October in Mississippi: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Mississippi: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Mississippi?

Coyotes mate in late winter. Across the 37 states whose wildlife agency or extension service dates it, February is named by every one of them, and 35 put mating entirely between January and March. Expect more howling and bolder coyotes in Mississippi in those months.

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: When is coyote trapping season in Mississippi?

Coyote trapping is open all year in Mississippi under the 2026 to 2027 rules from MDWFP. “It is unlawful to trap any animal, except beaver, coyote, fox, nutria, skunk, and wild hogs, in any period other than the trapping season on furbearing animals.”

Coyotes in Mississippi mate in late winter and raise pups in spring; coyote hunting is open all year.

October in Mississippi: 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.

JanMating
FebMating
MarMating
AprPups
MayPups
JunPups
JulFamily
AugFamily
SepFamily
OctDispersalNow
NovDispersal
DecDispersal

Mating season: January to March, from the national calendar
Pup season: April to June, from the national calendar
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 Mississippi

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

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 Mississippi

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

MDWFP Wildlife Bureau (or USDA Wildlife Services, Mississippi)

Call (601) 432-2199 Contact details

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Mississippi

Hunting: All year2026 to 2027 rules
License: An All Game, Sportsman or Lifetime hunting license (a trapping license to trap)
Night hunting: With limits
Trapping: All year2026 to 2027 rules

Beaver, coyote, fox, nutria, skunks, and wild hogs are classified as "nuisance animals" and may be taken year-round on private lands, and on open public lands that have statewide seasons without special regulations as allowed according to Title 40 Part 2, Chapter 7, Rule 7.1 (Nuisance Animals Regulations Rule).

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

Persons hunting nuisance animals must possess a valid Lifetime, All Game, or Sportsman’s License, unless otherwise exempt.

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

Landowners and any leaseholders may hunt nuisance animals year-round at any time of day or night with no weapon/caliber restrictions on property titled in their name or otherwise owned, or leased by them.

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

It is unlawful to trap any animal, except beaver, coyote, fox, nutria, skunk, and wild hogs, in any period other than the trapping season on furbearing animals.

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

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Mississippi

181 research grade records from Mississippi, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in November. 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.

Mississippi coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Mississippi?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Mississippi?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Mississippi, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from MDWFP. You need an All Game, Sportsman or Lifetime hunting license (a trapping license to trap). On hunting at night: “Landowners and any leaseholders may hunt nuisance animals year-round at any time of day or night with no weapon/caliber restrictions on property titled in their name or otherwise owned, or leased by them.”

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Mississippi?

When is coyote trapping season in Mississippi?

Coyote season in other states

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