Coyote Hunting West Virginia, Laws, Regulations, Season, & License Info

Coyote classification & license in West Virginia

What is the classification of coyotes in West Virginia?

A furbearer, and a small game species. Unlike Virginia across the ridge — where the coyote is a nuisance species and therefore expressly not a game animal or a fur-bearer — West Virginia puts it inside the regular structure.

That matters in both directions, and this is the page’s central point. Being inside the structure is why a license applies and why the small game calendar reaches you. But it is not why night hunting is legal, because West Virginia’s night rule is not scoped by category at all. WV Code § 20-2-5 prohibits the conduct for everything and then carves out five species by name:

Use or attempt to use any artificial light or any night vision technology, including image intensification, thermal imaging, or active illumination while hunting, locating, attracting, taking, trapping, or killing any wild bird or wild animal: Provided, That it is lawful to hunt or take coyote, fox, raccoon, opossum, or skunk by the use of artificial light or night vision technology, including image intensification, thermal imaging, or active illumination.¹

So do not go looking for a classification that lets you off. In West Virginia the classification does no scoping work — the proviso does all of it, and it names the animal.

Are coyotes protected in West Virginia?

No, in every practical sense. “Coyotes may be hunted year-round,” and “There is no daily, annual or season bag limit on coyotes.”²

A license still applies, and one seasonal condition attaches to the autumn — see season.

Is a hunting license required to hunt coyotes in West Virginia?

Yes. West Virginia runs a class-lettered license system, and a coyote hunter needs a hunting license plus the Conservation Stamp (Class CS) that nearly every licensed hunter and angler in the state carries.

• Residents take the Class A hunting and trapping license, plus the conservation stamp.
• Non-residents take the Class E license and a CS/LE stamp, or the combination Class E-L.³

Because West Virginia’s fee table is printed as a two-column layout that does not transcribe reliably, this page does not quote figures — buy from WVhunt.com and read the current price there rather than trusting a number copied from anywhere, including here. Lifetime licenses are also available and are a genuinely good deal for a resident who hunts every year.

Landowner exemption. Resident landowners and their immediate family may hunt on their own land without a license, on the usual West Virginia pattern. Confirm the current terms with WVDNR.

A non-resident pays more, and may need a different license — see what a non-resident needs.

Is hunter education required?

Yes. West Virginia requires a certificate of satisfactory completion of an approved hunter education course before a license is issued, on the standard pattern.⁴

There is an apprentice route: a person who has not taken a hunter education course may buy an Apprentice Hunting and Trapping license and hunt while accompanied, which lets you try the sport before committing to the course.⁵

Can a non-resident hunt coyotes in West Virginia?

Yes. Non-residents need a valid Class E, XXJ, AAH or AAHJ license and a CS/LE stamp, or a Class E-L license to trap.³ There is no non-resident coyote restriction, no zone system and no separate predator license.

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 West Virginia

What is the season for coyote hunting in West Virginia?

Year-round. “Coyotes may be hunted year-round.”² The seasons table lists coyote hunting as year-round with no limit.⁶

Two conditions sit on top of that, and both are about the autumn:

• From 1 September to 31 December, hunting coyotes on private land requires the written consent of the landowner. This is the same window in which night hunting narrows — see night hunting.
• During closed small game seasons, coyotes may only be hunted in open fields.²

What is the bag limit for coyotes in West Virginia?

None. “There is no daily, annual or season bag limit on coyotes.”²

What are the legal hunting hours for coyotes in West Virginia?

Effectively unrestricted, because the night hunting permission is explicit and runs the full calendar — see night hunting. By day, the ordinary shooting-hours convention applies.

The open-fields rule, and why it exists

This is the West Virginia rule most likely to catch a visiting hunter, and it has nothing to do with the coyote:

During closed small game seasons, coyotes may only be hunted in open fields.²

When the small game seasons are closed, you may still hunt coyotes — but not in the woods. The rule is a safety and enforcement measure: it keeps people out of the timber with a rifle at times of year when nobody should be shooting in there, and it makes an out-of-season hunter in the woods obvious.

Work out which small game seasons are open for the dates you are hunting before you plan a timber stand. In the open farm country of the Eastern Panhandle and the river valleys it barely binds; in the steep forested counties it is the difference between a hunt and a citation.

Can you hunt coyotes on Sunday in West Virginia?

