The North Dakota Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Game and Fish Department to help producers who have some unwanted guests on their property.

The Coyote Catalog is meant to bring landowners together with hunters to benefit both sides, providing sport for hunters while keeping coyotes away from livestock.

“They’re attacking lambs during lambing season, during calving season, they’re harassing cows out there. This is a great opportunity for those landowners, for those livestock owners,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

Coyotes not only harass and attack the livestock but also spread diseases such as mange.

The Coyote Catalog program started roughly 10 years ago and has been successful in the past.

“I think it was probably prompted just by some landowner concern in the past, but maybe not people that actually had a problem that warranted the professional wildlife services trappers or the aerial gunners to come in,” said Ryan Herigstad, game management technician with Game and Fish.

The Department of Agriculture announced on Monday that the annual Coyote Catalog will run through March 31.

Hunters will be pleased to know that there is no tag limit on the coyotes, and a variety of weapons can be utilized at the discretion of the landowner.

“You’d have to look up the furbearer regulations, but I think that, yeah it’s pretty much any weapon. People can use bows or rifles or whatever,” said Herigstad.

Landowners can sign up on the Department of Agriculture website, while hunters can sign up on the Game and Fish website.

The program works by pairing the landowners with the hunters and trappers, not utilizing a public database.

The intent is to keep landowners from receiving too many calls that may deter them from wanting to participate in the future.

“Then they have the opportunity also, or the option to call back when they feel that they have less issues. And then they can get taken off the list,” said Goehring.

The program is free to sign up and both departments encourage those interested to sign up.

Throughout winter, hunters or trappers may receive information on participating landowners, and they are encouraged to contact landowners to make arrangements.