State guide
Coyote season by state
When is coyote season? In 42 of the 49 states with coyotes, it is open all year. Every state and province is below, each season checked against its statute or rule for 2026-27, and each one links to the full answer and its source on that state's page.
Is there a coyote season?
In most of the United States, no. Coyotes are open to hunt all year in 42 of the 49 states with coyotes, and 3 more close only for set periods. Only 3 run a dated season. In Canada it is the other way around: most provinces set dates or zones.
When is coyote season?
All year, in most states. Where there is a season it runs through fall and winter, when fur is prime, and closes in late winter or spring, when coyotes den and raise pups. New York's coyote season runs October 1 to March 28 (NYSDEC season summary), and New Jersey's daytime season September 8 to March 15 (NJ 2026–27 digest).
Does coyote season ever close?
In 42 states, never. In 3, it closes for set periods, most often a firearm deer season, as in Illinois (IDNR 2026–27 digest), or spring, as in Missouri, which closes daylight hunting from April 1 to the spring turkey opener (3 CSR 10-7.450). On public land it can close sooner: 13 states run a shorter season on wildlife management areas, state parks, refuges or national forest than on private ground.
The breeding season is not the hunting season. Coyotes breed in January and February and pups are born in April and May, everywhere from Texas to Ontario, and that is what coyote mating seasoncovers. The law takes almost no notice of it: most states stay open straight through denning, and the dated seasons close for fur and tradition as much as for pups.
Map key
- Open all year (42)
- Open all year, with closures (3)
- Dated season (3)
- Varies by zone, unit or license (1)
- No coyotes (1)
- Public land runs a shorter season (13)
The map shows the daytime season, for coyotes. Night hunting has its own dates in many states; the night vision and thermal guides cover it. Tap a state for its full answer and footnoted source. The ring marks a state where public land runs a shorter season than private. Last checked October 7, 2026.
Every state, one line each
Read the line, not just the color. A state can be open all year and still close a wildlife area in spring, or open only to the landowner in summer. The state's own page has the reasoning and the citation behind each line.
| What applies | Public land | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit — daylight hours only | — | ADCNR 2026–27 seasons |
| Alaska coyote season | By unit | No closed season in most units; Sept–Apr in the southeast | — | ADF&G 2026–27 regulations |
| Arizona coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | — | Commission Order 13 |
| Arkansas coyote season | Year-round | Sunrise 1 Jan – sunset 31 Dec statewide; WMAs run 1 Jul – 28 Feb | Shorter | AGFC furbearer seasons |
| California coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | — | 14 CCR 472 |
| Colorado coyote season | Year-round | 2-a-day bag limit, in force since 1 September 2026 | — | CPW Chapter W-3, #325 |
| Connecticut coyote season | Year-round | 1 January – 31 December, no bag limit, daylight only | — | CT DEEP 2026 guide |
| Delaware coyote season | Year-round | Open all year since the January 2026 rule change, Sundays included | — | DNREC 2026–27 guide |
| Florida coyote season | Year-round | Furbearer — no closed season, no bag or possession limit | — | FWC 2026–27 regulations |
| Georgia coyote season | Year-round | Unprotected species — no closed season, no limit | Shorter | GA DNR 2026–27 regulations |
| Hawaii coyote season | None | There are no coyotes in Hawaii to hunt | — | HAR 13-123 |
| Idaho coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | — | IDFG 2026–27 rules |
| Illinois coyote season | Year-round | Closed only during the firearm deer seasons — 20–22 Nov, 3–6 Dec | — | IDNR 2026–27 digest |
| Indiana coyote season | Year-round on private land | With written landowner permission; public land is 15 Oct – 15 Mar only | Shorter | Indiana DNR report to the NRC |
| Iowa coyote season | Year-round | Continuous open season, no bag limit, no shooting-hour restrictions | — | Iowa DNR 2026–27 regulations |
| Kansas coyote season | Year-round | 1 January – 31 December each year, no limit | — | KDWP when to hunt |
