Coyote Problem

[crockett]

I agree about not using bait. Folks hike around on trails and coyotes will use these same trails at night, so human scent to some extent isn't a major concern. Using scent or bait will only set the coyote on high alert. It's just my opinion but the better snare set up is what could be termed a "blind set" A place where a human steps over a fallen tree a coyote may go under. Grass and brush- if the coyote is pushing through that type flora and there is a snare- the snare won't tip it off as a trap. The animals will think it is just underbrush and keep on moving forward.
You need to think about whether a snare should be staked or attached to a drag. The drag (large tree limb) will let the coyote move off the trail- that keeps your good location protected. If you stake and the coyote is trapped, it will tear up the ground and there will be a lot of evidence something is wrong and if you shoot it at the site- you can pretty much forget ever getting a yote there any time soon. With the drag you have to go looking for the critter but they usually don't get too far and sometimes if you deliberately make a sound and listen- you can hear it rustling around trying to get away.
Trapping is part of our heritage. There is a little written by the mountain men but not so much in the Great Lakes area and elsewhere even through furs were big business. I think John Jacob Astor began by moving up the Hudson and then the Mohawk to Schenectady, NY where he met fur trappers that had previously been going all the way down to NYC.

 

[larry wv]

Good post :thumbsup:

Larry

 

[Tracy A. Potter]

A lot of bad ideas on this post, if you don't know anything about trapping especially Coyotes, please leave it to the trappers that no what there doing. Snares and conibears in the wrong hands are nothing but trouble for all sportsman in the long run.

I have trapped coyotes and foxes right in the middle of towns and off golf course's and nobody even new I was there working for the customers. And yes I was using foothold traps properly set up bare handed and with 35+ years of trapping canine's exsperiance. Not a single non target catch on those jobs.

Coyotes are a lot of fun to catch and a good challenge!



Tracy

 

[Grumpa]

Now there is a picture worth a thousand words!

 

[Ben K]

Love that picture!

 

[flyfisher76544]

A lot of bad ideas on this post, if you don't know anything about trapping especially Coyotes, please leave it to the trappers that no what there doing. Snares and conibears in the wrong hands are nothing but trouble for all sportsman in the long run.

Not a single non target catch on those jobs.

Coyotes are a lot of fun to catch and a good challenge!

Tracy

Yes they 'can' be if used by people who have not been trained to use them. But if used properly they can be a great asset, but again if used properly. Right now our state does not allow snares on land and conibears have to be within 10 feet of water. Excellent for beaver and otter, but thats about it.

 

[Supercracker]

Conibears, the anti bird dog.

 

[crockett]

Well, to all....The way I see it a trap is just an object, neither good or bad. Since a coyote is pretty much the size and shape of a dog you have a potential problem. Early in the year when bird hunters are in the field or hounds after deer- if they do that in your area- really should not have any traps out. Probably switch to predator calling. There are bears where I live so one concern in late winter/early spring is a cub wandering into a trap.
Even though snares can be set up to be non-lethal, if you snare a loose farm dog then you have a bad situation. A lot of farm dogs are pretty vicious. Taking the snare off might get you chomped on.
The conibears- land use is pretty restricted. You can take a rope/cord and loop it around a spring and depress the spring and put the hook over it. I attend hunter ed a lot and I'm sort of surprised this is never told dog hunters- how to get your dog out of a conibear. The conibear can instantly kill but can also suffocate kill and in those instances you might have a short rescue time.
Personally, I think leg hold traps were pretty good. The anti-trapping crowd did real harm getting them outlawed in most places. The little fox in the bear trap photo did a lot of harm.
Jim Bridger had been a black smith and made his own traps. I've thought about making some pc beaver traps but just haven't got to it. The jaws, etc. were on threaded posts and they could be disassembled in the field and repaired if needed. They were in some respects better traps than are used today. On the snares, up in Canada I think the HBC sold brass wire to native peoples for Lynx, etc. They are pc to the best of my knowledge.

 

[nhmoose]

Not replying to the poster mentioned.

Here in NH it took 3 years to get snare certified by the state for the top license of Wildlife Control Operator II. There terms son and I are qualified I work for him on his license.

Trust me live traps do not work they are to smart. Foot traps will if you are really good. The best control is shooting year round like before the greenies, 1080 baits.

