Coyote Hunting Laws in New Jersey: Seasons, Permits, and Rules You Need to Know
May 20, 2026
Coyote hunting in New Jersey operates under a surprisingly layered set of rules — three distinct seasons, a $2 special permit that unlocks additional weapons and night hunting, and a mandatory same-day harvest report requirement that catches many hunters off guard. Whether you are a first-time predator hunter or a seasoned caller looking to brush up on the 2025–26 regulations, understanding exactly what is allowed — and what is not — keeps you legal and in the field.
This guide walks you through every major aspect of coyote hunting laws in New Jersey, from season dates and license requirements to night hunting rules, trapping regulations, and the special rights farmers hold when coyotes threaten their livestock or crops.
Is Coyote Hunting Legal in New Jersey
Yes, coyote hunting is legal in New Jersey. In New Jersey, coyotes may be hunted during three different hunting seasons, each with no bag limit. That unlimited bag limit reflects the state’s approach to coyote management — the eastern coyote is classified as a furbearer and a game animal, but population control is actively encouraged through generous seasons and accessible permits.
New Jersey allows hunting of species such as white-tailed deer, black bear (when season is open), wild turkey, small game, waterfowl, and certain furbearers like fox and coyote. Coyotes fall under the small game and furbearer category, and their seasons are managed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Fish and Wildlife.
Important Note: Sunday hunting for coyote and fox is prohibited statewide in New Jersey under all seasons. Plan your outings accordingly.
Harvest reporting of coyote is required by 8 p.m. on the day of harvest, and Sunday hunting for coyotes is prohibited. These two rules apply regardless of which season you are hunting under, and failing to report a harvest is a violation of state law. You can also explore hunting laws in Virginia and hunting laws in Ohio to compare how neighboring states handle coyote regulations.
Coyote Hunting Season Dates in New Jersey
New Jersey structures its coyote season into three overlapping phases. Each phase comes with its own weapon restrictions, hunting hours, and permit requirements. Knowing which phase you are hunting under determines what gear you can legally carry.
| Season | Dates (2025–26) | Permit Required | Hunting Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bow and Arrow Only | Opens with fall bow deer season through Friday following Election Day in November | Archery license only | 1/2 hr before sunrise to 1/2 hr after sunset |
| Firearm or Bow Season | Saturday after Election Day in November through March 15, 2026 | Firearm or archery license | 8 a.m. to 1/2 hr after sunset (opening day); 1/2 hr before sunrise to 1/2 hr after sunset (all other days) |
| Special Permit Season | January 1 through March 15, 2026 | Valid hunting license + $2 Special Permit | 24 hours (with restrictions) |
The annual NJ hunting season for coyote and fox begins with a Bow and Arrow Only Season from the fourth Saturday prior to the last Friday in October through the Friday following Election Day in November, followed by a Firearm or Bow Season from the Saturday after Election Day through March 15, and a Special Permit Season from January 1 (or January 2 if January 1 falls on a Sunday) through March 15.
The general hunting season begins when the fall bow deer season opens statewide and runs through March 15. The Special Permit Season overlaps the general coyote and fox season from January 1 through March 15. This overlap is important — during the Special Permit Season, hunters operating under the permit have access to additional weapons and night hunting privileges that regular season hunters do not.
Pro Tip: Turkey hunters may harvest coyote incidentally during any turkey season, but you cannot have a coyote call, coyote decoy, or take any action intended to attract a coyote while doing so.
Deer hunters may, during any firearm deer season, take the opportunity to harvest coyote or fox with weapons and ammunition normally restricted to hunting deer, unless you are hunting from a tree stand or other structure within 300 feet of a baited area. This provision gives deer hunters an additional opportunity but comes with clear limits tied to baiting and bag limits.
License and Permit Requirements for Coyote Hunting in New Jersey
The license you need depends entirely on which season you plan to hunt and what weapon you intend to use. New Jersey does not issue a standalone coyote license — instead, you use the standard hunting license appropriate to your weapon type, with one important addition for the Special Permit Season.
During the Bow and Arrow Only Season, a valid archery license is required. During the Firearm or Bow Season, a valid firearm or archery license (depending on which weapon type you use) is required. During the Special Permit Season, a valid firearm or archery license is required in addition to a $2 Special Permit.
As of the 2025–26 season, a standard resident firearm license costs $27.50, a bow and arrow license runs $31.50, and non-residents pay $135.50 for either type. Youth hunters aged 10–16 get their license free of charge, and the license is valid through December 31 of the year purchased.
A separate $2 Special Permit is required and may be purchased at license agents or online at NJFishandWildlife.com beginning when the 2026 license year sales start, on December 1. A valid hunting license is required to purchase a special permit.
Important Note: Apprentice licenses are not valid for taking coyote, red fox, or gray fox under any circumstances. You must hold a full hunting license to pursue coyotes in New Jersey.
