The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) released 16 more tagged coyotes statewide recently as part of the Coyote Harvest Incentive Program, and any hunter who successfully takes and reports one of these tagged coyotes will be rewarded with a free lifetime license.
The Coyote Harvest Incentive Program was created in 2016 by the General Assembly, which directed SCDNR to develop and implement a coyote tagging and reward program. Annually, SCDNR traps, tags and releases four coyotes per game zone (16 total). Anyone who successfully takes and reports a tagged coyote will be rewarded with a free lifetime hunting license.
The person reporting the tagged coyote has the option to designate anyone for the lifetime license such as a child, relative, or friend.
Over the last five years, a total of 96 coyotes have been tagged and released, including the 16 that were recently released. To date, about half of the tagged coyotes have been reported taken. Coyotes tagged in any year are eligible for the lifetime license incentive. The specially marked tags provide contact information directly on them. Only the uniquely identifiable SCDNR coyote tags are eligible for the lifetime license as there are potentially some coyotes that have been tagged for research purposes.
For more information on the Coyote Harvest Incentive Program, visit https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/coyote/ coyoteincentive.html.