Yes, and West Virginia is more permissive here than most of its neighbours:

Sunday hunting is legal statewide on private land with written permission from the landowner, and it is lawful to hunt throughout the State of West Virginia on federal land where hunting is permitted, in a state forest, on land owned or leased by the state for wildlife purposes and on land managed by the state for wildlife purposes pursuant to a cooperative agreement.⁷

The statute says the same.⁸ Note the shape: on private land Sunday hunting needs written permission; on the listed public lands it is simply lawful.

That is the reverse of Virginia’s rule next door, which allows Sunday hunting generally but closes a 200-yard ring around every house of worship.

Can you hunt coyotes during deer or big game season?

Yes. The constraint in the autumn is not the deer season itself but the two conditions above — written landowner consent from 1 September to 31 December, and the narrowing of night hunting to private land in the same window.²

Blaze orange requirements attach to the firearms deer season; wear it whatever you are hunting when those seasons are open.

Night hunting coyotes in West Virginia

Can you hunt coyotes at night in West Virginia?

Yes, all year — with the autumn narrowed to private land. The regulations summary states it in two sentences:

Hunting coyotes at night using any color artificial light or night vision technology, including image intensification, thermal imaging or active illumination, is permitted from Jan. 1–Dec. 31. From Sept. 1–Dec. 31, hunting coyotes at night is only permitted on private property with written consent of the landowner.²

Read together: the technology is legal every day of the year, and for eight months of it you may use it anywhere hunting is lawful. For the other four — September, October, November and December — you need to be on private ground with the landowner’s written consent in your pocket.

Carry the written consent. West Virginia takes written permission seriously enough that hunting on posted or marked land without it is its own offence,⁹ and in this window the consent is doing double duty: it authorizes the land and it authorizes the night hunt.

One source to disregard. WVDNR’s own coyote FAQ page has described an additional requirement to notify a local Natural Resources Police Officer or the district office before night hunting in the autumn window. That condition does not appear in the current 2026–27 regulations summary,² and the summary is the newer document. If in doubt, a courtesy call to the district office costs nothing.

Can you use artificial lights for coyote hunting in West Virginia?

Yes — any color, named in the regulations:

Coyotes and fox may be hunted using any color artificial light in open season.¹⁰

No color restriction is the unusual part. Most states that permit a light restrict the color, and several restrict the power source; West Virginia does neither.

But keep it off the vehicle and off the road. Spotlighting with a firearm is a serious offence here — it carries 10 points on West Virginia’s hunting violation point system, the same weight as illegally killing a bear, and 10 points revokes your license for two years.¹¹

Can you use night vision in West Virginia?

Yes, named in both the statute and the regulations as “image intensification.”^{1 2} Same calendar as everything else: all year, private land only from 1 September to 31 December.

Can you use thermal in West Virginia?

Yes, and West Virginia is the clearest state on this site about it. Thermal is named twice — in the statutory proviso and in the regulations summary — as “thermal imaging,” alongside image intensification and active illumination.^{1 2}

That is worth appreciating. In South Dakota thermal is legal only because a broad definition of “night-vision equipment” swallows it; in South Carolina it is legal because a guide classes it as artificial light; in Virginia it is not written down at all. Here it is in the statute, by name, with the coyote named next to it.

“Active illumination” in the same list covers IR illuminators, so a digital night vision setup running an IR lamp is inside the permission too.

Are there specific weapons restrictions for hunting coyotes at night in West Virginia?

No caliber cap, and that is a recent change. WVDNR states that as of 2025 there are no maximum caliber restrictions for hunting coyotes at night — a limit that used to exist and no longer does.

Air rifles must be at least .22 caliber for coyotes.²

Fully automatic firearms are prohibited for hunting anything in West Virginia.¹²

Firearms, ammunition & suppressors in West Virginia

What firearms are allowed or restricted for coyote hunting in West Virginia?

Any lawful sporting firearm, with the air rifle floor of .22 caliber and the prohibition on fully automatic firearms.^{2 12}

West Virginia is steep, wooded country over most of its area, and the practical rifle reflects that — a fast-handling carbine matters more than a long-range build outside the Eastern Panhandle. See the best coyote gun.

One rule that applies statewide: you may not carry an uncased or loaded firearm in the woods, or in state parks, forests, wildlife management areas or rail trails, except during open firearms hunting seasons where hunting is lawful.¹³ That is the companion to the open-fields rule above — together they are what keeps a rifle out of the timber out of season.

