Coyote management season in Michigan begins on March 2. Here's what to know

Coyote management season in Michigan begins on Monday, March 2, and runs through mid-October. The goal is to cull overpopulation. 

"Coyotes can get to be problem animals at times," said Becky Humphries, the chair of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission. "They're highly, highly adaptable. That's why they've expanded their range so much across the eastern United States. They can interfere with other animals out there."

Coyotes like to eat backyard chickens and small pets. They can be aggressive, and they can carry diseases like rabies or pass mange to household pets. 

"I have coyotes that are in this area. I hear them calling from time to time," Humphries said. 

Humphries said hunters can use whichever legal hunting or trapping method they prefer, and there is no cap on how many coyotes hunters can kill. 

"We ask for people to dispose of them properly so that they're they're not just shooting them or taking them and letting them lie. Especially if they're doing it on public lands, that they're taking that carcass and properly disposing of it, wrapping it up, putting it in the landfill or burying it." 

Humphries said anyone planning to go out for spring coyote management needs to have a base hunting license, which is available online.