There ain't a coyote I can't catch!

[trappnman]

A friend of mine and yours said that in jest a while back..exaggerating a point, or so he claims... .

But I like the sound of it...and have laughingly said it to myself.

but...CAN you catch any coyote out there?

YOU personally.... ?

[dj88ryr]

I SAW YOUR POST AND THOUGHT...T-MAN MUST HAVE FOUND SOMEBODY'S CROP WHILE GOPHER TRAPPING..lmao!!!

[Zagman]

I tried for three years to catch a specific black coyote across from my house......saw her several times every year, and the farmer saw her all the time as well.

Every year, I killed her main squeeze and several of her pups, but could not put the cuffs on her....I have been under the belief that I had her as part of a double 3-4 years prior, but the jaws were popped on a tricked-out 1.75 Victor and I lost "her", and the trap sat there in a worn-out catch circle.....but the other set held an aggressive, large male.......again, not sure, but after the fact, have wondered if I had her in that set.....

Every year, once I set this farm and spank a few pups, neither I nor the farmer would see her again until late in the winter.......not sure if she vacated or not....something James Lucero calls "bumping coyotes"....

Well, I never caught her, though I did catch one of her black offspring last year.....

Anyhow, I always thought to myself, "Good thing this coyote isn't killing 12 lambs a day!"

Zagman

[dj88ryr]

I have related the 5 week fox story many times, that was about as much aggravation as I ever want to put myself through while I am supposed to be enjoying myself, I can't even imagine thinking I HAD to get one particular coyote, but I am sure that a few guys out there can come close to that statement.

[trappnman]

Every time I've HAD to get a particular coyote...I did. Not a lot of cases...but though good luck I was able to do it, and rather easily.

In no way do I think my small example is typical.

Zags -if that coyote was killing 12 sheep a day- you would do what the G men do- use calls, dogs, a plane or M-44s.

I did have one that I wanted to catch- or more aptly, knew was in the area. The one Lori and I saw on opening day last year was a big male with a real silvery mane. This was a good location- and while I caught several other coyotes in that area, I never caught that particular one.

Chri...er my friend, said that as long as the coyote stayed in the area- he could eventually catch him. I have to say I agree with that. Problem is- some cooytes just leave ..for many reasons. It might well be the pressure youput on her and the fact she most likely was pinched.

No doubt the fact she was a gnarly, suspected peglegged, snaggledtooth old gal...wool hanging from her pointed cnaines......sorry... ;D)

But if she leaves- no way can you catch her.

But lets say she stays in the area. That she is still hunting and using the terrian.

Could you get her?

I had one of my collared ones last year messing with a pair of sets on a regular basis- almost nightly over a 2 week period. I just kept doing subtle things- and one day I had her. If I wanted, I could have made some blind sets or very subtle sets- but since she wanted to play, I did to.

So one example- yeah.

But consistenly?

[ChrisM]

Any coyote that walks, crawls or flys can be caught, IF you have the time to devote to it.

Sometimes we dont have the luxury of time. Then you must use other methods such as calling, which can be quicker since you go to them instead of waiting for them to return to your sets.

Tho I have many times set traps or snares on a complaint and caught the coyote on its very next trip back. Before I ever located him for calling.

Other times you spend half a day setting traps and the whistle em up the very next morning! Pop! Flop! Pop! Flop! 20 minutes and its all over!

[Obejoyful]

I've caught a goodly number of specific target coyotes but not all. Anyone that says he/she can has a pretty big horn he's tooting on and I doubt if I could believe it.

[trappnman]

No horn tooting here- just mentioned I've caught the few I had to catch.

but....if the coyote stayed in the area, given enough time as chris mentioned- you think some coyotes just cannot be caught?

I believe most "uncatchable" coyotes simply aren't tried for hard enough or leave the area.

How could not totally blind, unlured, unurined blind set not take a passing yote....

or a tuft of hair from the hocks or anus of another coyote...

but say that is true- that some yotes just can't be caught... that they flat out can detect ANY trap ANYWHERE- that it is impossible to make that coyote put his foot on a trap pan...

can they be snared?

[ChrisM]

Nope no horn Obe!

I dont have any reason to toot a horn. I have no book, video, lure or instructions for sale.

Nor do I think I have some special "gift."

Truth is I think most good trappers who are observant, paitient and DON'T OUT-THINK THEMSELVES can catch them all IF they have the time to devote to doing so.

The smartest coyote out there is still just a dumb animal and creature of habit.

[Obejoyful]

Tman, I'm not saying that there's no coyote that can't be caught given the right trapper.

What I said is that no trapper can catch every target specific coyote they go out for. Sure I've read the stories in the magazines about guys trying for days and weeks to catch a single predating coyote and finally catching it. Have you ever read a story by this trapping experts that admitted that they had failed. Not hardly. They have a reputaion to protect which is often inflated. There's a label for those get away coyotes. It's called breeders.

