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October in Michigan: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Michigan: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

In Michigan, coyotes mate from January to March and pups are born from March to May, according to Michigan DNR; the coyote hunting season runs October 15 to March 1.

October in Michigan: 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: January to March, per Michigan DNR
  • Pup season: March to May, per Michigan DNR
  • 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 Michigan

  • Keep small pets indoors or accompany them outside and keep them on a leash.
  • For your safety, NEVER intentionally feed or try to tame coyotes. It is critical that they retain their natural fear of people.
Michigan DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

If you see a coyote in your area, try to scare it off by yelling, clapping or making other loud noises. Most coyotes are naturally afraid of people and will leave if you frighten them.
Michigan DNR, 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 Michigan: Michigan DNR.

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 Michigan

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

DNR customer service centers (local DNR office)

Call 800-292-7800Contact details
DNR customer service centers or 800-292-7800 after business hours.
Michigan DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Michigan

Hunting
Oct 15 to Mar 12026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit
No limit
License
A base license (a fur harvester license to trap, or to hunt Nov. 10 to 14)
Night hunting
With limits
Trapping
Oct 15 to Mar 12026 to 2027 rules
Yes. Michigan residents can HUNT coyotes with a base license. However, if you are hunting coyotes Nov. 10–14, you must have a fur harvester license. Residents trapping coyotes must have a fur harvester license.
Michigan DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Yes. Coyotes, foxes (gray and red), opossums, raccoons, skunks and weasels can be hunted at night when following the regulations outlined in the Bows, crossbows and firearms during nighttime hours section. Nighttime hunting seasons are the same as regular daylight hunting seasons.
Michigan DNR, 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 Michigan DNR’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Michigan

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
634 research grade records from Michigan, 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.

Michigan coyote questions

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Coyote season in other states

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