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October in Minnesota: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Minnesota: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

In Minnesota, coyotes mate in January and February and pups are born in April, according to Minnesota DNR; coyote hunting is open all year.

October in Minnesota: 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: January and February, per Minnesota DNR
  • Pup season: April, per Minnesota 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 Minnesota

What most state agencies advise

Secure garbage and compost, advised in 35 states

Contain garbage in a closed receptacle.
Iowa DNR. Read it at the source

Feed pets indoors, advised in 31 states

Do not feed pets outside.
NYS DEC in New York. Read it at the source

Walk dogs on a leash, advised in 28 states

Walk your dog on a leash when outdoors.
ODFW in Oregon. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Moving toward the coyote while waving your arms or clapping.
CT DEEP in Connecticut. 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 Minnesota: Minnesota 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 Minnesota

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

Local DNR Wildlife office or Conservation Officer

Contact details
For information on pest control contractors or trapping techniques for coyote removal, contact your local DNR Wildlife office or Conservation Officer.
Minnesota DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Minnesota

Hunting
All year2026 to 2027 rules
License
No license to hunt coyotes
Night hunting
With limits
Trapping
All year2026 to 2027 rules
Unprotected mammals include: coyotes, plains pocket gophers, porcupines, red/pine squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), striped skunks, and woodchucks. Mammals for which there are no closed seasons or other protection are also unprotected. These animals may be taken at any time.
Minnesota DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
No. Residents and nonresidents are not required to have a license to hunt unprotected species including coyote.
Minnesota DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
A person may use a light to hunt for coyote or fox from January 1 to March 15.
Minnesota DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Coyotes are unprotected in Minnesota, and may be taken at any time by shooting or trapping.
Minnesota 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 Minnesota DNR’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Minnesota

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1,698 research grade records from Minnesota, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in February. 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.

Minnesota coyote questions

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Coyote season in other states

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