Coyote Hunting Laws in New Hampshire: Season Dates, Licenses, and Rules
July 20, 2026
New Hampshire gives coyote hunters one of the most open frameworks in the Northeast. There is no closed season, no bag limit, and a wide range of legal methods available to hunters across the Granite State. Whether you plan to run electronic calls through the winter months or set traps in the northern Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), understanding the specific rules that govern each approach will keep you on the right side of the law.
The NH Fish and Game Department updated several furbearer regulations starting with the 2025–2026 season, including a new mandatory online harvest reporting requirement. Before you head out, take a few minutes to review what has changed and what remains in effect under current rules.
Pro Tip: Always confirm season details in the current NH Hunting and Trapping Digest, published each August by the NH Fish and Game Department, before finalizing your plans for the season.
Is Coyote Hunting Legal in New Hampshire?
Yes, coyote hunting is fully legal in New Hampshire. Coyote is one of the furbearer species for which there is a hunting season in New Hampshire, alongside fisher, fox, opossum, skunk, raccoon, mink, muskrat, and weasel. The eastern coyote (Canis latrans × Canis lupus lycaon hybrid) has established a strong presence throughout the state, and NH Fish and Game manages the population through regulated hunting and trapping.
There is no daily bag limit for coyote in New Hampshire. That open-ended take policy reflects the state’s management approach, which treats coyotes as a species that does not require population protection through harvest restrictions.
One regulation that took effect for the 2025–2026 season applies directly to every coyote hunter in the state. Under regulation Fis 303, a rule change effective September 1, 2025, now requires all furbearers taken by hunting in New Hampshire to be reported online within 24 hours — a requirement that did not previously exist for hunters. Upon completing registration, hunters receive a confirmation number for each harvested animal, which must be written on or kept with their hunting license.
For more context on how neighboring states approach this species, see coyote hunting laws in New York and coyote hunting laws in Vermont.
Coyote Hunting Season Dates in New Hampshire
There is no closed season for coyote in New Hampshire. You can pursue coyotes any day of the year, which makes the state particularly attractive for hunters who want flexibility across all seasons. Daytime hunting follows standard furbearer hunting hours.
Standard hunting hours for furbearers run from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Night hunting operates under a separate, more restricted window covered in detail below. The night hunting window for coyotes runs from January 1 through March 31.
| Hunting Type | Season Dates | Bag Limit | Reporting Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime Hunting | Year-round (no closed season) | No limit | Yes — within 24 hours |
| Night Hunting | January 1 – March 31 | No limit | Yes — within 24 hours |
| Trapping (WMUs A–F) | October 15 – March 31 | No limit | Separate trapping rules apply |
| Trapping (WMUs G–M) | November 1 – April 10 | No limit | Separate trapping rules apply |
New Hampshire divides the state into multiple Wildlife Management Units labeled A through M to facilitate region-specific conservation and management strategies, allowing biologists to set appropriate regulations based on local wildlife populations, habitat conditions, and human population densities. Always check which WMU you are hunting in, as weapon and trapping rules can differ between zones.
License and Permit Requirements for Coyote Hunting in New Hampshire
Coyote falls under the furbearer category, and the license requirements reflect that classification. To hunt furbearers, you must have a current Regular New Hampshire Hunting, Combination, or Archery License. A Small Game License does not allow for the hunting of furbearers. Make sure you are carrying the correct license before heading out.
Youth hunters under 16 do not need a general hunting license in New Hampshire, but any minor pursuing coyotes still needs to comply with all furbearer rules and must be accompanied by a licensed adult when applicable. All hunters must pass a hunter education course before getting a New Hampshire hunting license, which can be taken online or in person, though an in-person field day is also required to complete the hunter education requirements.
Pro Tip: Licenses can be purchased online through the NH Fish and Game Department website or at authorized license agents throughout the state. You can also purchase in person at Fish and Game headquarters at 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301.
If you plan to hunt coyotes at night or over bait, additional permit paperwork is required beyond your base hunting license — details on those requirements appear in the sections below. For a broader look at New Hampshire hunting licensing, see the hunting laws in New Hampshire overview.
Legal Methods and Weapons for Coyote Hunting in New Hampshire
During daylight hours, New Hampshire’s coyote hunting regulations are relatively permissive on legal methods. Rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, handguns, archery equipment, and crossbows are all legal for daytime coyote hunting, provided you comply with any WMU-specific weapon restrictions that may apply in your area. Furbearers shall not be taken with an air rifle.
Night hunting carries stricter weapon rules in certain towns. In towns with special rules, coyote night hunters are restricted to permitted pistols, .17 and .22 caliber rimfire rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, crossbow, or bow and arrow. Check the current NH Hunting and Trapping Digest for the specific list of towns subject to these restrictions before planning a night hunt.
- Rifles (caliber restrictions apply in special-rule towns at night)
- Shotguns (legal day and night)
- Muzzleloaders (legal day and night)
- Archery equipment and crossbows (legal day and night)
- Handguns — .17 and .22 caliber rimfire permitted in special-rule towns at night
- Air rifles — prohibited for all furbearers
Baiting is a legal method for coyotes but comes with its own permit process. Baiting is defined as placing meat, carrion, honey, or any other food or ingestible substance (other than salt) capable of luring or attracting coyote or other furbearers, and a baiting permit is required for any bait site. Applicants may apply beginning December 1 for permits to bait coyote for the following year.
From the close of the bear baiting season through December 15, baiting for coyote is restricted to the use of meat, animal parts, carrion, or fish. No bait may be placed from April 15 through August 31. These date windows are firm, so plan your bait site setup accordingly.
