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October in Massachusetts: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Massachusetts: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

In Massachusetts, coyotes mate in February and pups are born in April and May, according to MassWildlife; the coyote hunting season runs October 17 to March 8.

October in Massachusetts: 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. MarMating
  4. AprPups
  5. MayPups
  6. JunPups
  7. JulFamily
  8. AugFamily
  9. SepFamily
  10. OctDispersalNow
  11. NovDispersal
  12. DecDispersal
  • Mating season: February, per MassWildlife
  • Pup season: April and May, per MassWildlife
  • 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 Massachusetts

  • Feed pets indoors. Outdoor feeding can attract many wild animals.
  • Never intentionally provide food for coyotes to attract them to your property.
  • It's your presence next to your pet that prevents an attack. Do not supervise your pets from a distance. Pets should be on a leash under direct supervision at all times when outdoors.
  • Secure your garbage in tough plastic containers with tight fitting lids and keep them in secure buildings when possible.
MassWildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Let the coyote know that it is not welcome by making loud noises like blasting an air horn, spraying it with a hose, or tossing small objects near it and physically chasing it away. The goal is to scare the animal away, not hurt it.
MassWildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

You should haze a coyote whenever you see one that is comfortable on your property or in your neighborhood. Do not stop hazing until the animal has completely left the area.
MassWildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in Massachusetts: MassWildlife.

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 Massachusetts

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

MA Environmental Police (or your local Police Department)

Call 1-800-632-8075Contact details
If you are concerned about coyotes exhibiting very bold or aggressive behaviors, you can call your local Police Department or the MA Environmental Police at 1‐800‐632‐8075.
MassWildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Massachusetts

Hunting
Oct 17 to Mar 82026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit
No limit
License
A hunting or sporting license
Night hunting
With limits
Trapping
Nov 1 to Nov 302026 rules
Hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and end at midnight.
MassWildlife, 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 MassWildlife’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Massachusetts

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2,615 research grade records from Massachusetts, 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.

Massachusetts coyote questions

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Coyote season in other states

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