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October in Maine: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Maine: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

In Maine, coyotes mate in February and pups are born in April and May, according to MDIFW; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Maine: Dispersal

Months per MDIFW

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 Maine, the young of the year leave home from October to January, according to MDIFW.

Next comes mating season, from February.

Juvenile coyotes usually disperse alone or sometimes in groups at six to eight months of age. A few juveniles may stay nearby, while others seek new territory up to fifty miles away or further.
MDIFW, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
  1. JanDispersal
  2. FebMating
  3. MarMating
  4. AprPups
  5. MayPups
  6. JunPups
  7. JulFamily
  8. AugFamily
  9. SepFamily
  10. OctDispersalNow
  11. NovDispersal
  12. DecDispersal
  • Mating season: February, per MDIFW
  • Pup season: April and May, per MDIFW
  • Family season: July to September, from the national calendar
  • Dispersal: October to January, per MDIFW
Pets and yards

How to keep pets safe from coyotes in Maine

  • Don't feed pets outside unless you must; and if that's the case, clean up after.
MDIFW, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
  • Keep your livestock safe by using predator-proof pens, electric fencing, and/or guard animals.
  • Ensure prevention by removing attractants such as pet food and garbage. Small pets can be viewed as prey by predators, keep your pets leashed and under control.
  • Also, coyotes can be very protective of their den when they are raising their pups (typically April-August). Keep dogs leashed and under control to prevent conflicts with coyotes.
MDIFW, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Be loud and large.
MDIFW, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

If the coyote has not experienced hazing before, they may not run away immediately, it does not mean it is sick or rabid. You may need to increase the intensity of noise by waving your arms and yelling or using other loud noises.
MDIFW, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in Maine: MDIFW.

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 Maine

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

USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), or a local Animal Damage Control (ADC) agent

Call 207-629-5181Contact details
You can hire a local Animal Damage Control Cooperator (ADC agent) or contact United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for support.
MDIFW, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
To request information or support from USDA, please call 207-629-5181.
MDIFW, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Maine

Hunting
All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit
No limit
License
A hunting license (a trapping license to trap); Maine resident landowners and their immediate family hunting land they own and live on (over 10 contiguous acres) need none
Night hunting
With limits
Trapping
2 seasons2026 to 2027 rules
  • Early season (raccoon, fox and coyote), statewide: Oct 18 to Oct 31
  • General trapping season, statewide: Nov 1 to Dec 31
Coyote hunting is permitted year-round during daylight hunting hours.
MDIFW, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Landowner Privilege: Maine resident landowners and their immediate family members may hunt without a license using firearms, archery or muzzleloader on land they own and reside upon, provided the land exceeds 10 or more contiguous acres in size.
MDIFW, 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 MDIFW’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Maine

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
287 research grade records from Maine, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in October. 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.

Maine coyote questions

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Coyote season in other states

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