October in Virginia: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Virginia: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Virginia?

Coyotes in Virginia mate in January and February. Virginia DWR puts it this way: “This species breeds in January and February, with a litter of 5-7 pups being born during April and May.” 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 Virginia?

Coyote pups in Virginia are born in April and May. Virginia DWR puts it this way: “This species breeds in January and February, with a litter of 5-7 pups being born during April and May.”

Q: Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Virginia?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Virginia with no bag limit, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from Virginia DWR. You need a Virginia hunting license, or a trapping license to trap (landowners on their own land are exempt). On hunting at night: “Nuisance species may be taken day or night.”

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 Virginia?

Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline: 1-855-571-9003.

Q: When is coyote trapping season in Virginia?

Coyote trapping is open all year in Virginia under the 2026 to 2027 rules from Virginia DWR.

In Virginia, coyotes mate in January and February and pups are born in April and May, according to Virginia DWR; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Virginia: 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: January and February, per Virginia DWR
Pup season: April and May, per Virginia DWR
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 Virginia

Supervise small pets when outside and walk dogs on a leash. Cats should be kept indoors and not allowed to roam free.

Virginia DWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Keep small pets inside and on a leash when outside; they may be viewed by a coyote as prey. Larger dogs are viewed as a threat particularly from January to June while mating and birthing pups.
Do not leave pet food outside; keep pet feeding areas clean.
Install coyote proof fencing to protect unsupervised pets.

Virginia DWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Yell at the coyote while waving your arms above your head.

Virginia DWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DETER COYOTES FROM AROUND YOUR RESIDENCE, consider contacting a wildlife control company or a licensed trapper.

Virginia DWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in Virginia: Virginia DWR.

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 Virginia

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

Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline

Call 1-855-571-9003 Contact details

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Virginia

Hunting: All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: A Virginia hunting license, or a trapping license to trap (landowners on their own land are exempt)
Night hunting: Allowed
Trapping: All year2026 to 2027 rules

To hunt in Virginia, a resident or nonresident hunting license is required, unless you are license exempt.

Virginia DWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Nuisance species may be taken day or night.

Virginia DWR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Read the hunting season 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 Virginia DWR’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Virginia

717 research grade records from Virginia, 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.

Virginia coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Virginia?

When are coyote pups born in Virginia?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Virginia?

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Virginia?

When is coyote trapping season in Virginia?

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

Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. Virginia DWR advises: “Supervise small pets when outside and walk dogs on a leash. Cats should be kept indoors and not allowed to roam free.” It also says: “Keep small pets inside and on a leash when outside; they may be viewed by a coyote as prey. Larger dogs are viewed as a threat particularly from January to June while mating and birthing pups.”

Coyote season in other states

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