October in Pennsylvania: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Pennsylvania: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Pennsylvania?

Coyotes in Pennsylvania mate in February. The Pennsylvania Game Commission puts it this way: “They have one heat period that lasts four to five days, usually in February.” It is the loudest stretch of the coyote year: pairs court and mark their ground, and coyotes travel farther and show up more often by day.

Q: When are coyote pups born in Pennsylvania?

Coyote pups in Pennsylvania are born in April and May. The Pennsylvania Game Commission puts it this way: “The litters are born from mid-April to early May, and litter sizes average five to seven pups.”

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: Who do I call about a coyote in Pennsylvania?

Centralized Dispatch Center: 1-833-PGC-HUNT. The Pennsylvania Game Commission puts it this way: “As a reminder, view wildlife from a distance and, in the event wildlife is acting abnormally, do not approach it and instead contact the Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-HUNT for assistance.”

Q: When is coyote trapping season in Pennsylvania?

Coyote trapping in Pennsylvania runs October 24, 2026 to February 21, 2027 under the 2026 to 2027 rules from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

In Pennsylvania, coyotes mate in February and pups are born in April and May, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Pennsylvania: Dispersal

Months per the Pennsylvania Game Commission

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.

In Pennsylvania, the young of the year leave home in October, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Next comes mating season, from January.

Young coyotes begin to disperse from the family group during October, when they're 6 months old.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

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

Mating season: February, per the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Pup season: April and May, per the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Family season: July to September, from the national calendar
Dispersal: October, per the Pennsylvania Game Commission

Pets and yards

How to keep pets safe from coyotes in Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Game Commission.

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 Pennsylvania

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

Centralized Dispatch Center

Call 1-833-PGC-HUNT Contact details

As a reminder, view wildlife from a distance and, in the event wildlife is acting abnormally, do not approach it and instead contact the Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-HUNT for assistance.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Pennsylvania

Hunting: All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: A hunting license, or a furtaker license during a big game season once your big game tags are used; a furtaker license to trap
Night hunting: With limits
Trapping: Oct 24 to Feb 212026 to 2027 rules

There is no closed season for the hunting of coyotes. Coyotes may be hunted on Sundays throughout the year.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Coyotes can be hunted with a hunting license, but within a big-game season, a hunter must have valid harvest tags for big game that's in season. If you're out of big-game tags, you'll need a furtaker license to hunt coyotes.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Raccoons, foxes, coyotes*, bobcats, striped skunks, opossums and weasels may be hunted any hour, day or night, except during restricted periods noted in Exception 1 (see furtaking section for more detail).

Pennsylvania Game Commission, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

COYOTES, FOXES, OPOSSUMS, RACCOONS, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS Oct. 24-Feb. 21, 2027.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, 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 the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Pennsylvania

528 research grade records from Pennsylvania, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in September. 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.

Pennsylvania coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Pennsylvania?

When are coyote pups born in Pennsylvania?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Pennsylvania with no bag limit, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. You need a hunting license, or a furtaker license during a big game season once your big game tags are used; a furtaker license to trap. On hunting at night: “Raccoons, foxes, coyotes*, bobcats, striped skunks, opossums and weasels may be hunted any hour, day or night, except during restricted periods noted in Exception 1 (see furtaking section for more detail).”

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Pennsylvania?

When is coyote trapping season in Pennsylvania?

Coyote season in other states

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