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October in Missouri: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Missouri: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

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

October in Missouri: 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 and March, per MDC
  • Pup season: April and May, per MDC
  • 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 Missouri

  • Do not allow cats and small dogs out at night unless you accompany them.
  • Feed pets inside, secure garbage, and keep your yard free of refuse and brush piles to reduce rodent and rabbit populations.
  • The best solution is to keep small pets inside or accompany them when outside.
MDC, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
  • Likewise, fencing of suburban yards must be adequate to protect housecats, small dogs, and large dogs that may be old and infirm.
MDC, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Make coyotes feel unwelcome in your yard by harassing or chasing them away with loud noises (shouting, beating on pots/pans, air horn), throwing rocks and sticks, or using a water hose.
MDC, 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 Missouri: MDC.

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 Missouri

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

Your local MDC contact (county conservation agent or MDC wildlife conflict staff)

Contact details
However, coyotes exhibiting threatening behavior should be reported to the local authorities or the Missouri Department of Conservation.
MDC, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Missouri

Hunting
All year2026 rules
Bag limit
No limit
License
A Small Game Hunting Permit (a Resident Trapping Permit to trap)
Night hunting
With limits
Trapping
2 seasons2026 to 2027 rules
  • Statewide: Nov 15 to Feb 28
  • Extended season, private land only (foot hold, foot enclosing and cage type traps): Mar 1 to Apr 14
Coyotes, except as otherwise provided in this section, may be taken by hunting, and pelts and carcasses may be possessed, transported, and sold in any numbers throughout the year.
MDC, 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 MDC’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Missouri

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
576 research grade records from Missouri, 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.

Missouri coyote questions

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Coyote season in other states

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