October in Connecticut: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Connecticut: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Connecticut?

Coyotes in Connecticut mate from January to March. CT DEEP puts it this way: “In Connecticut, the breeding season is from January to March, and the gestation period 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 Connecticut?

Coyote pups in Connecticut are born in April and May. CT DEEP puts it this way: “Pups are born in spring (April to mid-May), and litters range in size from 1 to as many as 12 pups; the average in Connecticut is 7.”

Q: Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Connecticut?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Connecticut with no bag limit, under the 2026 rules from CT DEEP. You need a firearms or archery hunting license. On hunting at night: “Foxes and Coyotes: 1/2 hour before sunrise until 1/2 hour after sunset.”

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

Do not run. Wild Aware Utah puts it this way: “Do not run or turn your back on a coyote that has approached you. Face the coyote, shout at it, be as big and loud as possible, wave your arms and back away slowly.”

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

The DEEP Wildlife Division: 860-424-3011.

Q: When is coyote trapping season in Connecticut?

Coyote trapping in Connecticut has 2 seasons under the 2026 rules from CT DEEP: Winter, January 1, 2026 to March 15, 2026; Fall, November 8, 2026 to December 31, 2026.

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

Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. CT DEEP advises: “Keep dogs leashed and supervised whenever they are outside.” It also says: “Keep cats indoors or directly supervised in a secure enclosure.”

In Connecticut, coyotes mate from January to March and pups are born in April and May, according to CT DEEP; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Connecticut: 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
MarMating
AprPups
MayPups
JunPups
JulFamily
AugFamily
SepFamily
OctDispersalNow
NovDispersal
DecDispersal

Mating season: January to March, per CT DEEP
Pup season: April and May, per CT DEEP
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 Connecticut

Keep dogs leashed and supervised whenever they are outside.
Keep cats indoors or directly supervised in a secure enclosure.
Never intentionally feed coyotes.
Secure your garbage and compost in sturdy, tightly closed containers.

CT DEEP, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Moving toward the coyote while waving your arms or clapping.

CT DEEP, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

Do not run or turn your back on a coyote that has approached you. Face the coyote, shout at it, be as big and loud as possible, wave your arms and back away slowly.

Wild Aware Utah. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in Connecticut: CT DEEP.

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 Connecticut

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

DEEP Wildlife Division

Call 860-424-3011 Contact details

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Connecticut

Hunting: All year2026 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: A firearms or archery hunting license
Night hunting: Not allowed
Trapping: Winter: Jan 1 to Mar 15; Fall: Nov 8 to Dec 312026 rules

Foxes and Coyotes: 1/2 hour before sunrise until 1/2 hour after sunset.

CT DEEP, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

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

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Connecticut

912 research grade records from Connecticut, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in December. 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.

Connecticut coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Connecticut?

When are coyote pups born in Connecticut?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Connecticut?

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Connecticut?

When is coyote trapping season in Connecticut?

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

Coyote season in other states

Small game season in ConnecticutPheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel season dates Hunting license in ConnecticutWhat a license costs, plus the tag Deer season in ConnecticutArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer dates Attic wildlife in ConnecticutWhen you may evict animals from an attic Bear hibernation in ConnecticutWhen 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.