October in Wisconsin: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Wisconsin: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Wisconsin?

Coyotes in Wisconsin mate in February and March. Wisconsin DNR puts it this way: “Coyotes usually mate in February or March, and pups are generally born in April.” 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 Wisconsin?

Coyote pups in Wisconsin are born in April. Wisconsin DNR puts it this way: “Coyotes usually mate in February or March, and pups are generally born in April.”

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 Wisconsin?

Coyote trapping in Wisconsin runs October 17, 2026 to February 15, 2027 under the 2026 to 2027 rules from Wisconsin DNR.

Q: How do I keep my dog and cat safe from coyotes in Wisconsin?

Coyotes can take cats and small dogs, and can treat a larger dog as a threat while mating and raising pups. Wisconsin DNR advises: “Remove potential food sources such as open garbage cans, bird feeders and pet food bowls. Never intentionally feed coyotes.”

In Wisconsin, coyotes mate in February and March and pups are born in April, according to Wisconsin DNR; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Wisconsin: 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 and March, per Wisconsin DNR
Pup season: April, per Wisconsin DNR
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 Wisconsin

Do not provide food and water for other wildlife. It may attract coyotes and their prey.
Remove potential food sources such as open garbage cans, bird feeders and pet food bowls. Never intentionally feed coyotes.
Install a 6-7-foot-high fence buried approximately 1 foot deep to help keep coyotes out of an area.

Wisconsin DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Use scare tactics if you see a coyote. Yell and make loud noises, shake or throw pop cans filled with coins, throw a ball, shoe, sticks or other objects or spray the coyote with water.

Wisconsin DNR, 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 Wisconsin: Wisconsin DNR.

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 Wisconsin

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

Wisconsin DNR wildlife damage and nuisance staff (by email, from the Nuisance, Urban and Damaging Wildlife page)

Contact details

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Wisconsin

Hunting: All year2026 to 2027 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: A resident small game license (a trapping license to trap); no DNR license to hunt or trap coyotes on your own property
Night hunting: With limits
Trapping: Oct 17 to Feb 152026 to 2027 rules

What You Need To Hunt Furbearers: - Resident small game license or non-resident furbearer license.

Wisconsin DNR, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Unprotected species (as well as coyote, fox and raccoon) may be hunted without shooting hour restrictions except if hunting with a bow or crossbow during certain times of the year.

Wisconsin DNR, 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 Wisconsin DNR’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Wisconsin

1,517 research grade records from Wisconsin, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in November. 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.

Wisconsin coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Wisconsin?

When are coyote pups born in Wisconsin?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Wisconsin?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Wisconsin with no bag limit, under the 2026 to 2027 rules from Wisconsin DNR. You need a resident small game license (a trapping license to trap); no DNR license to hunt or trap coyotes on your own property. On hunting at night: “Unprotected species (as well as coyote, fox and raccoon) may be hunted without shooting hour restrictions except if hunting with a bow or crossbow during certain times of the year.”

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Wisconsin?

When is coyote trapping season in Wisconsin?

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

Coyote season in other states

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