[Paslode]

Hunter Kills 104-Pound 'Unusually Large' Coyote
Coyote About 3 Years Old

POSTED: 4:56 pm CST December 13, 2010
UPDATED: 8:30 am CST December 14, 2010
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- DNA testing has confirmed that a large animal shot and killed by a hunter a month ago was an "unusually large" coyote, the Missouri Department of Conservation announced Monday.

The hunter killed the animal on the opening day of Missouri's November firearms deer season on Nov. 13.

Coyotes are legal game during deer season, so the hunter shot and killed it, the department said. But when the hunter got a closer look at the animal, he wondered if he had mistakenly shot and killed a wolf, which is a protected species in Missouri, the department said.

The hunter contacted the MDC, which tested the animal's DNA and determined it was in fact a coyote.

The MDC said the 104-pound coyote was about 3 years old.

To see a picture of the coyote, click here.

http://www.kmbc.com/news/26121874/detail.html