Apprentice hunters may only use air gun, bow, or shotgun — no rifles — and apprentice licenses are not valid for coyote, fox, or deer during muzzleloader season. A rifle permit is also required when using any rifle for coyote hunting. If you are planning to use a rifle during the Special Permit Season, make sure your rifle permit is in hand before heading out. For a broader look at how other states structure their hunting credentials, see our guide to hunting laws in Indiana.
Hunters must pass the online hunter education coursework required by the state. Once completed, you will print an online voucher to show when taking your live fire range session, offered from March through November each year. Both components must be completed before a full license is issued.
Legal Methods and Weapons for Coyote Hunting in New Jersey
New Jersey places significant restrictions on firearms used for small game and furbearer hunting, and coyote hunting is no exception. The weapons available to you shift depending on which season you are hunting and whether you hold the Special Permit.
During the Special Permit Season exclusively, coyotes and foxes may be hunted with bow and arrow, shotgun, center-fire rifles, rim-fire rifles, and single barrel muzzleloader rifles between one-half hour before sunrise and one-half hour after sunset.
Small game hunting with centerfire rifles is limited to not larger than .25 caliber for coyote and fox. This is a firm ceiling — larger caliber centerfire rifles are not legal for coyote hunting in New Jersey regardless of the season.
The Special Permit also expands shotgun ammunition options significantly:
- The special permit allows predator hunters to use larger shot sizes (“BB” to #3 Buck) in 10–20 gauge shotguns during daylight, hunt at night with 10–12 gauge shotgun using #4 fine to “T” shot, and use certain small caliber modern rifles or a muzzleloading rifle during daylight (use requires a valid Rifle Permit).
For bowhunters, all arrows used for hunting deer, turkey, coyote, fox, or woodchuck must be fitted with an edged head of well-sharpened metal and a minimum width of 3/4 inches.
Decoys, including electronic decoys, may be used when hunting coyote and fox. However, live decoys are prohibited. Bait use is also permitted during the Bow and Arrow Only Season and the Firearm or Bow Season, but not during the Special Permit Season when hunting under permit provisions. If you hunt with dogs, see the section on dogs below — rules vary significantly by season. For insight into how other states handle predator hunting tools and methods, check out hunting laws in Tennessee and hunting laws in Montana.
Common Mistake: Hunters sometimes carry shot larger than #4 fine during the regular season without a Special Permit. This is illegal. Larger shot sizes are only permitted under the Special Permit provisions.
Night Hunting and Electronic Call Rules in New Jersey
Night hunting for coyotes in New Jersey is only permitted during the Special Permit Season and only with specific weapons. This is one of the most tightly regulated aspects of coyote hunting in the state, and it is an area where many hunters run into compliance issues.
The hours for hunting coyote during the special coyote season which allows coyote hunting at night are one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise with 10 or 12 gauge shotguns only. No other firearms are permitted for night hunting — centerfire rifles, rimfire rifles, and muzzleloaders are all restricted to daylight hours even under the Special Permit.
While hunting under the special provisions during the Special Permit Season exclusively, hunting methods shall be restricted to calling and stand hunting. No person shall stalk or attempt to approach a coyote, red fox, or gray fox for the purpose of taking or attempting to take the animal. This means that if you hold the Special Permit, you must remain stationary and call — active stalking is not permitted under that permit’s provisions.
Electronic calls are legal for coyote hunting in New Jersey. Electronic calls and decoys are legal. This makes New Jersey a favorable state for predator hunters who rely on digital distress calls and remote-controlled decoys to bring coyotes into range. Many hunters pair electronic callers with electronic decoys for added realism, particularly during night hunts.
Pro Tip: During night hunts, positive species identification is critical. Thermal optics help detect animals at distance, but night vision scopes often provide the target clarity needed to confirm you are looking at a coyote and not a fox, deer, or domestic animal before pulling the trigger.
Also worth noting: it is unlawful to hunt for or shoot any wildlife by aid of a light, except when hunting raccoon or opossum, or when hunting coyote or fox during the Coyote–Fox Special Permit Season. Artificial lighting is therefore only legal for coyote hunters who hold the Special Permit. For a comparison of night hunting regulations in another state, see our overview of hunting laws in Arkansas.
Dogs are also subject to season-specific rules. The use of dogs shall not be allowed for fox and coyote hunting during the bow and arrow only season. Dogs are permitted during the Firearm or Bow Season with certain exceptions, but during the Special Permit Season, dogs may not be used to hunt coyote or fox when hunting under the permit. If chasing coyotes with hounds is your preference, the regular Firearm or Bow Season is your window — and you do not need the Special Permit to do it.
Trapping Coyotes in New Jersey
Trapping is a legal and regulated method of taking coyotes in New Jersey, governed by a separate licensing framework from hunting. If you plan to trap coyotes, you need to meet different requirements than a standard hunting license covers.
