October in Washington: young coyotes are on the move
Coyote Season in Washington: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety
Coyotes in Washington mate in late winter and raise pups in spring; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.
October in Washington: 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 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
Pets and yards
How to keep pets safe from coyotes in Washington
Keep dogs and cats indoors, especially from dusk to dawn. If left outside at night in an unprotected area, cats and small to mid-size dogs may be killed by coyotes.
Feed dogs and cats indoors. If you must feed your pets outside, do so in the morning or at midday, and pick up food, water bowls, leftovers, and spilled food well before dark every day.
Never feed coyotes. Coyotes that are fed by people often lose their fear of humans and develop a territorial attitude that may lead to aggressive behavior.
If there are coyotes in your area, you can minimize the risk of conflict by keeping cats inside, keeping dogs leashed, feeding pets indoors, avoiding early morning and late evening walks with your pet, and keeping an eye on children and pets.
Make loud noises, wave sticks, squirt it with a hose, or otherwise “haze” the coyote if it approaches . This “humane hazing” can help re-establish the coyote’s natural fear of people.
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
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Whom to call
Who to call about a coyote in Washington
For a coyote that is bold around people, pets or homes in Washington:
If residents witness a coyote attack on supervised or enclosed pets, wildlife violation, or an injured or dangerous animal, we encourage reporting it to WDFW Dispatch by calling 360–902–2936, emailing WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov , or by reporting online at: wdfw.wa.gov/about/enforcement/report . In the event of an immediate public safety issue or attack on a person, call 911.
If residents witness a coyote attack on supervised or enclosed pets, wildlife violation, or an injured or dangerous animal, we encourage reporting it to WDFW Dispatch by calling 360–902–2936, emailing WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov , or by reporting online at: wdfw.wa.gov/about/enforcement/report .
A Washington small game or big game hunting license (none needed for an owner or tenant removing a coyote damaging crops or domestic animals on that property)
Night hunting
With limits
Coyote None Year round. Coyote may not be hunted with dogs. A small game or big game hunting license is required.
Coyote may be hunted at night with lights year round, EXCEPT it is unlawful to hunt coyote at night during modern firearm deer or elk general seasons that occur in October and November in eastern and western Washington.
Read from each source on October 13, 2026. Methods, night rules and public land rules can change by unit, so read WDFW’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.
Sightings
When people report coyotes in Washington
2,154 research grade records from Washington, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in May. 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.
Washington coyote questions
Coyotes mate in late winter. Across the 37 states whose wildlife agency or extension service dates it, February is named by every one of them, and 35 put mating entirely between January and March. Expect more howling and bolder coyotes in Washington in those months.
Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Washington with no bag limit, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from WDFW. You need a Washington small game or big game hunting license (none needed for an owner or tenant removing a coyote damaging crops or domestic animals on that property). On hunting at night: “Coyote may be hunted at night with lights year round, EXCEPT it is unlawful to hunt coyote at night during modern firearm deer or elk general seasons that occur in October and November in eastern and western Washington.”
WDFW puts it this way: “Never run away from a coyote! Stand tall, make eye contact with the coyote, and shout at it. You also can throw something at it.”
WDFW Dispatch: 360-902-2936.
Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. WDFW advises: “Keep dogs and cats indoors, especially from dusk to dawn. If left outside at night in an unprotected area, cats and small to mid-size dogs may be killed by coyotes.” It also says: “Feed dogs and cats indoors. If you must feed your pets outside, do so in the morning or at midday, and pick up food, water bowls, leftovers, and spilled food well before dark every day.”
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.
