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October in North Dakota: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in North Dakota: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

In North Dakota, coyotes mate from January to March, according to North Dakota Game and Fish; coyote hunting is open all year.

October in North Dakota: 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 to March, per North Dakota Game and Fish
  • 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 North Dakota

  • To limit the chances of a coyote coming into your backyard, Leier recommends not leaving pet food outdoors.
InForum, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

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 North Dakota: North Dakota Game and Fish.

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 North Dakota

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

U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services

Contact details
It's important to note that those livestock producers who are experiencing livestock loss or damage from coyotes should first contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services.
North Dakota Game and Fish, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in North Dakota

Hunting
All year2026 to 2027 rules
License
A furbearer license (age 16 or older) plus the Fishing, Hunting, Furbearer Certificate
Night hunting
With limits
Trapping
All year2026 to 2027 rules
Red fox, gray fox, coyote and badger may be taken with firearms, pre-charged pneumatic air guns, archery equipment (including crossbows) and pursued with dogs statewide and year-round.
North Dakota Game and Fish, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Red fox, gray fox and coyote may be taken with firearms and pre-charged pneumatic air guns at any hour during the night hunting season from Nov. 23 through May 31.
North Dakota Game and Fish, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Red fox, gray fox, coyote and badger may be taken with traps statewide and year-round. The season will officially close March 31 and reopen April 1 of each year.
North Dakota Game and Fish, 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 North Dakota Game and Fish’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in North Dakota

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
181 research grade records from North Dakota, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in July. 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.

North Dakota coyote questions

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Coyote season in other states

Small game season in North DakotaPheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel season datesHunting license in North DakotaWhat a license costs, plus the tagDeer season in North DakotaArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer datesAttic wildlife in North DakotaWhen you may evict animals from an atticBear hibernation in North DakotaWhen 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.