So canine trappers- good , bad, ?

[trappnman]

Out on some of my line today- saw where coyotes had dug out all my lure holes- down to 6-8 inches. Lori was really impressed.

Some say this is bad- they get used to the lure- others say no.

I tend to lean in the "no" direction- after all- if something was that attractive to make them dig it up, roll on the cotton, etc- I would think (and darn it- DO think!) that the same lures would attract them down the road.

After all- if your dog finds a place where he likes to roll- everytime by he will roll on that same spot.

Comments?

[BK]

I'll confess here, When I pull canine traps I pick up the pan covers, dig out any bait and lure and give it a fling, and kick dirt in any hole sets.
Why you ask? I'm not shure,......I guess I hope to present something new to any that move in next season.
It's just something I do,.......it dosen't cost anything.

[Stef]

I would say yes it can hurts if you do some damaged control but for straight fur trapping.... bla bla bla, don't think so.

So for me, it is NO ;D

Stef

[jsevering]

After season blow outs, gotta love them.
kinda makes you wonder about reluring and how often, dont think it hurts anything..jim

[Timber]

I was out on my line yesterday and a lot of my sets had numerous piles of droppings, others were dug out . I think if a coyote's nose finds something his brain thinks is good he will investigate.

I got some good pics of a freshly used urine post and some trail sets but can't figure out how to downsize the pics on a new media program. I'll post them when I get it figured out.

Tim

[17kiss]

Dont know the answer Steve . have pondered that one myself. Just to ease my mind I always cave in and fill scent holes. Acclimation may or may not hurt.

[vttrapper]

I fill in some holes, leave others. I don't know if it hurts or not.

frank

[woody]

I think if a yote or a fox for that matter, has dug up a dirthole this early in the season, it will done forgot about it by time trapping season comes around ;D and if it does remember it, it will be a good thing ;D if he liked it once, he'll like it again. I was out at the dairy farm a couple of weeks ago and found where a couple of my old sets were dug up, the only thing that was left in them was beaver caster that i was trying as a change up. the one set looked like a bulldozer hit it ;D and the others looked like a small yote or fox hit them since the hole was only dug out the width of the hole.

[dj88ryr]

I have never filled in holes, and am always impressed by going back later and seeing what I have missed, or what has moved in. While filming the permission part of the T4K video, Dan and I checked out some of my old sets. Holes dug out and lots of scat left at the holes, both coyote and fox.

[CoonDuke]

Guys, you can dig them shut all you want but the canines can still smell the lure. At sets that made catches the lure smell is all over anyway. Whether it hurts or not I don't know but unless you bring in a backhoe and a dump truck you aint gonna get rid of the lure smell.

[coyote]

I'm no expert, but it seems to me that if a given smell holds that much attraction to cause all that digging, that same smell would still be attractive seven months later.

the bonus (as I see it) would be that the coyote did all that previous digging WITHOUT a bad experience associated with that smell, thus building confidence when he next encounters it.

pure conjecture on my part.

[k9]

I do not worry too much about getting them habituated. On that note, how many of you during off season smear a little gland lure or shoot a little urine on key spots to hopefully increase urination and visitation responses?

Do you think it works?

I am talking that hunk of stump, that rock, or other feature that is at your location.

[Wright Brothers]

How about placing some of the harvested gophers there so mr k9 relates the lure smell with a free treat, could be worth a try at least at one set area. If in the same area only would take a couple minutes a week to try it.

[Edge]

"I think if a yote or a fox for that matter, has dug up a dirthole this early in the season, it will done forgot about it by time trapping season comes around "

In my experience,that doesnt hold true;I dont think coyotes ever forget anything,but certain times of the year combined with certain stimuli can rearrange their priorities long enough to put a bracelet on them.

On the gopher in the hole idea;thats pre-baiting,I dont do it for canines,but I dont see it hurting anything;a huge plus for coon cubbies.

Answer to the original question,dont hurt a thing.