Are suppressors allowed for coyote hunting in West Virginia?

Yes. West Virginia places no wildlife-law restriction on hunting with a lawfully owned suppressor. The question is federal — ATF Form 4, tax stamp, approval.

Are there any ammunition restrictions?

None specific to coyotes, beyond the .22 caliber floor for air rifles.² Federal refuges and some managed units set their own conditions — check the unit.

Can you hunt using a .22 LR or other rimfire cartridge?

Yes, and note that the .22 floor West Virginia sets is for air rifles, not for rimfires generally.² A .22 LR is legal and, in the thick cover that covers most of this state, less of a compromise than it would be on open ground — but it is still a short-range tool.

Is there a magazine capacity limit for hunting coyotes in West Virginia?

No. West Virginia sets no magazine capacity limit for hunting and no permit to buy a semi-automatic rifle. A standard AR-15 with a 30-round magazine is lawful for coyotes. Fully automatic firearms are not.¹²

Calls, decoys, bait & dogs in West Virginia

Are electronic calls allowed for coyote hunting in West Virginia?

Yes, in four words: “Electronic calls are legal.”²

No permission requirement, no land-type distinction, no season. Compare Virginia, where an e-call on private land needs the landowner’s written permission.

Are decoys allowed for coyote hunting in West Virginia?

Yes, including motion decoys. Nothing in the regulations restricts decoys for coyotes.

Is baiting allowed for coyote hunting in West Virginia?

On private land, generally yes for coyotes. On public land, never — “It is illegal to bait or feed any wildlife on public land at any time.”¹⁴

The prohibition on baiting or feeding bear applies at all times and everywhere, so keep any coyote bait well away from bear country and bear season.

Can you use dogs to hunt coyotes in West Virginia?

Yes, and West Virginia has a strong hound tradition. Dogs may not be retrieved from another person’s land without the landowner’s permission, and it is an offence to interfere with another person’s radio transmitting collar.¹⁵

Drones are out: using a drone or unmanned aircraft to drive or locate wildlife is prohibited.¹⁶

Private property, vehicles & public land access in West Virginia

Is it legal to shoot coyotes on private property (e.g. in your backyard) in West Virginia?

On rural private land, yes — and from 1 September to 31 December private land is the only place you may hunt them at night.²

Written permission is the theme of West Virginia law. Hunting or trapping on fenced, enclosed, purple-paint-marked or posted land without written permission from the landowner in your possession is an offence,⁹ Sunday hunting on private land requires written permission,⁷ and autumn night hunting requires written consent.² Get it once, in writing, covering all of it.

Municipal discharge ordinances govern in and around towns.

Can you hunt coyotes from a motorized vehicle in West Virginia?

No. Hunting from a motor vehicle carries 6 points on the violation point system, and using a spotlight with a firearm carries 10 — enough on its own to revoke your license for two years.¹¹

Can you hunt coyotes on public land in West Virginia?

Yes, and West Virginia has a lot of it — the Monongahela National Forest, state forests and wildlife management areas.

Three things to know:

• Night hunting on public land is closed 1 September to 31 December, because in that window it is private land only.²
• No baiting on public land, ever.¹⁴
• Sunday hunting is lawful on federal land where hunting is permitted, in state forests, and on state wildlife land.⁷

The uncased-firearm rule also bites on public ground outside open firearms seasons.¹³

Is it legal to trap or snare coyotes in West Virginia?

Yes, with the appropriate license — the resident Class A covers hunting and trapping together, and non-residents need a Class E-L to trap.³ Coyote is a furbearer here, so the furbearer trapping rules, trap marking requirements and season dates apply.

Anyone dealing in the pelts, hides or urine of wild furbearers must hold a dealer’s license.¹⁷

Is it legal to poison coyotes in West Virginia?

Not as a private individual. Predator toxicants are restricted-use pesticides administered through USDA Wildlife Services and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. Livestock predation is handled through that route, not through a bait station.

Killing wildlife by bait, trap, deadfall, snare or like device outside the lawful trapping rules is an offence.¹⁸

Are there protected areas or additional local restrictions in West Virginia?

Yes. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the safety zones in state forests and wildlife management areas are closed.¹⁹ Municipal ordinances govern discharge near towns. And the open-fields rule during closed small game seasons is a statewide restriction on where, not whether, you may hunt.²

After the shot: pelts, bounties & contests in West Virginia

Are there regulations for possessing or transporting dead coyotes or pelts across state lines?

