October in California: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in California: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in California?

Coyotes in California mate from January to March. California Fish and Wildlife puts it this way: “In California, mates from January to March. Gestation is about 63 days.” It is the loudest stretch of the coyote year: pairs court and mark their ground, and coyotes travel farther and show up more often by day.

Q: When are coyote pups born in California?

Coyote pups in California are born from March to May. California Fish and Wildlife puts it this way: “Most young are born from March through May.”

Q: Is it legal to hunt coyotes in California?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in California with no bag limit, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from California Fish and Wildlife. You need a California hunting license.

Q: What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Do not run. California Fish and Wildlife puts it this way: “Keep a safe distance. Back away slowly.”

Q: Who do I call about a coyote in California?

Report it online: CDFW Wildlife Incident Reporting.

Q: How do I keep my dog and cat safe from coyotes in California?

Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. California Fish and Wildlife advises: “Do not leave small pets unsupervised outside—bring pets inside at night.” It also says: “Leash pets while walking. Use a whistle or other noisemaker to deter coyotes.”

In California, coyotes mate from January to March and pups are born from March to May, according to California Fish and Wildlife; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in California: Dispersal

The usual coyote year

The young of the year leave home to find their own ground, crossing roads and turning up in neighborhoods new to them.

For pets: Young coyotes new to a place are still learning what to avoid: keep cats indoors and walk dogs on a short leash at dawn and dusk.

Across the country, dispersal usually runs from October to December.

Next comes mating season, from January.

JanMating
FebMating
MarPups
AprPups
MayPups
JunPups
JulFamily
AugFamily
SepFamily
OctDispersalNow
NovDispersal
DecDispersal

Mating season: January to March, per California Fish and Wildlife
Pup season: March to May, per California Fish and Wildlife
Family season: July to September, from the national calendar
Dispersal: October to December, from the national calendar

Pets and yards

How to keep pets safe from coyotes in California

Do not leave small pets unsupervised outside—bring pets inside at night.
Leash pets while walking. Use a whistle or other noisemaker to deter coyotes.
Keep small livestock and poultry in secure pens at night. Install electric fencing when possible.
Remove access to attractants—place trash, recycling, and pet food in secure bins.

California Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Make loud noise—yell, clap, blow a whistle.

California Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

Keep a safe distance. Back away slowly.

California Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in California: California Fish and Wildlife.

Four young coyote pups outside a den dug into a dirt bank, one standing at the entrance looking out — Four pups outside their den in the bank above Big Dry Creek at Metzger Farm Open Space, Colorado, in mid May. Photo: Jim Kennedy. “Four Coyote Pups by Den in Metzger Farm Open Space, Colorado (17614272575)”, nature80020, CC BY 2.0

Whom to call

Who to call about a coyote in California

For a coyote that is bold around people, pets or homes in California:

CDFW Wildlife Incident Reporting

Report it online

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in California

Hunting: All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: A California hunting license
Night hunting: With limits

A valid California hunting license is required to take any bird or mammal.

California Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Read the trapping rules at the source.

Read from each source on October 13, 2026. Methods, night rules and public land rules can change by unit, so read California Fish and Wildlife’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in California

35,522 research grade records from California, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in November. A record is a person’s photograph confirmed by others, so the bars count sightings rather than coyotes.

Reading the last thirty days of reports from iNaturalist.

California coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in California?

When are coyote pups born in California?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in California?

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in California?

How do I keep my dog and cat safe from coyotes in California?

Coyote season in other states

Small game season in CaliforniaPheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel season dates Hunting license in CaliforniaWhat a license costs, plus the tag Deer season in CaliforniaArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer dates Attic wildlife in CaliforniaWhen you may evict animals from an attic Bear hibernation in CaliforniaWhen bears den and wake, and when to take feeders down

A coyote standing among sagebrush and grass coated white with hoar frost, looking toward the camera — A coyote hunting meadow voles in hoar frost on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Wyoming, at the end of December. Photo: Tom Koerner, USFWS. “Coyote in hoar frost on Seedskadee NWR (13234615673)”, USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain

Every fact links to the page it was read from, each read October 13, 2026. Mating, pup and dispersal months are the agency’s own where it prints them; the national calendar fills the rest. Sighting counts are iNaturalist research grade records, which count sightings, not coyotes. Coyote season across the country.