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Post by 17kiss on May 11, 2004 17:18:03 GMT -6
My .02 is that when in area that they are letting you know they are aware of set , as in kickbacks , droppings near set , etc. , you are generally in core area and easier to catch them with a subtle set. Where I locate areas that have multiple piles of scat and several kickbacks , I think overlap of different family groups area and get aggressive with sets. This is where a lure like whatever the heck is in "coyote 69" shines to me. Gets an aggressive and immediate response. Like gangs marking paint on anothers turf , dealt with rapidly to say , hey this is my turf , stay off. Think they get all worked up and lose their tamper and bang! Mind you I am still learning , but like to play around on hunches , and this has been working well for me. Fringe areas to me are where they are travelling more than living and seem pretty easy to catch with any set in these areas. Seem like the better overlaps all tend to be on an outstanding feature instead of a intersection of crop changes and such. An open slate pit for example at a intersection of a fence row and crop corners. Higher visitation , more value placed on it by the coyote? Just food for thought on my insane line of thinking.
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Post by Zagman on May 12, 2004 4:31:14 GMT -6
Good read....
Just not sure if will ever know FOR SURE which of the two areas I am in....therefore, not sure that I would change my approach based on this information.
If I feel I am close to the center of a core area and/or den/lot's of sign, I sure as heck will set it up heavy right there vs. trying to backtrack out to the fringe and catch those same coyotes.....besides, I have no idea where that fringe starts/stops!
I remember T-man or someone saying that we would be surprised how many times a single coyote might go by a set, knowing it is there, on the same night, until they finally work it....perhaps that is happening in a core area.
I think this study really validates using multiple sets and smells, especially in a "core" area.....perhaps one novel object/smell might not trip their trigger but the next one will.
Again, good read. Keep them coming....
Zags
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Post by Edge on May 12, 2004 9:47:09 GMT -6
Like Coyotemna said,and Zag alluded to;when I'm in an area for the first time...gang set/on sign.6 traps is not too much,and out of those sets I know what works. The following yer I may have as many as 2 or 3 locations there or as few as none;the *point*being that I didnt waste half my season on finding out.
Edge
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Post by 3n on May 12, 2004 17:33:39 GMT -6
I wrote Fred Knowlton about this very subject a few years back...In his reply there were alot of...howevers and on the other hand...I can't remember the whole letter but I do remember the end,he wrote"Life is a puzzlement...and so are home range definitions". I agree with ChrisM alot of this stuff is interesting reading but like he said 90% of it has no practical application on the trapline.
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Post by 17HMR on May 12, 2004 18:32:36 GMT -6
I think this could be defined by differnt terms such as resting/sleeping areas and hunting/feeding areas. I never had much sucess with yotes in places where I beleve they are bedding, but I have had great sucess with almost any kind of set in areas where I knew they were hunting and feeding. Maybe the hunting and feeding areas are used more than one group and the bedding areas are not. My .02 Jeff
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Post by trappnman on May 12, 2004 22:08:21 GMT -6
3N- I agree with ChrisM alot of this stuff is interesting reading but like he said 90% of it has no practical application on the trapline. Yeah...but its the other 10% I want to know! Fringe areas to me are where they are travelling more than living and seem pretty easy to catch with any set in these areas. Seem like the better overlaps all tend to be on an outstanding feature instead of a intersection of crop changes and such. An open slate pit for example at a intersection of a fence row and crop corners. Higher visitation , more value placed on it by the coyote?On my 2 areas I believe to be non core areas, one common denominator is that both are in the middle of long field roads that "loosely connect" a bunch of areas and farms. I think overlap is a good term. Both my spots are in general flat areas, but the hotspots are where the field road is next to a bare rolling hillside. My best guess is that these areas are marginal areas- areas not be important enough to claim as territory. I still like to think of these spots as social areas- a place where the coyotes go to socialize, sing and dance. Another thing- several studies have indicated that a resident coyote population consists on from 20-40% (based on density) of non territorial coyotes- that is coyotes that claim no territory and/or are transients. Do these coyotes then act ALL the time as coyotes do in non territorial areas? Would this explain why in a given setup- you catch 1 or 2- then the sets go dead- even though yo usee a few tracks now and then? You caught the non territorial coyotes? Last year- close to 15% of my total coyotes came from traps on the 2 non core areas.
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Post by rk660 on May 12, 2004 23:04:17 GMT -6
One thing I wonder is if different coyotes will travel thru, knowingly invade, or hunt, another coyote families core area? Or do they try to avoid each others core area? How do they react to other coyote's scent markings inside/outside the core area? Are they more aggresive to other's scent markings inside the core area? If so, would a urine and dropping type set be more effetive inside the core area? or would they know its faked by something other than a coyote? I have no answears, only questions? ??
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Post by jsevering on May 14, 2004 5:12:16 GMT -6
Good read, like the others it raises more questions for me than answers.
Does the range and core areas rotate within a territory and if so, would they be more apt to check out scent stimuli during the transient period of a rotation?
Does the pecking order of a family group (alpha, beta and pups) play into the reactions and there roles within the family group, concerning scent and inherent habitual roles?
Would different scent stimuli have different reactions in relation to pecking order within a group or a dispearsing coyote or coyotes? (lure vrs. bait & lure)
thanks for the read steve, dont know if it helped sweep down any cob webs or just added more dust to the mix....jim
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Post by z on May 14, 2004 5:52:48 GMT -6
Jim, Concerning pecking orders.......
" A coyote knows you were there! He/she also knows that you are not there NOW "!
A domestic routinely strolls into the yard of another dog. Life is good as he goes about whizzin' it up and occasionally taking a dump.........
Ever notice the dump is usually close to his line of approach to the property. By the mailbox, driveway etc. Same could be said for trailsets.......hmmmmmm!
The whizzin' takes place wherever.........
I agree with Chris. Set traps on fresh sign..... I could really care less bout core areas etc. Coyotes don't pay attention to "POSTED' signs............
Jim, Don't forget on having a tag along on your line this year! Zz
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Post by trappnman on May 14, 2004 6:01:24 GMT -6
I agree guys. While we might not be able to understand all this stuff, just being aware that it is going on is neat- and if thinkn' about it adds a few coyotes to my bag every year or if it helps me take that wise guy- its time well spent.
Does the pecking order of a family group (alpha, beta and pups) play into the reactions and there roles within the family group, concerning scent and inherent habitual roles?
Jim- I am thinking, overall- no. The reason I say that is the study was done with females, with males- both hand raised and wild captured in pens plus experiemnts on stations was conducted out of the pens in the wild. No distinctions were made on the final results- so I'm making aan educated guess that the differences might have been apparrent in other ways- not in the scope of this study.
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