[woody]

I can how hard can it be to catch a Ki-yute

Come on Chris, just a dumb animal if it's so dumb why they going to be here after you and I leave to better pastures

Now back to the question. ;D sure I think anyone can catch them all if they try hard enough. I know of at least 4 that was traveling thru on of my farms last season and I should have had sets out for them instead of playing with the coon ;D

Ask me that question in Janurary and see I aswer the same ;D

[Wackyquacker]

To save a bunch of typing I'll just Ditto ChrisM. However, the time aspect can eat your lunch! The call and gun are just dandy medicine at times. These and trail sets probably account for most of the tuff ones. Problem gets really confused when they leave the trails and are call shy...best not let em get to that point.

[buckeyehunter]

Steve....I would be interested to know what subtle things you did to to catch that yote after messing with her for two weeks.

[z]

I killed a gnarly peg-leg gyp with worn down chompers, grey muzzle, you guys know the deal........ !

She was bit up on the flanks.......

2 days later nailed an adult mangy male, same location!

Now were starting to click......... !

Then the games started........

And the weather got nasty, It was constant set maintenence, I was spending to much time in the area. I knew it and so did this big male.......Never caught him.

Took another out of their later in the season using improvised techniques......... !

Flash forward to spring gobbler season. I was working down into this same area calling as i went. Slipped down a ridge onto the same flat that seemed to have this particular coyotes attention. I stepped out from a poplar thicket and there he stood. Big SOB, I have no doubt another 50-59lb'r.

Our eyes met and I knew that was him. He defiantly stared at me over his shoulder without making a move, Soon as I moved that gun up that big dude went through that thicket and never made a sound.

The area he was standing in is a brushhogged trail not 4 ft. wide running parallel to this ridge/razorback. It has been choked down since May and a few blindsets will be waiting on him come season.........

If he is still there........I'm thinking he will be!

Good post!

Zz!

[Stef]

Big SOB, I have no doubt another 50-59lb'r.

Stef ;D

[trappnman]

Obe- I see what you are saying- but still think as long as a coyote stays in the area- a very big if- you will take it sooner or later if you have the time to devote to doing so. Most people, myself included, don't have the time.

Heck- as I was telling Edge the other day...I was going over my coyote line and saw from all the sign, that the trapper that was there last year did a pisspoor job! ;D

Buckeye- I don't mind telling at all- no secrets, tats for sure. I had 2 sets at the top of a little waterway- a location whgere I catch yotes every year. Caught 1 after afw days- then had both traps dug at a little, and the lure holes scratched up from the sides- not a lot...but obvious. My first response in such cases is to take fresh dirt and cover up the digging and the tracks- and move a guide around.

After a couple of days- both sets were again disturbed. So I redid the one set- the remake whre I had taken the first coyote- into a big stepdown. Fresh and sassy. The other set- a beanfield walkthrough, I just "freshened" up with dust....really aging it.
afer a couple of days, the flat set was walked on, but not dug. The other set was ignored from here on.

The weather turned hot and dry- very dusty. The set started being worked to a degree just about every day- total time perhaps 2 weeks. It was being dug up, just tracks at the edge, etc. I relured once. Used urine at various spots. I just would move a clod, make a scratch mark- move some weeds...and one morning she was there. Seeing a collar made the whole thing make sense- I had caught her that spring less than 100 yards away.

[kevinupp]

I can't even catch all the grinners around me. So I know I won't catch all the yotes.

Do I think it can be done?

Heck yeah. With a lot of patience and hard work.

[trappnman]

no,no kevin- not catch all the yotes in an area- thats an almost impossible if not impossible scenerio- in fact, just read a study that say if over 70% of the cooytes fro man area are removed- the patterns and habits of the others change dramactically- thus making them harder to locate, pattern and trap.

but specifically- are there coyotes that just cannot be trapped- by any man?

[buckeyehunter]

Thanks Steve...Just one more question. You say that
anything unnatural seems to cause coyotes to avoid the set. How do you blend a stepdown so that it doesn't look unnatural? In my mind the whole set would appear unnatural due to the fact that it sets below the surrounding sod or soil.

[trappnman]

LOL- you are exactly right! You cannot blend in a stepdown- at least not one made in a flat sod field.

And that's exactly why I resisted making stepdowns for coyotes for so long. I started making stepdowns after reading the Leggetts book- and would make a stepdown in areas that looked real "foxy"- where I figured a fox would be if one was around. I caught a few fox- but started catching coyotes. And found that even though I was making only a few stepdowns each season, just about everyone I made took at least a coyote- usually more. The old light bulb finally glowed to life the year I caught 7 coyotes from one set- at that pond where I caught that blondie this year- and you guessed it, the set was a stepdown.

So since them- I make a lot of stepdowns, maybe 1/3 to 1/4 of my total sets.

I've come to the conclusion that on coyotes- make it subtle and uninteresting (you know what I mean) or make it look like it was dug up a minute ago. I don't know if the set is so big and obvious that it then becomes non threatening to a coyote...holes are natural after all- or if it is the hidden hole, so to speak, or the sharp sides- but something makes that coyote want to stepdown to smell/work the lure hole. And once they make a catch- they just get better.

I still prefer flat sets - but won't heisitate to put in a stepdown.