While coyotes are mainly nocturnal, this does not mean you won't ever see them during the daytime. For starters, both dawn and dusk are still times with some light during which coyotes are likely to be active as part of their nocturnal foraging. And, they may be around during the day for such reasons as needing to move cubs away from danger, needing to escape danger themselves, sating hunger when they caught nothing at night, moving from one location to another (especially if there are territorial disputes) and the like. However, they will be super wary during the daytime, as they know they have little cover if spotted by predators like humans.