes… THANK YOU
Lusa J. · 2022-01-18
Seriously? Read again or find someone who can
Lusa J. · 2022-01-18
Jesus do you people know how to read???
James K. · 2018-04-30
for my info….so it is legal to hunt coyotes at night….further, can I use bait at night also….thanks…jk
Carl S. · 2019-01-13
You can hunt at night, you cannot use bait. All bait must have been removed at least 10 days prior.
James K. · 2018-04-30
can i use bait to hunt coyotes at night…
James K. · 2018-04-30
hey, do these same restrictions apply to national forest lands…
Bill · 2018-11-01
The information on this post needs a o be updated to reflect Actual Current Georgia regulations re baiting coyotes.
CL · 2018-11-03
Can night vision and thermal optics be used to hunt coyotes at night in Georgia? Thx
Steve S. · 2018-12-06
Dang fellas! RTFM! Read what theyve posted. This aint rocket science.
Lusa J. · 2022-01-18
Thank you!!! I’m glad I’m not the only one to notice these DA’s!
Rich S. · 2018-12-12
Can you hunt coyote with a semiautomatic rile or pistol?
braden · 2019-03-14
do you need a tags for coyotes
Jeff · 2019-06-21
If I have coyotes on my property trying to kill a dog am I allowed to use a shotgun? Obviously I would need to insure I had cleared the dog for its safety. I had five directly below my bathroom window in a small fenced enclosure that I use at night to keep my dogs from roaming ten acres. They have 24/7 access to a kennel through a doggie door. I currently have a 15 year old pointer and an 8 and 10 year old Anatolian Shepherd. The two Anatolians have dispatched many single coyotes in their lives, but being outnumbered 5-2 they could knock one down, but could not pin it and get a kill bite without 1-2 others was coming around their back side. What would cause 5 to all of a sudden appear at once when I have no livestock here?
Elle N. · 2019-08-03
hunger, rabid maybe
Christian · 2019-07-14
Is there a specific hunting license for coyotes or could you use your deer hunting license?
Lusa J. · 2022-01-18
🤦🏼♀️
Tommy · 2020-02-01
I live in Clayton Co. Ga., I have chickens that were taken by coyotes, I sit on 40 acres, I hear them at night yapping also have saw them in woods, if i’m safe can I shoot them. I am 61 also NRA Inst
This information is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. This website has no affiliation with any department of the above-mentioned state. Coyote hunting laws can change frequently and vary by locality — always verify the most current regulations directly with your state's wildlife agency or local authorities before hunting. Last updated: September 2026.