October in Wyoming: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Wyoming: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Wyoming?

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 Wyoming in those months.

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 Wyoming?

Animal Control (Cheyenne). Wyoming Game and Fish puts it this way: “If there is a problem with a predatory species (coyote, skunk, raccoon, etc.) in Cheyenne, contact Animal Control (635-1453).”

Q: When is coyote trapping season in Wyoming?

Coyote trapping is open all year in Wyoming under the 2026 rules from Wyoming Game and Fish. “Furbearer trapping season generally occurs from October to March, but badgers and wildlife classified as predators can be trapped all year.”

Coyotes in Wyoming mate in late winter and raise pups in spring; coyote hunting is open all year with no bag limit.

October in Wyoming: 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 Wyoming

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

Moving toward the coyote while waving your arms or clapping.

CT DEEP in Connecticut. 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

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 Wyoming

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

Animal Control (Cheyenne)

Contact details

If there is a problem with a predatory species (coyote, skunk, raccoon, etc.) in Cheyenne, contact Animal Control (635-1453).

Wyoming Game and Fish, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Wyoming

Hunting: All year2026 rules
Bag limit: No limit
License: No license or stamp (a hunter using a firearm needs proof of hunter safety certification unless exempt)
Night hunting: With limits
Trapping: All year2026 rules

Coyotes are defined as predatory animals in Wyoming. There are no license requirements or stamps required to hunt coyotes in Wyoming.

Wyoming Game and Fish, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Hunting of predatory animals at night with artificial light or lighting devices, thermal or infrared imaging or other light imaging on public land shall be closed from September 1 through December 31.

Wyoming Game and Fish, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Furbearer trapping season generally occurs from October to March, but badgers and wildlife classified as predators can be trapped all year.

Wyoming Game and Fish, 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 Wyoming Game and Fish’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Wyoming

1,574 research grade records from Wyoming, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in June. 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.

Wyoming coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Wyoming?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Wyoming?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Wyoming with no bag limit, under the 2026 rules from Wyoming Game and Fish. License: no license or stamp (a hunter using a firearm needs proof of hunter safety certification unless exempt). On hunting at night: “Hunting of predatory animals at night with artificial light or lighting devices, thermal or infrared imaging or other light imaging on public land shall be closed from September 1 through December 31.”

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Wyoming?

When is coyote trapping season in Wyoming?

Coyote season in other states

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