October in Vermont: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Vermont: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Vermont?

Coyotes in Vermont mate in February. Vermont Fish & Wildlife puts it this way: “The howl of coyotes can usually be heard on winter nights, especially during mating season 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 Vermont?

Coyote pups in Vermont are born in April and May. Vermont Fish & Wildlife puts it this way: “Pups are born in late April or early May with solid colored coats and spindly tails, but this changes rapidly as they grow.”

Q: Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Vermont?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Vermont, under the 2026 rules from Vermont Fish & Wildlife. You need a Vermont hunting license (resident landowners hunting their own land are exempt).

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 Vermont?

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

Q: When is coyote trapping season in Vermont?

Coyote trapping in Vermont runs October 24, 2026 to December 31, 2026 under the 2026 rules from Vermont Fish & Wildlife.

In Vermont, coyotes mate in February and pups are born in April and May, according to Vermont Fish & Wildlife; coyote hunting is open all year.

October in Vermont: 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.

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

Mating season: February, per Vermont Fish & Wildlife
Pup season: April and May, per Vermont Fish & Wildlife
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 Vermont

The Fish and Wildlife Department recommends avoiding recreating near known den sites through September, making sure to keep dogs leashed, and using deterrence techniques like making loud noises, waving your arms, or throwing sticks or stones if approached by a coyote.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife, 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

To help keep Vermont’s coyotes wild, we recommend similar steps to those advised for bears: minimize attractants like unsecured garbage or livestock, use deterrents like loud noises to haze individuals away from your property, and report coyotes that show consistent bold behavior or little fear of people to Fish and Wildlife.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

The Fish and Wildlife Department recommends avoiding recreating near known den sites through September, making sure to keep dogs leashed, and using deterrence techniques like making loud noises, waving your arms, or throwing sticks or stones if approached by a coyote.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in Vermont: Vermont Fish & Wildlife.

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 Vermont

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

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

Contact details

To help keep Vermont’s coyotes wild, we recommend similar steps to those advised for bears: minimize attractants like unsecured garbage or livestock, use deterrents like loud noises to haze individuals away from your property, and report coyotes that show consistent bold behavior or little fear of people to Fish and Wildlife.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Vermont

Hunting: All year2026 rules
License: A Vermont hunting license (resident landowners hunting their own land are exempt)
Trapping: Oct 24 to Dec 312026 rules

In Vermont, coyotes can be hunted at any time during the year.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Any person engaged in fishing, hunting, trapping or taking any wild animals must be properly licensed, except as listed below under exceptions.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife, 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 Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Vermont

929 research grade records from Vermont, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in March. 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.

Vermont coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Vermont?

When are coyote pups born in Vermont?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Vermont?

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Vermont?

When is coyote trapping season in Vermont?

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

Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. Vermont Fish & Wildlife advises: “The Fish and Wildlife Department recommends avoiding recreating near known den sites through September, making sure to keep dogs leashed, and using deterrence techniques like making loud noises, waving your arms, or throwing sticks or stones if approached by a coyote.”

Coyote season in other states

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