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October in Idaho: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Idaho: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

In Idaho, coyotes mate in February and March and pups are born from March to May, according to Idaho Fish and Game; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Idaho: 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.

  1. JanMating
  2. FebMating
  3. MarPups
  4. AprPups
  5. MayPups
  6. JunPups
  7. JulFamily
  8. AugFamily
  9. SepFamily
  10. OctDispersalNow
  11. NovDispersal
  12. DecDispersal
  • Mating season: February and March, per Idaho Fish and Game
  • Pup season: March to May, per Idaho Fish and Game
  • 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 Idaho

  • Don’t leave your dog outside unsupervised.
  • Remove or secure attractants, such as pet food, trash or dog feces.
  • If possible, ensure your property boundaries are secure by keeping fences in good repair and letting your dogs out for bathroom breaks only in fenced areas, particularly at night.
  • If your property is not fenced, turn on outside lights and make noise before letting your dog outside, and consider taking your dog out on a lead for nighttime bathroom breaks.
Idaho Fish and Game, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Consider bringing a loud noisemaker with you – a whistle, bell or horn – which can be helpful in scaring off a coyote.
Idaho Fish and Game, 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 Idaho: Idaho Fish and Game.

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
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Whom to call

Who to call about a coyote in Idaho

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

Idaho Fish and Game regional office

Contact details
Fish and Game encourage the public to report any incidents involving aggressive coyotes.
Idaho Fish and Game, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Idaho

Hunting
All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit
No limit
License
An Idaho hunting or combination hunting license (a trapping license to trap); resident children under 12 need none when not using firearms
Night hunting
With limits
Trapping
All year2026 to 2027 rules
Some animals are classified as “predators” or as “unprotected” and can be hunted and taken all year. Animals classified as predators in Idaho include coyotes, raccoons, jackrabbits, skunks, weasels, rattlesnakes and starling.
Idaho Fish and Game, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
These species may be taken in any amounts and at any time by holders of the appropriate valid Idaho hunting, trapping or combination hunting license, provided such taking is not in violation of state, county, or city laws, ordinances or regulations.
Idaho Fish and Game, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
To hunt any animal or bird by aid of a spotlight, flashlight or artificial light of any kind; except unprotected or predatory animals on private land after obtaining written permission, and on public lands after obtaining the required permit from a Fish and Game regional office.
Idaho Fish and Game, 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 Idaho Fish and Game’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Idaho

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
420 research grade records from Idaho, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in July. 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.

Idaho coyote questions

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Coyote season in other states

Small game season in IdahoPheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel season datesHunting license in IdahoWhat a license costs, plus the tagDeer season in IdahoArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer datesAttic wildlife in IdahoWhen you may evict animals from an atticBear hibernation in IdahoWhen 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.