October in Tennessee: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Tennessee: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Tennessee?

Coyotes in Tennessee mate from January to March. TWRA puts it this way: “Coyotes breed from January through March.” 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: 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 Tennessee?

Coyote trapping is open all year in Tennessee under the 2026 to 2027 rules from TWRA.

In Tennessee, coyotes mate from January to March, according to TWRA; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Tennessee: Dispersal

Months per TWRA

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 Tennessee, the young of the year leave home in October, according to TWRA.

Next comes mating season, from January.

Young coyotes begin dispersal in October, at which point a young coyote may travel up to 100 miles from its birthplace.

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

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

Mating season: January to March, per TWRA
Pup season: April to June, from the national calendar
Family season: July to September, from the national calendar
Dispersal: October, per TWRA

Pets and yards

How to keep pets safe from coyotes in Tennessee

Do not allow pets to run free. Provide secure housing, especially at night. Small pets (cats, rabbits, small dogs) are the favorite prey of coyotes.
Feed pets indoors whenever possible. Remove any leftovers if feeding outdoors. Store pet food in areas not accessible to other animals.
Do not feed coyotes!! When coyotes begin associating humans with the food, they lose their natural fears and may become dangerous.
A fenced yard may deter coyotes. The fence must be at least 6 feet high. Preferably, the bottom of the fence should extend 6 inches below ground level.

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

If a coyote comes close

Discourage coyotes from frequenting your area. Harass them by throwing rocks, shouting, and making loud noises when one is seen.

TWRA, 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 Tennessee: TWRA.

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 Tennessee

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

TWRA permitted Animal Damage Control (ADC) operators, a paid service

Also: TWRA Wildlife Officers give technical assistance

Contact details

Animal Damage Control (ADC) operators, permitted by TWRA, will assist landowners in trapping and/or removing nuisance wildlife at the landowner’s expense.

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

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Tennessee

Hunting: All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: A Hunting and Fishing Combination license (the minimum for small game), plus a trapping supplemental license to trap; Tennessee resident landowners and their immediate family need none on their own farmland
Night hunting: With limits
Trapping: All year2026 to 2027 rules

Coyotes may be hunted year-round in Tennessee. There is no bag limit.

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

If you take, or attempt to take fish or game (including crayfish and salamanders) by any method or if you assist someone else to do so, you must have a valid fishing or hunting license.

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

Private land only, requires landowner permission (written, text, or email).

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

Read the trapping rules at the source.

Read from each source on October 13, 2026. Methods, night rules and public land rules can change by unit, so read TWRA’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Tennessee

787 research grade records from Tennessee, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in February. 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.

Tennessee coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Tennessee?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Tennessee?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Tennessee with no bag limit, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from TWRA. You need a Hunting and Fishing Combination license (the minimum for small game), plus a trapping supplemental license to trap; Tennessee resident landowners and their immediate family need none on their own farmland. On hunting at night: “Private land only, requires landowner permission (written, text, or email).”

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Tennessee?

When is coyote trapping season in Tennessee?

How do I keep my dog and cat safe from coyotes in Tennessee?

Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. TWRA advises: “Do not allow pets to run free. Provide secure housing, especially at night. Small pets (cats, rabbits, small dogs) are the favorite prey of coyotes.” It also says: “Feed pets indoors whenever possible. Remove any leftovers if feeding outdoors. Store pet food in areas not accessible to other animals.”

Coyote season in other states

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