The legality and practicality of night hunting is very unclear here in NM. I'd like to see clear statutes and regulations regarding the use of lights, night vision, and thermal for hunting coyotes on public land.
Coyotes aren't a protected species in NM, so there is no season and thus we cannot specifically hunt them on state land. We can only hunt coyotes on state land while we are there hunting for a protected species for which there is an open season and for which we have a license. So we can whack a coyote on state ground while bobcat or fox hunting, or while deer hunting, or dove hunting, but we can't go out in the spring or summer and call only coyotes.
Aside from those two issues, coyote hunters have a pretty good deal going here. No season, no bag limit, virtually no restrictions when day hunting. It's even legal to shoot one out of the truck so long as everything else about the situation is safe.
Coyotes aren't a protected species in NM, so there is no season and thus we cannot specifically hunt them on state land. We can only hunt coyotes on state land while we are there hunting for a protected species for which there is an open season and for which we have a license. So we can whack a coyote on state ground while bobcat or fox hunting, or while deer hunting, or dove hunting, but we can't go out in the spring or summer and call only coyotes.
Aside from those two issues, coyote hunters have a pretty good deal going here. No season, no bag limit, virtually no restrictions when day hunting. It's even legal to shoot one out of the truck so long as everything else about the situation is safe.