Spanish Fort Coyote Trapping Underway
By: Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
December 17, 2025
SPANISH FORT, Ala. After city leaders in Spanish Fort authorized trapping of coyotes within the city limits after concerns expressed by residents, there has been limited success during the initial phase of the operation.
The initial plan called for the city to contract the coyote removal with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and to begin the trapping and removal on the west side of the city after receiving many complaints about residents’ pets being killed or injured in coyote attacks.
Social media pages during the past few years have shown pictures and even videos of the coyotes hunting in the middle of the day and carrying their prey across city streets and into several neighborhoods.
There were also concerns that the coyotes might attack children playing in their own yards.
Spanish Fort Estates, a residential community surrounded by greenways, wooded areas and streams, was an area where citizens had concerns so in the initial phase, traps have been set in that area and so far, only two coyotes have been trapped and removed during the first two weeks.
Coyotes have also been spotted in other parts of the city including several who were carrying rabbits in their mouth as they headed into nearby woods.
“It’s not their natural habitat but eventually they start creeping in on some space where obviously there’s folks living and residing and families and kids and pets and that kind of thing so I think this will go a long way at least in putting their minds at ease that at least something’s being done to help out in that regard,” said Mayor Brad Bass.
Coyotes have pups once a year, typically giving birth in spring (April/May) with litter sizes averaging 4 to 7 pups, influenced by food and population density.
Trappers and hunters say that coyotes will push further into other areas when they feel the pressure of humans and that you may find that in this situation, some will move into other surrounding areas including Daphne.
Coyote hunting seasons are generally open year-round in most states, including Alabama, as they are often considered nuisance predators, but regulations vary by location, with specific rules for night hunting, public vs. private land, and required licenses (usually small game/furbearer)
Mayor Bass said while it’s too early to know for sure, the city may consider ongoing trapping efforts in Spanish Fort Estates as well as other problem spots around town.
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