6th Annual GON Coyote Cull

May and June in the Georgia woods means fawns are being born, hens are sitting on turkey nests, and coyotes are picking them off. To give sportsmen a little incentive to do some coyote control, GON’s 6th annual Coyote Cull is back this May and June.

For the 2019 Coyote Cull, we are offering three great prizes with a total value of more than $1,300. By leveraging great support from industry sponsors who are as concerned about the coyote situation as we are, GON uses the Coyote Cull as an incentive to get sportsmen out during a time of year when they might not otherwise get after yotes. We do the Coyote Cull in May and June because this is when fawns and turkey poults are being born and when they are extremely vulnerable to coyotes.

Coyotes have lowered fawn survival rates enough that Georgia deer hunting is now restricted in much of the state through buck-only days to limit harvest. Something is also impacting turkey numbers and poult survival, even on large tracts with very good timber and habitat management. The turkey situation is getting bad enough there is talk about limiting hunting opportunity, maybe with a later opening day and shorter season.

It’s now been 13 years since GON first began publishing a series of articles that sounded the alarm about the impacts coyotes were having on deer. Dozens of articles and more than a decade later, the evidence is overwhelming.    

Want to call up a coyote and don’t have a place to go? Most Georgia WMAs allow coyote hunting from May 16-31 (see page 50).

The winner of the rifle last year was Tiffany Sheppard, of Maysville, who entered with a Banks County coyote. To enter the 6th annual Coyote Cull, simply kill a coyote and get a picture with the 2019 May or June issues of GON. You can enter twice, once with each issue of the magazine.

There is no Coyote Cull entry fee, and there are no check stations. The Coyote Cull is designed to be very simple to enter (see entry instructions and details on opposite page). After the June 18 entry deadline, a random drawing from among all entries will determine who wins these prizes:   

• Franchi Momentum 6.5 Creedmoor Bolt-Action Rifle: Adventure Outdoors and Franchi are helping us give away a 6.5 Creedmoor bolt-action rifle. This Franchi Momentum features a black synthetic stock, 24-inch barrel and 44.3-inch overall length, This gun retails for $609. For more information, visit www.franchiusa.com/momentum. Visit Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna to thank them for their support of the Coyote Cull since the first year, or visit www.adventureoutdoors.us.

• Trinity Custom Homes $500 Cash Prize: Offering more than 70 customizable home designs, Trinity has helped countless Southerners complete their dream of building on their own land. For more info, call (888) 818-0278 or visit TrinityCustom.com.

• Trapping Package From Southern Snares & Outfitters: This great package includes six No. 2 Bridger Dogless traps  to get after the coons, a dozen trap anchors and nine great lures and baits for predator trapping. The retail value is $210. See all of their great products at www.southernsnares.com, or call (912) 288-6542.

The Coyote Cull is designed to be uncomplicated. It’s not a contest to kill the most coyotes or the biggest. There are no check stations. The prizes are simply a great incentive to get folks out right now doing what we should all be doing anyway—taking out some coyotes during the time of year when fawns and turkey poults are being born.

How To Enter

To enter, go kill a coyote. Then e-mail a picture to [email protected] showing the dead coyote and the hunter holding this May issue of GON or the upcoming June issue of GON. The hunter must include their name, hometown and the county where the coyote was taken. There is no entry fee, and you don’t even have to buy the current issue—you can borrow one from a friend. The only reason we require that the hunter hold the 2019 May or June issues of GON is so we know the coyote was killed during this two-month period of the Coyote Cull.

One picture-entry per coyote—your buddy can’t take a picture with your coyote and enter. We will accept entries through June 18. The only rule is a limit of one entry per month, per household. If you enter this month holding the May GON, you (or someone from your household) can enter again next month holding the June issue. That’s a maximum of two entries per household.

Your entry photo and details can also be mailed to GON Coyote Cull, 4331 Seven Islands Road, Madison, GA 30650, but we must receive them by June 18. Call (800) 438-4663 with questions.