The Hereford Volunteer Fire Department will host its third annual coyote calling contest Jan. 16-17, featuring separate night and day hunts to raise money for the department, organizers said.

Dusty Hatch, chief of the Hereford Fire Department, and Jake Dupree, president of the board, said the event drew strong participation last year despite harsh weather, including temperatures near minus 10 degrees with rain and sleet. The contest will again include a night hunt on Friday, Jan. 16, and a day hunt Saturday, Jan. 17. Teams may enter either hunt or both.

The night hunt costs $150 for one- to three-person teams and awards the team with the most coyotes. An optional $30 “varmint” side pot will pay out for the most varmints turned in, organizers said.

The day hunt costs $125 for one- to three-person teams and includes a three-coyote limit, with winners determined by the total weight of the three coyotes turned in. Optional side pots include $25 entries for “little dog,” “big dog,” “most dogs” and a varmint category, Dupree said.

Organizers emphasized the contest is a calling event, requiring hunters to call coyotes in rather than use dogs or other methods.

“We want you to go out and make sets and call them in to you,” Dupree said.

Rules also prohibit shotguns and ban the use of aircraft or chasing coyotes with vehicles, organizers said. To deter cheating and ensure fairness, teams must use supplied bite blocks secured behind a coyote’s canines, mark the date and time of the kill, and record a video showing the block in place along with a “shake test” to demonstrate the animal was recently taken.

“With every contest you have, there’s people that are going to try and cheat,” Dupree said. “We have to put some rules in place to keep that from happening and keep it fair for everybody.”

Friday night check-in is scheduled from about 5 to 7 p.m., followed by a rules meeting at 7 p.m. Organizers said attendance at the meeting is required and rules will be strictly enforced.

“That is their time to ask,” Hatch said. “If they come back the next day … that wasn’t videoed, well guess what? It don’t count.”

The event also includes meals and prizes. Friday night will feature a free-will donation supper of sausage and pancakes. Saturday’s check-in will include a chili and soup feed, organizers said.

Dupree said sponsors donated “overwhelming” amounts of door prizes last year, ranging from ammunition and apparel to firearms. One of this year’s featured prizes is a custom-built AR-platform rifle in .22 ARC from King’s Custom Guns, available only to contestants. The fire department is also holding a gun raffle for a Ruger American 6mm Creedmoor with a Vortex scope, along with a separate raffle for a “coyote hunting pack” expected to include a gun, scope, call, tripod and hunting seat.

Organizers said businesses and individuals can still sponsor or donate items. Sponsors will be recognized during the event and in online spotlights, they said.

For information, teams can contact Dupree at 605-490-9862 or Hatch at 605-484-5112, or find the Hereford Volunteer Fire Department on Facebook. Raffle ticket sales run until about 6 p.m. Jan. 16, organizers said.

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