MEADE COUNTY, Kansas — Hours after the sun has set for the day, it’s pitch black in the middle of Meade County. As David Hampton stands invisible in a southwest Kansas field scanning the landscape for coyotes, the only sounds are the crunch of dry grass underfoot and calls of coyotes in the distance.
He has a handheld night vision monocular. He also has a night vision scope on his gun. He spins in a circle quietly in the darkness waiting for coyotes to pop up.
“My dad used to drop me off when I was 10 years old in the sticks to go deer hunting," Hampton said. “One thing I am not is afraid of the dark.”
Strapped around his neck he has the remote to an electronic calling device. It can mimic coyote howls or the sounds of coyote prey in distress.
Hampton is an experienced coyote hunter, and enjoys trying his luck at night vision hunting, which regulators allowed in Kansas for coyotes back in 2021. The season lasts the first three months of the year, with the hope of controlling exploding coyote populations and giving hunters more opportunities.
Now, that policy is under review. Regulators held a series of meetings across the state to hear from hunters and others, and will decide whether the season should be continued or modified by possibly expanding or reducing it.
But coyotes still thrive in Kansas no matter what people throw at them. Coyotes are incredibly resilient and eat about anything available. They also respond to hunting pressure by having larger litters, making them even harder to control.
After a few hours of hearing the coyotes howl, Hampton had only heard them, but didn't see any, and called it a night. He said that’s the nature of hunting smart predators.
In the truck on the way back, Hampton said difficulty of coyote hunting is part of the appeal.
“When you shoot a coyote and miss, we call that educating a coyote because they’re smart, keen animals,” Hampton said.
Night vision is the latest example of new technology being used to help hunters control predators in Kansas.
This venture goes back centuries in this region. As Europeans expanded west into Kansas and Nebraska, they have continually battled with coyotes.
In fact, settlers' expansion has allowed coyotes to expand themselves. When people moved, they killed off animals like wolves and mountain lions, which used to keep coyotes in check.
Cutting down forests to create farms gave coyotes more habitat. Now, they are the most abundant large predator in the country.
Kansas ranks fourth in the nation in coyote populations.
They’re a concern because they prey on livestock. Coyotes cost Kansas ranchers roughly $4 million annually in livestock losses. They also can damage crops and harm pets.
Predators cause roughly 5% of calf deaths in Kansas, and coyotes are blamed for nearly all of them.
Cattle rancher Nick Zerr in Gove County has been a huge advocate for the use of night vision in coyote hunting.
“There’s not as much wildlife out here and newborn calves are an easy target,” Zerr said. “This is my livelihood. I can’t lose money on predators if I can help it.”
A cattle rancher could lose $750 to $1000 per newborn calf to coyotes, and that can be a big impact on ranchers with smaller herds.
This has led the state to advocate for hunting to control their populations. And hunters see even more success at night.
“At night I had some hunters turn on their callers near my cattle and seven coyotes came running,” Zerr said. “You don’t really see that during the day.”
To try and give hunters an upper hand, Kansas allows night vision and thermal vision that helps hunters see coyotes before being spotted by the animals. This equipment is expensive. Getting started could cost hunters thousands of dollars.
Hunters also need a night vision equipment permit which costs $2.50.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife held meetings around the state last month to gather opinions on the night season.
From the rancher’s perspective, coyotes are pest animals that threaten their livelihoods.
Andrew Enfield, a hunter from Norton, Kansas, spoke in favor of expanding the night season to control predators during the late spring when newborn calves are vulnerable.
“I have several landowners, cattle farmers, that call myself and others when they are calving and having issues with coyotes,” Enfield said.
Enfield would like to see the night season expanded further into the spring to help better protect livestock herds. Others want it expanded year-round.
Geoff Nemnich is a professional coyote hunter in the Midwest. He hosts a Youtube series called “The Last Stand” where he teaches hunting tips.
“At night, there's less traffic, less people out so the coyotes move around a lot more,” Nemnich said. “As a hunter, you can usually have a little more success, because the coyotes are just naturally up running around.”
Nemnich has shot up to 23 coyotes in a single night hunt.
The other advantage is it gives hunters with families and dayjobs more opportunities. Nemnich said it’s helping attract younger hunters
“Hunters can run out and hunt from eight at night till midnight, come back, get some sleep, and get up and go to work,” Nemnich said.
But some Kansans are not fully on board. Tad Kramar and his wife Margaret strongly opposed the night vision season at a meeting in Topeka. They live in rural Douglas County. They worry it will lead to hunting other animals out of season and be a disturbance.
“It's more dangerous to do this at night,” Tad Kramar said. “Also, as a rural resident, I would find it very disturbing to hear loud gunshots and see bright lights throughout the night.”
Law enforcement groups have also opposed the night season over fears of people using firearms at night and the possibility of deer poaching, which remains an issue in Kansas.
Some meeting attendees suggested moving the night coyote season so it doesn’t overlap with deer and elk seasons. They said that might reduce the likelihood of illegally using night vision for those species.
Secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Chris Kennedy, went over the results of public comments from the state meetings.
“Overall, a majority support the expansion across all user groups based on our data,” Kennedy said.
But several wildlife commissioners were hesitant to expand the season.
“My initial hesitance to expand to year round still stands from a personal standpoint. I do appreciate seasons. I do appreciate management,” Commissioner Whitney Damron said.
There’s more discussion on the issue ahead and a decision could come later this year.
Calen Moore covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can email him at cmoore@hppr.org.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
