October in Kentucky: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Kentucky: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Kentucky?

Coyotes in Kentucky mate in February and March. The University of Kentucky Extension puts it this way: “Coyotes mate in late February or early March; 60 to 63 days later the female gives birth to three to seven pups in an underground or brushpile den.” 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 Kentucky?

Coyote pups in Kentucky are born in April and May. The University of Kentucky Extension puts it this way: “Coyotes mate in late February or early March; 60 to 63 days later the female gives birth to three to seven pups in an underground or brushpile den.”

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 Kentucky?

KDFWR Information Center: 1-800-858-1549; licensed Wildlife Control Operators. KDFWR puts it this way: “In some instances, it is necessary to remove wildlife in cases where they are a threat to human safety or continue to cause property damage despite all preventative measures taken.”

Q: When is coyote trapping season in Kentucky?

Coyote trapping in Kentucky has 2 seasons under the 2026 to 2027 rules from KDFWR: Land sets, November 16, 2026 to February 28, 2027; Water sets, November 16, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

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

Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. KDFWR advises: “Supervise pets while they are in the yard. Coyotes can climb over or dig beneath most fencing. Unattended pets should be kenneled.” It also says: “Cats are often easy targets for coyotes; therefore, do not let cats outside, especially without supervision.”

In Kentucky, coyotes mate in February and March and pups are born in April and May, according to the University of Kentucky Extension; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Kentucky: Dispersal

Months per KDFWR

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 Kentucky, the young of the year leave home from August to October, according to KDFWR.

Next comes mating season, from January.

Coyotes are protective of their pups, born in spring or early summer, which stay in the den with the mother for about 3 weeks and learn to hunt when they are 8 to 12 weeks old. Family groups typically break up and disperse in late summer and early fall.

KDFWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

JanMating
FebMating
MarMating
AprPups
MayPups
JunPups
JulFamily
AugDispersal
SepDispersal
OctDispersalNow
NovDispersal
DecDispersal

Mating season: February and March, per the University of Kentucky Extension
Pup season: April and May, per the University of Kentucky Extension
Family season: July, from the national calendar
Dispersal: August to October, per KDFWR

Pets and yards

How to keep pets safe from coyotes in Kentucky

Supervise pets while they are in the yard. Coyotes can climb over or dig beneath most fencing. Unattended pets should be kenneled.
Cats are often easy targets for coyotes; therefore, do not let cats outside, especially without supervision.
If you have a dog, be sure to walk your dog on a short, non-retractable leash that is highly visible to the coyote; they are less likely to attack a dog if they see it as part of you.
Secure garbage, take pet food inside and don't feed raccoons, opossums, deer, or feral cats.

KDFWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Do make loud noises: shout, whistle, clap hands, stomp feet.

KDFWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

Sometimes they follow people or dogs just to see what they are doing, or they may be guarding their pups that may be in an unnoticed den nearby. Alter walking routes in the future to avoid suspected den sites.

KDFWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in Kentucky: KDFWR.

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 Kentucky

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

KDFWR Information Center

Also: licensed Wildlife Control Operators

Call 1-800-858-1549 Contact details

In some instances, it is necessary to remove wildlife in cases where they are a threat to human safety or continue to cause property damage despite all preventative measures taken.

KDFWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Kentucky

Hunting: All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: A hunting license (a trapping license to trap); resident farmland owners and tenants, with their spouses and dependent children, hunting their own farmland need no license
Night hunting: With limits
Trapping: Land sets: Nov 16 to Feb 28; Water sets: Nov 16 to Mar 312026 to 2027 rules

Coyotes may be hunted year-round on public and private land, day or night, with no bag limit. However, some exceptions do apply.

KDFWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Resident owners of farmlands, their spouses and dependent children may hunt on their property without a license. Tenants, their spouses and dependent children may hunt without a license on farmlands where they live and work.

KDFWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Coyote Hunters may only use artificial light or other means designed to make wildlife visible at night from Dec. 1 to March 31 and May 16 to June 30.

KDFWR, 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 KDFWR’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Kentucky

371 research grade records from Kentucky, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in April. 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.

Kentucky coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Kentucky?

When are coyote pups born in Kentucky?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Kentucky?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Kentucky with no bag limit, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from KDFWR. You need a hunting license (a trapping license to trap); resident farmland owners and tenants, with their spouses and dependent children, hunting their own farmland need no license. On hunting at night: “Coyote Hunters may only use artificial light or other means designed to make wildlife visible at night from Dec. 1 to March 31 and May 16 to June 30.”

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Kentucky?

When is coyote trapping season in Kentucky?

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

Coyote season in other states

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