Only a few states currently pay a bounty on coyotes. Utah, South Dakota, and South Carolina run active statewide programs, and a scattering of counties in states like Virginia and Texas fund their own local bounties. Payments usually fall between $10 and $100 per animal, with one unusual South Carolina program paying $3,000 for specially tagged coyotes. Every program comes with its own licensing rules, proof-of-kill requirements, and reporting steps, and getting any of them wrong means no payment.
Statewide Coyote Bounty Programs
Utah
Utah’s Predator Control Program, run by the Division of Wildlife Resources, pays $50 per properly documented coyote, or $100 if the animal was killed inside a designated mule deer habitat area.1Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah’s Predator Control Program You can’t just show up with a carcass. Participants must complete annual online training, register with the state, and obtain a predator control certificate of registration before any kill counts toward payment.2Legal Information Institute. Utah Code R657-64-4 – General Predator Control Program – Certificate of Registration Required Each kill is reported through a smartphone app that embeds GPS coordinates, date, time, and the hunter’s ID directly into a photo taken at the site.3Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah Coyote Bounty Reporter Smartphone App The program operates under Administrative Rule R657-64.4Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. R657-64 Predator Control Incentives
South Dakota
South Dakota pays $30 per coyote tail through a seasonal bounty that runs from April 1 through July 1. Only state residents qualify. Most participants need a valid South Dakota hunting or trapping license, though landowners removing coyotes from their own property and participants under 18 are exempt. Coyotes taken by aerial hunting don’t count.5South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks. 2026 Coyote Bounty Program
South Carolina
South Carolina doesn’t pay for every coyote. The state’s Coyote Harvest Incentive Program tags a small number of coyotes and releases them across its game zones. Anyone who kills and reports a tagged coyote receives $3,000, but no individual can collect on more than two tagged coyotes per fiscal year.6South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Coyote Harvest Incentive Program
County and Local Bounties
If your state doesn’t run a program, your county might. These bounties appear and disappear depending on local budgets and predator pressure, so they’re easy to miss.
Virginia state law explicitly allows any locality to establish a coyote bounty by ordinance, set its own payment amount, and define what proof hunters must submit.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-926.1 – Bounties for Coyotes There’s no statewide bounty in Virginia; each county decides for itself.8Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Furbearer Hunting Regulations and Seasons
Texas is similar. Lee County, for instance, pays $10 per pair of coyote ears through September 2026 or until the funds run out. Animals must have been taken within the county by any lawful method.9Lee County, Texas. Feral Hogs and Coyotes Bounty 2025-2026 Local programs like this one tend to be underpublicized. Call your county administrator’s office if you want to know whether a bounty is active near you.
How to Actually Collect
What You Have to Turn In
Every program spells out exactly which body parts count as proof, and the specifics vary more than most hunters expect:
- Utah: the lower jaw, at least the front two-thirds. A scalp with ears is no longer required at check-in.10Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah’s Predator Control Program FAQ
- South Dakota: the complete tail with the tail bone still attached. Tails with cut marks on both ends are rejected.5South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks. 2026 Coyote Bounty Program
- Lee County, Texas: both ears, delivered in a sealed bag with no more than five pairs per bag, thawed and not frozen.9Lee County, Texas. Feral Hogs and Coyotes Bounty 2025-2026
Submission points range from county offices to designated wildlife agency drop-off sites. South Dakota also requires signing a legal affidavit confirming the coyote was taken lawfully within the program’s boundaries.5South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks. 2026 Coyote Bounty Program
Licensing
Don’t assume a bounty program lets you skip the normal hunting license. South Dakota requires most participants to hold a valid resident hunting or trapping license, with narrow exceptions for landowners and minors.5South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks. 2026 Coyote Bounty Program Utah requires the online training and predator control certificate before any kills are eligible.2Legal Information Institute. Utah Code R657-64-4 – General Predator Control Program – Certificate of Registration Required Residency rules are common, and county programs almost always require the coyote to have been killed within county lines.
Methods of Take
Most programs accept any lawful method, including firearms and trapping. South Dakota excludes aerial hunting.5South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks. 2026 Coyote Bounty Program State hunting and trapping regulations still apply on top of the bounty rules. Using a prohibited trap or hunting at night without authorization can void your claim and bring a separate wildlife violation.
The Wolf Misidentification Problem
Coyotes and gray wolves can look alike in the field, especially at a distance or in bad light. In areas where wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, shooting one by mistake can bring serious federal consequences. It has happened. A hunter in Utah killed a well-known collared gray wolf, insisting he thought it was a coyote, and a similar incident in Colorado involved the first confirmed gray wolf in the state in over a decade.
The Endangered Species Act makes it a crime to knowingly kill a protected species. A knowing violation carries a fine of up to $50,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.11U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Section 11 – Penalties and Enforcement In the two incidents above, federal investigators concluded the kills were genuine misidentifications and did not meet the “knowing” standard. That determination comes after an investigation, not before. If you’re hunting coyotes in wolf country, learn to tell the two apart before you take the shot.
Taxes on Bounty Payments
Bounty payments are taxable income. For tax year 2026, the reporting threshold for miscellaneous payments on Form 1099-MISC rose to $2,000, up from $600.12Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Publication 1099 A paying agency may not send you a 1099 if your total bounty income stays below that figure for the year, but the money is still taxable and you’re responsible for reporting it. Expenses tied to the activity, such as ammunition, fuel, and license fees, may be deductible, but that’s worth running past a tax professional familiar with your situation.