PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's nighttime coyote hunt will close in two weeks.

Maine hunters can hunt the elusive wild dogs at night from Dec. 16 to Aug. 31 this season. The night hunt begins a half hour after sunset and ends a half hour before sunrise, and is closed from midnight Saturdays to 12:01 a.m. on Mondays.

There is no closed season for daytime coyote hunting. Neither the daytime nor nighttime coyote hunt includes a bag limit.

State officials say there are at least 12,000 coyotes in Maine. They live throughout the state and are sometimes found in urbanized areas. The night hours are most often when they are hunted.

There has never been a documented coyote attack on a human in Maine