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New Rules for Hunting Coyotes in Delaware

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GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP) - Delaware officials are proposing new rules to allow hunting and trapping of coyotes.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is proposing a change to allow hunters to seek out and kill coyotes from November through February. Coyotes and red fox could be trapped from December to March.

State officials estimate that there are fewer than 100 Eastern coyotes in Delaware. But hunters groups and farmers, who have sought hunting and trapping for two years, want extended or year-round coyote hunting to keep the population from growing to a size that could menace the deer population and livestock.

The Sussex County Council unanimously voted its support for a year-round coyote season on Tuesday.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.