Selecting canine locations

[Clyde Isaak]

I must say that I still struggle with selecting specific locations when I run a longer line for coyotes. I have a hard time narrowing down the locations as typical locations are everywhere in the area I trap. I know I definately set up to many locations to catch the same coyotes. I've done a lot more scouting this year and that will help, but it is still a struggle. Any ideas on how I can do a better job with locations or maybe I should say how can I narrow down my locations? Greenhorn

[bobwendt]

set the locations with sign only. it`s so easy . folks make it hard because someone has made them think it is hard ,or a big secret, or some 6th sense ,or something you can`t get till you have trapped 50 years. truth is, it`s so easy your grandma could do it!

[Steve Gappa]

LOL- grandma? Lori's a grandma...and she can do it!

BUT- lets be real here. 40+ years of looking for locations makes it much, much easier that someone starting out looking for the same.

In many locales, sign is easy to find- in just as many other locales, sign isn't quite that easy to find. I have many locations where I never see any sign- thick short grass, hardpan, frozen ground.

Your question is "everything looks like a good location- how do I narrow it down?"

Ask the farmer or rancher where he sees canines- Most farmers have a pretty good idea whats happening on their land.

Where do they dump dead animals? Do they have a manure dump? Where is the water? What are the best hunting areas for canines? If they have sheep or cows- where are they usually pastured (even in areas like mine with little real preditation on domestic animals, coyotes still like to hand out near them) Check those out first.

Keep in mind that when travelling- coyotes will take the easy way more times than not.

As Bob says, it simple- but it does take a practiced eye. What I usually do in strange setups is to look for the 2 or 3 main habitat points. In my area is small woods, treelines, creeks, grassy ponds, dired up grown over ponds, willow groves, set aside land (CRP), etc.

Then set up the connections between these points. This is where field edges, field roads, ravines, waterways, fences, etc come into play.

Keep in mind that a few coyote tracks only tells you a coyote has passed by there.

Multiple tracks and scat- means regular traffic.

[Clyde Isaak]

Your discription of locations trappnman is just the problem I'm encountering in this area. I have access to 16 sections of private land along with 4 or 5 sections of public land, in an area of approximately 5 miles wide by 10 miles long. The locations you describe or on just about every section I have access to. There is an unbelievable amount of cover and prey in this area. While I ususally do set on sign, I do set up several locations that are just plain coyote looking areas or travelways. It just doesn't seem that the coyotes follow any pattern in this area. They spend some time in one area then go over a mile and spend some time there and so on. Everywhere they go there is ideal habitat for them, which makes it real tough to set up. In the past it seems that I did better when I set an area up real heavy but my numbers were still low overall for the number of animals I believe are in the area. I know my extra scouting this year will help as I believe I have found some travel areas that I did not set up in the past. Time will tell. I wish I had more time to devote to scouting, but unfortunately working for a living cuts into the available time I have. Greenhorn

[trappnman]

If you have that many continous locations, then for all practical purposes you face the same type of scenerio as far northern trappers do with the miles of bush and bogs.

travel routes for sure - edges, roads, etc. In big country like that, I think I'd move to the outskirts of it, and work the perimeter.

First snow- get out there and see whats happening. That should occur in your area...in 2-3 weeks LOL.... Wherever they are travelling with that first snow, most likely will be the msot producive travle areas for fall, early winter.

[bobwendt]

5 by ten miles. I don`t care how good the habitat is, likely not over 4-5 coyote familys living there as residents and even that would be more like 2-3 familys. in other words, set it to the gills or just real skippy, either way 20 is a good catch, 40 almost unheard of. this is say in a 7-10 day run. come back in month or three and could probably do 1/3 to 1/2 that again as new ones fill in.

[Clyde Isaak]

Bob I agree on the numbers of coyote families you mentioned as that is around what I was estimating also. I would be real happy with 20 to 25 coyotes over the two weeks I'll be trapping this year. I also will be going after coon and mink during this time so I know that will effect the number of coyotes I catch during that time also.

Steve - hitting the edges is just what I was planning to do more of this year. In past years I would drive back in in a lot of the areas and wasted to much time doing that. This year I have scouted and selected a lot of prairie trails I am going to set up along with some of the longest fence lines and water ways. Especially those that appear to connect different types of terrain. We'll see how it turns out.

I do believe that I am making this harder than it is and am just thinking to much instead of just following my instincts. I'm better prepared this year than I have ever been so I do believe I will make a lot of progress this year. Thanks for all the replys. Greenhorn

[trappnman]

coon hunting with a compass, showed me my instincts were often 180 degrees off...LOL


Seriously- I don't think for am inute you are making it harder than it was. Last year you identified a problem that you had been perhaps noticing for a few years. You tried to isolate it and tried to find solutions for it. To me, thats what being a trappers all about. Esp a danged coyote trapper.

I think you will find those long waterways good setups. Anytime a side branch comes in, thats a good spot. Don't know if you have gophers there- but if you do, concentrate on the waterways with mounds.