Edge

[woody]

Edge ;D ;D ;D but what do I know I just find it hard for an animal to remember somethings unless they are an everyday occurance like training a lab. it need the same thing done over and over and over to get it implanted in his think trap. I think if a fox or yote, hits all the set from the previous season and gets a little bait or a free bee from the hole, then it will come back again and again to check it out to see if there is anything left. if not it will go about its business of hunting something to eat. Yea, it might remember that little area come trapping season and hit the new set as it offers something to eat. and since it didn't have a bad experiance with the previous set it should it the new set with a very aggressive action. but like I said what do I know ;D woody

[Edge]

Well,thats the rub;the only time anybody "knows" anything is when the trap is full,LOL!
I was just applying my summer to fall experience with coyotes..I had a yote work an old badger set all summer long;hitit about once a week,It must originally been due to the badger stink,but I'm guessing that must have faded eventually...maybe it just dug there to clean its nails...man,what do *I* know..LMAO!

Edge

[musher]

The critter had a good time and didn't get hurt. It will be back for more - as long as the novelty doesn't get boring. That lure digging is why I rotate odours.

[trappnman]

coyote summed up my feelings.

Last April when I had some collars to put on- I went to these dug out sets and remade them.

Those were my best spring sets.

On a side note- the total of coyotes I collared was close to 40- scattered over 2 1/2 years- Fall of 2001 to Spring 2003.

5 of those collared yotes were recaught. I got 4- 1 the first year 2 weeks after being collared in 2001, and 3 this past fall- all on the original farms- and I know of 1 other that was trapped by a trapper down the road.

In the "For What it is Worth Department":

1) A large % of the coyotes stayed on or returned often to the capture sight.

2) I continued trapping those farms each year. No doubt I was having collered coyotes come by my sets. How many? Don't know.

3) while 5 were recaught- obviously others were in area but NOT recaught.

4) On the other hand- winter and spring of 2001-2002- almost all coyotes were killed in other ways- coming into the fall of 2002 with either just released in mid summer coyotes or coyotes caught that fall- thus any caught coyotes would have a recent memory- leading to non recaptured.

5) Coming into the 2003 season- all but 2 collared yotes were from 2001, 2002 and early spring 2003- no recent memory.

6) and in 2003, 4 recaught of about a doz, another was shot.

My thought, if no recent or bad experience- they will be redrawn to lures, etc.

Which brings me to the point of one reason I use at least 2 lures at a set. My pattern now is to have 2 mainstay lures- and I use 1 of those at every set- and then a variaty of secondary lures are used as lure #2.

When I remake, if I use the same two lures twice, its by accident.

So- who knows what combination of lures was at that hole- by next fall- the chances are that any new sets will not be able to match the combined smorgaborg of odors off an old set.

[trappnman]

forgot to mention about the gophers-

I collect the front feet for bounty pruposes, and the rest of the gopher is just tossed into the field out of the way. In a few days, they are gone 1 way or another- mostly raptors, then badgers, cats take some, and of course beetles. but seldom to I see coyote sign where they come in and take them. Sure, coyotes could be getting 1 or 2- but over all.

Yet I know coyotes eat gophers out of traps- maybe cause they are still alive?

I don't know- but dead gophers have an odd smell- could that be it?

perhaps the coyotes just not interested in carrion this time of year?

[jsevering]

carrion and after season blow outs, boggle the mind at times.

ever notice how some bait piles stay forever, get an after season march thaw and bye, bye.

might be as simple as steve kinda made reference to, in that particular time frame it may be the only show in town.

could it be new coyotes a new show, filling a void?

how about the lack of human scent going up to the set every third day?

the lack of urine being sprayed, ot lure applied, at the set once a week, combined with human scent. (marker gone, gonna go in for a look)

sure there are dumb ones and ones that wise up, so what are you gonna do, the blow outs in part tell us we could of done better?

I have the same problem with keeping foxes in the traps after their caught as steve does with gophers, the darn yote's that blow bye (avoid) the sets and catch paterns, have no problem comming in for a warm meal.

had roughly fifteen fox shredded out of the traps this year, four of which were half ass salvagable, I know, I gotta work on that problem, but what do you do when your doubled up on the fox and your sleeper set holds the second fox (didnt adapt for the start of mating season and jims, egg and bacon special of the day) live and learn I guess.

Interestingly a good majarity of these(advoided sets) are the sets that usally, also get blown out after I pull at the end of the season.

I think the yotes are so adaptable in (some) cases, it reminds me, of the old saying we had in the airborne (stay alert, stay alive) or in the case of the yotes adapt or die.

kinda belive alot of guys rather move on down the road than adapt themselves, I know I do at times, if I have the ground to move to and can afford getting there.....jim