October in Delaware: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Delaware: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Delaware?

Coyotes in Delaware mate in February and March. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife puts it this way: “Coyotes breed in February and March and pups are born about 60 days later.” 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: 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 Delaware?

DNREC Natural Resources Police: 800-523-3336. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife puts it this way: “Contact the DNREC Natural Resources Police at 800-523-3336.”

Q: When is coyote trapping season in Delaware?

Coyote trapping in Delaware runs November 1, 2026 to March 10, 2027 under the 2026 to 2027 rules from the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

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

Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife advises: “Don’t allow pets to run free. Keep them safely confined and provide secure nighttime housing for them.”

In Delaware, coyotes mate in February and March, according to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Delaware: Dispersal

Months per the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife

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.

In Delaware, the young of the year leave home in October and November, according to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Next comes mating season, from January.

Usually in October and November most young disperse and find their own breeding territory, but one or two pups may stay with the parents and become part of the family group.

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

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

Mating season: February and March, per the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife
Pup season: April to June, from the national calendar
Family season: July to September, from the national calendar
Dispersal: October and November, per the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife

Pets and yards

How to keep pets safe from coyotes in Delaware

Don’t allow pets to run free. Keep them safely confined and provide secure nighttime housing for them.
Do not feed coyotes , and eliminate standing sources of water for them.
Do not discard edible garbage where coyotes can get to it. Also: secure garbage containers.

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

If you see them around your home or property, chase them away by shouting, making loud noises, or by throwing rocks at them.

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

Immediately leave the area and attempt to seek shelter in a building or vehicle. If pets are present attempt to get them out of the area as well.

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in Delaware: DNREC Division of 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 Delaware

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

DNREC Natural Resources Police

Call 800-523-3336 Contact details

Contact the DNREC Natural Resources Police at 800-523-3336.

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

What do I do about aggressive wildlife? Immediately leave the area and attempt to seek shelter in a building or vehicle. If pets are present attempt to get them out of the area as well. Contact the DNREC Natural Resources Police at 800-523-3336.

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Delaware

Hunting: All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: A Delaware hunting license (residents who own or live on a farm of 20 or more acres may hunt that farm without one, with a free License Exempt Number)
Night hunting: Not allowed
Trapping: Nov 1 to Mar 102026 to 2027 rules

Resident Property Owner: Residents who own or live upon farms in this State containing 20 or more acres, and the members of their immediate families who reside on the farm, may hunt and trap on said farm only without purchasing a license.

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Hunt at night (1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise) except that frogs, raccoons and opossum may be hunted at night using a handheld light.

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Read the hunting season 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 the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Delaware

54 research grade records from Delaware, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in March. 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.

Delaware coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Delaware?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Delaware?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Delaware with no bag limit, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. You need a Delaware hunting license (residents who own or live on a farm of 20 or more acres may hunt that farm without one, with a free License Exempt Number). On hunting at night: “Hunt at night (1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise) except that frogs, raccoons and opossum may be hunted at night using a handheld light.”

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Delaware?

When is coyote trapping season in Delaware?

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

Coyote season in other states

Small game season in DelawarePheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel season dates Hunting license in DelawareWhat a license costs, plus the tag Deer season in DelawareArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer dates Attic wildlife in DelawareWhen you may evict animals from an attic Bear hibernationWhen 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.