No electronic game check for coyotes. West Virginia’s mandatory GameCheck applies to big game plus beaver, otter, fisher and bobcat — not to coyote.²⁰

There is a restriction on moving furbearer parts: it is unlawful to take the pelts, hides and urine of wild furbearers out of the state except under the dealer rules.¹⁷ If you are selling or shipping, read that section before you do.

Can you sell coyote pelts, and do you need a fur handler’s license?

You can sell them, and because coyote is a furbearer in West Virginia the dealer regime does reach it: “furbearers in this state shall have a dealer’s license” for anyone dealing in pelts, hides and urine.¹⁷ Selling your own catch to a licensed buyer is a different matter from dealing — confirm with WVDNR before your first sale.

Eastern coyote pelts have never carried western fur values, so treat this as a way to avoid waste rather than a source of income.

Is there a coyote bounty program in West Virginia?

No state bounty. WVDNR does not pay per animal.

West Virginia’s approach is the year-round season, the absent bag limit and the wide-open night rules — it makes the hunting easy rather than paying for the outcome. If you hear of a county program, verify it with the county before planning around it; these are local budget decisions and the state publishes no list.

Are coyote contests legal in West Virginia, or can I hunt in West Virginia for an out-of-state contest?

Yes to both. West Virginia has not banned predator hunting contests, and nothing in Chapter 20 restricts them. Winter tournaments run across the state and across the Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania lines.

Two scheduling points. A contest between 1 September and 31 December is a private-land-only affair after dark, with written consent needed for every property in play.² And outside the small game seasons, every stand has to be in an open field.²

Coyotes in West Virginia

Are there coyotes in West Virginia? How many, and where?

Yes, statewide, and they are recent arrivals. The first record of a coyote in West Virginia appears in the 1970s, and the expansion was helped along by the near-extinction of larger predators and by the growth of the white-tailed deer herd.²¹

They are now “becoming more and more common across West Virginia” in forested, agricultural, suburban and urban environments.²¹ In a state that is roughly three-quarters forest, that means the coyote has adapted to timber country as readily as it adapted to the plains.

West Virginia publishes no population estimate.

Are West Virginia coyotes dangerous to people or pets?

To people, very rarely. To livestock they are the state’s principal predator problem: conflicts arise “when coyotes feed on livestock, such as sheep, goats and cattle,”²¹ and most of that depredation “occurs from late spring through September when coyotes are raising pups.”²¹

That timing is worth holding onto — the depredation peak runs late spring through September, which is exactly the eight-month window when night hunting is open on any land you may lawfully hunt.

Unattended small pets on the suburban fringe are at risk, as everywhere.

When is coyote mating season in West Virginia, and when do pups arrive?

Coyotes breed in February and March, with litters arriving about nine weeks later — 60 to 63 days — in April and May. Average litter size is five to seven pups, though litters of up to thirteen have been recorded.²²

Late winter is the best calling of the year, and in West Virginia it also lands in the window when night hunting is open everywhere. February on public ground with a thermal is the state’s best combination.

When are coyotes most active in West Virginia?

First and last light year-round, with heavy night movement — which West Virginia lets you hunt with any color light, night vision or thermal. For the full breakdown of season, weather and moon phase, see when to hunt coyotes.

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 West Virginia

West Virginia is one of the best night states in the East for eight months of the year and a noticeably tighter one for the other four. Everything on this page follows from that split.

Four things to get right:

Learn the two calendars. Night hunting is open everywhere 1 January to 31 August. From 1 September to 31 December it is private land only, with written consent.

Get everything in writing, once. Posted land, Sunday hunting and autumn night hunting all require written landowner permission. One document can cover all three.

Check the small game seasons before you plan a timber stand. When they are closed, coyotes may only be hunted in open fields — and you may not carry an uncased or loaded firearm in the woods outside open firearms seasons.

Keep the light off the vehicle. Spotlighting with a firearm is 10 points, and 10 points is a two-year revocation.

Is it legal to own a coyote as a pet in West Virginia?

No. West Virginia regulates the possession of native and dangerous wild animals, and a coyote is not an animal a private individual may keep as a pet. Permits exist for rehabilitation, exhibition and research rather than for pet ownership. Contact WVDNR before assuming any exception applies.

Know something we missed? Contact me and I’ll get it fixed.