Coyote catalog in full swing

Supply and demand is the fundamental key to any successful opportunity.
For the coyote catalog, the demand is out there. However, the supply isn’t quite the same.
Last year, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department had 47 landowners and 521 hunters or trappers signed up for the coyote catalog. Of those hunters or trappers, 10 to 12 percent were contacted by either the Game and Fish on behalf of a landowner or a landowner themselves.
“There’s a small army of hunters waiting in the wings just wanting to go coyote hunting,” said Stephanie Tucker, Game and Fish furbearer biologist. “If the landowner is uncomfortable with the numbers of coyotes he’s seeing around, it’s a simple matter of putting the information into the system and send some coyote hunters their way.”
The coyote catalog program was attempted a couple years ago, but it didn’t pan out. The Game and Fish partnered with North Dakota Department of Agriculture and had a successful first season.
Landowners can sign up at www.nd.gov/ndda/coyote-catalog . Required information includes county and contact information. Hunters and trappers can sign up at www.gf.nd.gov .
Tucker said with the increased use of technology, the catalog program is easily accessible for many hunters, trappers and landowners.
“Nowadays with computer technology and databases, it’s easier to put people in touch,” she said. “That might be a benefit now, but if we don’t get enough landowners signed up, I anticipate hunters will fall off slowly after time as well.”
Though the number of hunters and trappers is far more than the number of landowners, Tucker said the hunters or trappers shouldn’t get discouraged if their name isn’t called.
“At this point, the hunters and trappers are willing, and I anticipate if they sign up year after year and never get contacted that the number will start dropping off,” she said. “But as of right now, we haven’t seen any of that occurring yet. The challenge now is get landowners signed up if they would like coyote hunters out there.”