In New Jersey there are trapping seasons for beaver, otter, mink, muskrat, eastern coyote, fox, opossum, raccoon, skunk, and weasel. A Trapper Education course must be passed and a trapping license obtained to trap in the state.
The trapping of raccoon, red fox, gray fox, Virginia opossum, striped skunk, long-tailed weasel, short-tailed weasel, and coyote shall be permitted as furbearing animals under the authority of a proper and valid trapping license. The annual season for trapping coyote with cage traps, enclosed foothold traps, and live capture cable restraints shall begin at 6:00 a.m. on November 15 and conclude the following March 15, inclusive.
For the 2025–26 season, the coyote trapping season runs from November 15, 2025 through March 15, 2026 statewide, with coyote harvest required to be reported by 8 p.m. on the day of harvest via the Automated Harvest Report System.
| Trapping Detail | Requirement |
|---|---|
| License needed | Valid New Jersey trapping license |
| Education required | Trapper Education course completion |
| Minimum age | 12 years old |
| Season dates | November 15, 2025 – March 15, 2026 |
| Bag limit | No daily or season bag limit |
| Harvest reporting | By 8 p.m. on day of harvest via AHRS |
| Trap check requirement | At least once every 24 hours |
There shall be no daily or season bag limit for any species enumerated in this section having an open season. This applies to coyotes, making New Jersey’s trapping framework similarly unlimited to its hunting framework in terms of take numbers.
To use a cable restraint, a person must first pass a New Jersey Fish and Wildlife-approved trapper education course which includes use of snares and carry on their person appropriate documentation thereof. Cable restraints are a common and effective method for coyotes, but the additional certification requirement is easy to overlook.
No cable restraint may be set for coyote, fox, opossum, raccoon, or skunk on any portion of stocked WMAs until 6 a.m. on January 1. If you plan to trap on Wildlife Management Areas, this delayed start date on cable restraints is an important detail. You can also review hunting and trapping laws in Minnesota or hunting laws in Idaho for comparison.
Key Insight: All trap sets must be tagged with the trapper’s name and address, trap ID number, or trapper’s CID number. Untagged traps are a violation, even if set within a legal season.
Landowner Rights and Depredation Rules in New Jersey
New Jersey gives farmers and landowners meaningful authority to deal with coyotes that are actively causing damage to their property — authority that goes beyond what a standard hunting license provides.
Farmers and immediate family, their lessees occupying or farming their land, or their farming employees may kill squirrel, raccoon, opossum, skunk, weasel, crows, woodchuck, gray fox, red fox, or coyote on farm property at any time when found destroying livestock or crops. This is a broad depredation right — no special permit or season date applies when coyotes are actively attacking livestock or crops on your own farm.
Farmers or their agents may trap fox and coyote by lawful procedures at any time when found destroying poultry, crops, or property subject to state law and local ordinances. The key phrase here is “at any time” — this extends the farmer’s trapping authority outside of the regular trapping season when active depredation is occurring.
Even with this broad authority, reporting remains mandatory. A regional NJDEP Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement office must be notified within 24 hours of killing a coyote. This requirement applies whether you are a farmer killing a coyote in defense of livestock or a licensed trapper harvesting one during the regular season.
For non-farmer landowners and the general public, the standard hunting seasons and license requirements apply. There are a variety of public lands on which to hunt — municipal, county, state, and federal. It is the hunter’s responsibility to contact the applicable landowner to clarify areas open for hunting prior to arriving on-site. Most wildlife management areas, and select state parks, forests, and recreation areas are open to licensed hunters without requiring written permission.
Pro Tip: If you are a non-farmer experiencing coyote problems on private land, you still need a valid hunting license and must operate within the established coyote seasons. The unlimited bag limit and extended season window give you substantial flexibility, but the farmer depredation exemption does not extend to non-agricultural landowners.
For hunters accessing private land, always secure written or verbal permission from the landowner before setting up. New Jersey offers 500,000 acres of public hunting land, plus more than 358,000 acres of Wildlife Management Areas and state parks. That is a substantial amount of public access, so finding legal ground is very achievable without needing private land permission.
You may also want to review our related New Jersey guides, including turkey hunting season in New Jersey and dove hunting season in New Jersey, for a fuller picture of the state’s hunting calendar. Hunters curious about other animal regulations in the Garden State can also check our pages on roadkill laws in New Jersey and goat ownership laws in New Jersey.
Understanding coyote hunting laws in New Jersey comes down to knowing which of the three seasons you are operating in, having the right license and permit in hand, reporting every harvest by 8 p.m. on the day you take an animal, and respecting the specific weapon and method restrictions that apply to each season. The regulations reward hunters who do their homework — especially those who pick up the $2 Special Permit and unlock the full range of night hunting and expanded weapon options that come with it. Always verify current regulations directly with NJDEP Fish and Wildlife before heading out, as rules can be updated between digest printings.