When I started trapping more of the waterways for gophers, I was amazed at the amount of sign I would see. Waterways far from cover- just a hayed off waterway...running for miles more or less unbroken but crossing roads, pastures, fields. They are fast becoming my new "favorite" type of location.

If tall grass waterways- you need unplowed fields around them- hay or beans to be productive here.

[foxtrapperwoman]

When I started applying the KISS method to my fox trapping, I caught more foxes. Its easy to get tangled up with complexities and thinking too much. I notice this is how Bob W conducts his trapping in his videos, quick simple sets on what looks like a good travelway, same lure, same bait, squirt of pee, scattered feathers and hanging dead chickens for eye appeal to bobcats, no fancy squeakers or anything. I noticed Bob was making goofy fox sets just like 1 I made last season that caught a bunch of foxes. It was shapped so off the textbook style I thought "what fox will step there?", and well they did. Hole dug into the side of a slight rise, bowl shaped setting for trap, just goofy looking. Like a pocket set on dry land with the trap bedded and covered over with high sides and the fox has to step UP to step down LOL. I decided I didn't care and lets see what happens, wasn't going to fuss over it, not move the set location,etc. I also used only 3 lures last season at the dirtholes, 1 of this at 1 hole, one of that at hole next to it, and sometimes changing up with the 3rd at certain holes. Then the hay set came into play and can't get simpler than that set.

[chub618]

last season being my first as a coyote trapper i had the same delima. i ended up with 4 coyotes to my credit. i set on points sticking out into crop fields and along farm lanes and old timber road in a woodlot that is almost grown over but the yotes seem to be using it between a crp field and a crop field. oh and let me add that being a rookie im still not sure on what is coyote and what is domestic dog sign. so i did not really pay that much attention to tracks and scat

[Steve Gappa]

2 clues-

coyotes = rectangular... dogs = round.

Scat- coyotes look like wild scat- bugs, fur, bones, somewhat stringy on ends...dogs have that processed food look to them. More uniform.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

I don't know what kind of ground your trapping but if in broken country Tom Krause said it well.

Think high and think low. Dry wash is low, ridgetop is high. Top of the bank is high, in the bottom is low.

A ridge point coming into a draw is good. If dry country set on watercourses or near springs.

If you can use a big bait do so and let them come to you.

Saddles on ridges are a guaranteed scratching area. So are lone trees and other salient features. Put something out in the flat that they can see and then set back on trails with flat sets.

When trapping cats or coyotes in country that doesn't have real good definiton I shut my eyes and then take note of what my eye goes to when I open them.

Next to a dirt road is great if it doesn't get much taffic. Use a drag.

Don't make it harder than it has to be. A lot of coyotes aren't any harder to catch than muskrats.

Joel

Joel

[trappnman]

A lot of coyotes aren't any harder to catch than muskrats.


If you mean, a "lot" in like "many coyotes", then there is some truth in it- but I think that might be more apt to be in areas with low prey/habitat bases. Here in the garden of eden farmland- coyotes tend to distrust just about everything. Speed dip traps, for example, while in good use elsewhere- spell digups here. So do rusty traps. So do discolored patterns (no coal shale use here!).

While coyote trapping isn't rocket science, its not coon trapping (or muskrat) either. At least not in most areas of the country. Subtle things- sometimes subconcious things we do- spells the difference between success and failure.

Each season, I figure out or try a new thing or two that adds a couple of coyotes to the shed. Personally- all other trapping is in a sense harvesting and a job. Coyotes put the spring in my step- its my avocation!


If you mean "lot" as in big numbers- I think you are wrong. I've taken 100 rats a day several times back in the day.....I've broken 100 coyotes a fur season once.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

I'm not saying all coyotes are as easy as muskrats but some sure are.

From conversations here and elsewhere I think western range coyotes may be a bit less sophisticated than the eastern ones.

I think odor may linger in humid climates where it dissipates faster in super dry country.

All coyotes are harder than rats simply because you have to dig a hole and pound a stake.

Joel

[trappnman]

joel- you should have the pleasure of trapping a large marsh in peak populations. Lucky enough to do it as a kid. You would run traps 3 times a night and they were full each time. Probably never happen to me again...but man is it fun!

[Clyde Isaak]

Thanks for all the replys. It has given me some things to think about when setting my line. ISome things I am going to do differently is to try to key on the longest watercourses I have. Especially those that go thru different types of terrain. Long fence lines or prairie trails. Stock dams and areas close to the cattle feedlots. Some county roads where I see yote tracks or scat using slide cables to get the animal into the ditch or other cover to help hide from bird hunters. Will move sets after 4 days if no activity to new locations. Am going to try more obvious dirtholes similar to what Bob Wendt shows in his video. Will use some cow rib bones for visual attractors as suggested by trappnman. Just will just plain trap hard and hopefully smarter. Greenhorn