| Kentucky coyote season | Year-round | Day or night, statewide, no bag limit | — | 301 KAR 2:251 |
| Louisiana coyote season | Year-round | Daylight statewide; night on private land, no bag limit | Shorter | LDWF 2026–27 regulations |
| Maine coyote season | Year-round by day | Night season 16 Dec – 31 Aug, no bag limit | — | MDIFW 2026–27 law book |
| Maryland coyote season | Year-round | All counties, day and night, no bag limit | — | MD DNR 2026–27 guide |
| Massachusetts coyote season | Dated season | First Saturday after Columbus Day to 8 March — no Sundays, ever | — | 321 CMR 3.02 |
| Michigan coyote season | Effectively year-round | But via three separate regimes with different rules | Shorter | MI DNR 2026 furbearer summary |
| Minnesota coyote season | Year-round | Continuous, no bag limit; WMAs closed Mar 1 – Aug 31 | Shorter | MN DNR 2026 regulations |
| Mississippi coyote season | Year-round | Private land, day or night, no bag limit | Shorter | 40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2, R. 7.1 |
| Missouri coyote season | Year-round | But closed in daylight from 1 April to the spring turkey opener | — | 3 CSR 10-7.450 |
| Montana coyote season | Year-round | No season, no bag limit | — | FWP 2026 furbearer regulations |
| Nebraska coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | — | NGPC furbearers |
| Nevada coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | — | NAC 503.090 |
| New Hampshire coyote season | Year-round by day | Night season is 1 Jan – 31 Mar only, the tightest in New England | — | Fis 303.06 |
| New Jersey coyote season | Sept 8 – Mar 15 | Daytime season with bow, shotgun, rifle or air gun; an Aug 1 opener is proposed | — | NJ 2026–27 digest |
| New Mexico coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | Shorter | NMDOW 2026–27 rules |
| New York coyote season | 1 Oct – 28 Mar | Statewide, but closed on Long Island and in New York City | — | NYSDEC season summary |
| North Carolina coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | Shorter | NCWRC 2026–27 digest |
| North Dakota coyote season | Year-round | Day hunting statewide all year; no limit on furbearers | — | NDGF 2026 proclamation |
| Ohio coyote season | Year-round | But during deer gun seasons only with a valid deer permit | — | ODNR 2026–27 regulations |
| Oklahoma coyote season | Year-round | No daily, season or possession limit | — | ODWC furbearer regulations |
| Oregon coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | Shorter | ODFW furbearer regulations 2026–28 |
| Pennsylvania coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no limit — and Sundays are open | — | PGC 2026–27 digest |
| Rhode Island coyote season | Year-round on private land | State land is 15 September – last day of February, plus spring turkey | Shorter | 250-RICR-60-00-9 |
| South Carolina coyote season | Year-round | Private land, daylight, no bag limit | Shorter | S.C. Code § 50-11-1080 |
| South Dakota coyote season | Year-round | Statewide, no limit; Custer State Park runs Nov 1 – Apr 30 | — | GFP 2026 handbook |
| Tennessee coyote season | Year-round | Daylight hunting statewide, no bag limit | — | TWRA small game seasons |
| Texas coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | — | TPWD Outdoor Annual |
| Utah coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | — | Utah Code 23A-1-101 |
| Vermont coyote season | Year-round | No closed season on foot — with dogs it is 15 Dec – 31 Mar on a lottery permit | — | 10 App. V.S.A. § 44 |
| Virginia coyote season | Year-round | Except National Forest and Department land, 1 Sept – 10 March | Shorter | DWR furbearer hunting |
| Washington coyote season | Year-round | No closed season, no bag limit | — | WDFW regulations |
| West Virginia coyote season | Year-round | No closed season by day and no bag limit | — | WVDNR 2026–27 summary |
| Wisconsin coyote season | Year-round | Statewide, all year, no limit | — | Wis. Admin. Code NR 10.01 |
| Wyoming coyote season | Year-round | No season, no bag limit — and none can be set | — | Wyo. Stat. § 23-3-103 |
What the map says
Most of the country never closes. 42 states have no closed season for coyotes at all, and most of them set no bag limit either. Coyotes are a furbearer, a predator or an unprotected species in those codes, and the law treats them as something to manage down, not a game animal to ration.