We kill many in our home area by showing residents how to shoot them not by showing how to deter them.

The State F&G does not like this method but for now nothing they can do.

 

[longcruise]

What's not to like about lethal control methods?

 

[Tracy A. Potter]

Cable restraints (snares) work great when there set up right for live trapping. At this cattle farm I removed 10 coyotes, alive and unharmed. I won't post all the picks







I prefer my footholds (not leg holds) but both work just fine with no damage to the animals when setup right and used properly. I love finishing my furs for auction!





My sons have grown up trapping, shooting muzzleloaders, hunting and fishing with me and now my grandsons will too.







Good luck with the coyotes!

Tracy

 

[Sean Gadhar]

ff The 1st coyote is a BIG deal for a young trapper. I caught my 1st at the end of my line in about 15" of snow. I wildly (I was 14 or 15) ran to dispatch him. A bit snow blind I did not see that walking in a backward circle around the stake he had packed that 15" of snow into 1" of sheet ice! I fell on my...wallet and slid by within about a foot of his jaws sure was happy that victor 4.5 coil spring held. He was about as happy as the one in your photo.



SHUT UP I was 14 :nono: so :hmm: 1979 or so

 

[crockett]

The lethal thing....that's only an issue if another type animal might get involved- dog, small bear cub, etc.

 

[longcruise]

That's my point. Pretty hard to shoot a dog pr other animal by mistake. My comment was regarding the officials frowning upon shooting.

 

[crockett]

Agree, just shooting or calling in and shooting would seem a prime method.

 

[Tracy A. Potter]

I can out trap your guns 12 to 1 probably more, they wise up to calling quick. I know I used to trap coyotes full time, we still use calling all the time it works on certain animals extremely well for a while others not so good. We still try even when we're running traps because it's so much fun and take lots of people out over the years on there first calling hunts. They get hooked fast!

I still work for a large cattle operation with 14 cattle farms and a little over 20,000 acres. For eastern Kansas that's a lot of ground to cover and I won't give you numbers but proper trapping is the only way you can make a difference and keep the numbers stable and thinned down in areas. You can not kill enough with guns to even dent them unless you spend all your time in helicopters with a AR. IMHO

Since going to the cable restraints that are non locking my numbers have increased because I can run them during deep freeze and deep snows were as my foot holds are limited and slow down. I caught 31 with the cables in a month last fall with no problems, no accidentals and no choke outs testing different brands and making my own.

Anyway, good luck have fun shoot a few, trap a few there's plenty out there for everybody. They never stop hunting!



If not this is what you get!



The stair down!!!




Tracy

 

[Tracy A. Potter]

Dang Sean, I bet you had to change your underwear after that one bud. That could have been a bad one glad it came out alright. Great pick!

Tracy

 

[crockett]

Well I must agree. I see all these survival shows on tv and they seldom utilize trapping. On the yotes, I really like the snares. I think they're better than footholds. On the footholds the yotes seem to sniff around more but on the snares they just walk right in many times.
On the calling. I've had times where a yote about ran into my lap (heavy woods) but once fooled- forget it. Never fooled again.

 

[Rifleman1776]

At this cattle farm I removed 10 coyotes, alive and unharmed.

I have to wonder why. You are the expert. I have killed only a few. I consider coyotes vermin and would like to wipe them out in my area.
FWIW, in many parts of Arkansas, raising chickens and turkeys is a big industry. Until not many years ago a daily routine for the farms was to toss overnight dead birds out behind the barns. This attracted and fed coyotes which increased exponentially in numbers. That practice has been stopped and the 'yote numbers have dropped. But still too many.

 

[Rat Trapper]

A lot of bad ideas on this post, if you don't know anything about trapping especially Coyotes, please leave it to the trappers that no what there doing. Snares and conibears in the wrong hands are nothing but trouble for all sportsman in the long run.

I have trapped coyotes and foxes right in the middle of towns and off golf course's and nobody even new I was there working for the customers. And yes I was using foothold traps properly set up bare handed and with 35+ years of trapping canine's exsperiance. Not a single non target catch on those jobs.

Coyotes are a lot of fun to catch and a good challenge!



Tracy

I agree 100% with the above. For those of you who wish to remove coyotes you need to study and learn to trap. Shooting will never get enough of them to put a dent in the population.