Compare how other states handle legal methods by reviewing coyote hunting laws in Pennsylvania and coyote hunting laws in Virginia.
Night Hunting and Electronic Call Rules in New Hampshire
New Hampshire permits night hunting for coyotes during a defined winter window with specific equipment and permission requirements. The open season for coyote night hunting runs from January 1 through March 31, and artificial lights — except those from a motor vehicle, OHRV, or snowmobile — may be used to illuminate coyotes.
Electronic calling devices are legal for coyote hunting in New Hampshire. Electronic calling devices and decoys are legal, and all night vision equipment is legal with no known restrictions. That said, at least one third-party source has noted that the state was evaluating thermal imaging regulations as of 2025, so verify the current status of thermal devices with NH Fish and Game before using them in the field.
The permission requirement for night hunting is one of the most important rules to understand. Any person hunting coyote at night must obtain a written landowner permit for the property on which they take or attempt to take coyote. Permits must be made out in duplicate — hunters retain the original and send the duplicate to the Conservation Officer in whose district coyote hunting is to be done.
Important Note: Written landowner night-hunting permits and baiting permits are separate documents. A separate permit is required to bait. Make sure you have both in hand before combining night hunting with a bait site.
It is illegal to possess a firearm with ammunition, bow and arrow, or crossbow and bolt while attempting to locate or illuminate wild animals at night at any time of the year, except while coyote night hunting from January 1 through March 31, raccoon hunting, or checking traps at night. This rule makes the January–March window the only legal opportunity for armed night hunting of coyotes in New Hampshire.
For a comparison of night hunting rules across the region, see coyote hunting laws in New Jersey and coyote hunting laws in North Carolina.
Trapping Coyotes in New Hampshire
Trapping is a legal and widely practiced method for taking coyotes in New Hampshire. The trapping season runs on a WMU-based schedule, and the license requirements differ from hunting. The open season for taking coyotes by traps runs from October 15 through March 31 in WMUs A, B, C, D, E, and F. In the southern WMUs G through M, the trapping season runs from November 1 through April 10, as shown in the season table above.
Any person, regardless of age, except resident landowners while upon their own land or children under 16 years of age when accompanied by a licensee 18 years of age or older, must have a license to trap fur-bearing animals. This license can only be purchased at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord or by mail from the N.H. Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301.
If you plan to trap on state-managed lands, the process is more involved. Permits to trap on state-managed lands are issued by lottery every two years, in even years only, and are valid for two years. The next lottery will be in September 2026.
Several trap-specific rules apply statewide:
- No person may set, arrange, or tend any trap or snare upon any land of which they are not the owner or occupant unless they have signed, written permission, and until a copy is filed with the conservation officer in whose district trapping is to be done.
- When set, all traps must be securely attached to the ground, to a fixed object, to a drag, or to a slide wire.
- All traps and snares must have the name of the person setting them, either stamped or engraved in a legible and permanent manner on the trap, or on a durable tag securely affixed to the trap or snare or chain holding the trap.
- Catching Canada lynx is not allowed since they are a federally recognized Threatened Species, and unique trapping rules are set up within an allocated Canada Lynx Protection Zone, including limits on foothold trap jaw spread and body-gripping trap use.
Persons engaged in the practice of trapping nuisance animals are required to possess a Wildlife Control Operator’s License, available at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord or by mail. This is a separate credential from a standard trapping license, so confirm which applies to your situation before setting traps for nuisance coyotes.
See how trapping regulations compare in other states: coyote hunting laws in Michigan, coyote hunting laws in Wisconsin, and coyote hunting laws in Minnesota.
Landowner Rights and Depredation Rules in New Hampshire
New Hampshire gives property owners meaningful flexibility when coyotes are causing damage. The key distinction in state law is between regulated hunting activity — which requires a license and follows season rules — and property protection actions taken by landowners on their own land.
Furbearers taken by trapping or killed by landowners in the protection of property should not be registered using the standard online furbearer hunting registration link. This confirms that depredation kills are treated separately from hunted animals under the 2025–2026 reporting rules.
For trapping, you do not need a license if you are a landowner trapping on your own land. This exemption is a meaningful benefit for farmers and rural property owners dealing with chronic coyote predation on livestock or poultry. Children under 16 are also exempt when accompanied by a licensed adult 18 or older.
Even with the landowner trapping exemption in place, baiting rules still apply to everyone. A baiting permit is required for any bait site, and current baiting permit applications — which carry no fee — are available at any Fish and Game office or online. Applications for permits to bait wildlife on private property must be signed by the landowner.
In New Hampshire, you can hunt on almost any land unless there are postings telling you not to. The state has a widely known rule that all federal, state, county, municipal, and private land with permission is open to hunting, including New Hampshire Wildlife Management Units — but you must have permission and confirm the land is open during the season for the game you are after.
For additional context on how depredation and landowner rights work in other states, review coyote hunting laws in Ohio, coyote hunting laws in Indiana, and coyote hunting laws in Texas. You can also find a broader regional overview at the NH Fish and Game furbearer hunting page and the eRegulations New Hampshire furbearer section.
New Hampshire’s coyote regulations reward hunters who pay attention to the details. The year-round season and no-bag-limit policy give you maximum flexibility, but the night hunting permission requirements, WMU-specific weapon rules, and the 2025 online reporting mandate all demand careful compliance. Check the current NH Hunting and Trapping Digest each August for any updates, and contact the NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division at (603) 271-3127 if you have questions about specific rules in your area.