3 states close for set periods. Illinois coyote season, Missouri coyote season and Ohio coyote season are open most of the year but shut for a window, usually a firearm deer season or spring. Those are the dates that catch hunters out, because the rest of the year says open.
3 states run a dated season: Massachusetts coyote season, New Jersey coyote season and New York coyote season. All of them open in fall and close in late winter or early spring, around denning. Alaska sets it by unit, so there is no one statewide answer.
Public land is where a year-round state is not. 13 states run a shorter season on some class of public land, usually wildlife management areas, sometimes state parks, refuges, trust land or national forest: Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Virginia. If you hunt public ground, check the property's own rules as well as the state's.
Canada
Canada is the opposite picture. Only 2 of the 13 provinces and territories leave coyotes open all year, and 9 set dates, zones or a license that decides the season. Northwest Territories and Nunavut have no season a licensed hunter can use.
Map key
- Open all year (2)
- Dated season (4)
- Varies by zone, unit or license (5)
- No season for licensed hunters (1)
- No coyotes (1)
- Public land runs a shorter season (2)
| Province or territory | Season | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta coyote season | Year-round | On private land and White Area public land; Green Area is seasonal | Alberta 2026 hunting regulations |
| British Columbia coyote season | By region | Roughly Sept–Mar, longer in the south; no open season listed for Region 1 | BC synopsis 2026–28 |
| Manitoba coyote season | Aug 31 – Feb | All GHAs except Area 38 — but only on a big game licence | M.R. 165/91, Schedule H |
| New Brunswick coyote season | By licence | Varmint licence Mar 2 – Sept 19; small game or deer licence Oct 1 – Feb 27 | NB 2026–27 summary |
| Newfoundland and Labrador coyote season | Sept 12 – Jul 15 | Province-wide, ten months, and no bag limit | NL 2026–27 guide |
| Northwest Territories coyote season | None | No coyote season exists for resident, non-resident or non-resident alien hunters | NWT ECC hunting |
| Nova Scotia coyote season | All year | 1 January – 31 December to hunt, no bag limit — trapping is Oct 15 – Mar 31 | N.S. Reg. 205/1987 |
| Nunavut coyote season | None | No coyote population, and no coyote in the harvesting limits order | Nunavut wildlife regulations overview |
| Ontario coyote season | Split | All year in southern WMUs; Sept 15 – Mar 31 in the north | Ontario 2026–27 summary |
| Prince Edward Island coyote season | Oct 1 – Mar 31 | Closed 1 April to 30 September; no bag limit inside the season | PEI Seasons Regulations |
| Quebec coyote season | By zone | Mid-October to 31 March, by zone — no year-round hunting anywhere | Québec small game seasons |
| Saskatchewan coyote season | Year-round | For residents in WMZs 1–50 and 52–55; trapping seasons differ | Saskatchewan Trappers Guide |
| Yukon coyote season | Aug 1 – Mar 31 | Eight months, no bag limit — but some subzones are closed outright | Yukon 2026–27 summary |
Mexico
Mexico's coyote season varies: 25 of 32 states have a coyote season, but the UMA's own authorization is what governs. A visiting hunter goes through a registered outfitter, who hunts under that UMA's dates.
Planning around the season
Open all year does not mean every month hunts the same. When to hunt coyotes lays out the year month by month, and coyote mating season covers the breeding, denning and pup months, and what each one changes on a stand.
For everything else in one state, from licenses to night hunting, start at coyote hunting regulations by state, or by province in Canada.
How this was checked
Each state's season was read against its primary source in October 2026: the statute, the administrative rule, or the agency's 2026-27 regulations digest, with the section quoted. The source column links to the law itself, not to this site. If a season has changed since the date above, use the report link at the bottom of this page.