Coyote Season in South Dakota: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety
Coyotes in South Dakota mate in late winter and raise pups in spring; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.
October in South Dakota: Dispersal
The usual coyote yearThe 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
How to keep pets safe from coyotes in South Dakota
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
- Never feed wildlife, no matter how small or accustomed they are.
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 South Dakota: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks.
Who to call about a coyote in South Dakota
For a coyote that is bold around people, pets or homes in South Dakota:
GFP Wildlife Damage Specialists (Wildlife Damage Management Program)
Also: inside city limits, the local animal control office
If it is an animal like a coyote, badger, skunk, fox or mink and they live outside of city limits, they can call one of our GFP Wildlife Damage/Animal damage staff for assistance. If they are inside city limits, they must call their local animal control office.South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source
Coyote hunting and trapping in South Dakota
- Hunting
- All year2026 rules
- Bag limit
- No limit
- License
- A Predator/Varmint License, or any resident South Dakota hunting or furbearer license; resident landowners need none on land they own or lease
- Night hunting
- With limits
- Trapping
- All year2026 rules
The Predator/Varmint License is needed to hunt coyote, red fox, grey fox, skunk, raccoon, badger, prairie dog, gopher, crow, opossum, jackrabbit, ground squirrel, porcupine, and marmot.South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, 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 South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.
When people report coyotes in South Dakota
Reading the last thirty days of reports from iNaturalist.
South Dakota coyote questions
Coyote season in other states
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.