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Post by timbob on Mar 9, 2007 10:27:12 GMT -6
What are the most common mistakes made by novice coyote trappers?
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Post by trappnman on Mar 9, 2007 10:31:05 GMT -6
Having poor visuals at the set. To me, its the #1 reason for coyotes working a set properly and not working a set.
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Post by ohiyotee on Mar 9, 2007 11:00:38 GMT -6
I would agree with Steve. Also when talking with guys in Ohio i feel one of the biggest mistakes is not having the organization and the amount of traps out it takes to make a bigger than average catch, and here the average is quite small for yotes . Id say the average in the eastern part of the state is less than 10. so catching what in some areas of the country is a pittance say 30 ,here is an accomplishment and takes a well organized attack.
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Post by wheelie on Mar 9, 2007 15:08:10 GMT -6
What is the most common mistake made by novice coyote trappers? Making his own lure Putting only one trap on a coyote highway Not getting enough permission Not enough dry dirt collected before the rains come Using to small of traps Improper staking methodsSetting where there are no coyotes Not willing to work hard at maximizing your catch etc.
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eric
Tenderfoot...
Posts: 19
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Post by eric on Mar 9, 2007 20:28:10 GMT -6
I feel most overlooked is location. Location in my opinion is the most important of all. Heck you can catch yotes with dirty traps, ugly sets, unstable traps, bla bla bla..... but if your not on location your not going to even pick up those young and dumb that don't care about all the previous mentioned. Get on location and a newbie will figure out the rest by trial and error.
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Post by Steve Gappa on Mar 9, 2007 20:30:19 GMT -6
please add your state eric
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Post by trappnman on Mar 9, 2007 21:15:51 GMT -6
While a good location can't be beat, you are a better coyote trapper than me. If I don't do everything right, if I get careless in patterns, colors- I have nothing but troubles. Add a rusty trap, and its not good.
With only one season under my belt of western yote trapping, I only have tenative observations. But I found that in that sand/sage country of WY, that digging, messing around the trap was not a concern. It just didn't happen. With 100% of the terian sand and sage, the trap bed was always same color, same consistency- blending was narutal extending to infinity.
But here at home, if the color of the pattern is different, of the texture isn't the same, if the sets aren't made using extended blending on flat sets- I have standoffs and side workings. I've seen it where you you have tracks packing down a circle around the set- everywhere but on the 8 inch trap bed pattern, if it has any discripency from the extended area. And a rusty trap- might as well have a neon glow over the trap.
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Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Mar 9, 2007 21:56:13 GMT -6
I think that setting up against a backing that is to high is a novice mistake.
I think setting to far back is another.
Not bedding solid.
If I was to trap coyotes again I would forget all the location stuff and set out big baits and electronic callers and bring them to me instead of me going to them.
When I was hitting it hard there was a family from Montana trapping the same country and they did it all with baits. They would catch 300 to my 200 in the same country.
They didn't make as many stops as I did as they were ganged around the bait while I was out setting "locations".
Joel
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Post by Bob Jameson on Mar 10, 2007 8:47:40 GMT -6
Very good point Joel. Most trappers that know the ropes have focused on bait/carcass/domestic livestock dump piles set up by ranchers and farmers whether it is hog, sheep, cattle or chicken operations.
I have consistently had multiple catches at these types of locations over a period of time. Depending on the length of time the dump pile has been established will determine the initial and repeated long term visitation potential of that location. Canines, skunks, coons. badgers,opossums and even cats visit these sites.Coyotes mark the dickens out of these areas with urine and fecal deposits.
If a man could find enough of these sites over a large track of land he would have the best location there is. Just setting off the approach areas be it trail sets,(footholds or snares) marking sets or simple hole sets and bang the heck out of everything moving in and out of that area.
Every canine in a large area will know its location if the station has been there a while and visit it even just as a social gathering area and marking place and not always intent on looking for dinner.
Very good point as to established draw areas if they are there to be had or can be created then trapped later. Most trappers in the east have to depend for the most part on good location selection, determining good routeing areas and playing the wind to ones advantage.
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Post by timbob on Mar 10, 2007 9:41:37 GMT -6
Very good point Joel. Most trappers that know the ropes have focused on bait/carcass/domestic livestock dump piles set up by ranchers and farmers whether it is hog, sheep, cattle or chicken operations. I think there is a tendancy to set too close or right on the bait station. Also small trap patterns perfectly sifted and not blended on flat sets. Nothing like a good dead cow in the snow when it looks like a whole herd of coyotes stomped the area.
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Post by hotandry on Mar 13, 2007 13:57:18 GMT -6
Trapping takes a long time to work out the bugs and work in good fundamentals.
Some novices are naturals and it comes quickly. Most have to plug away and make mistakes.
I think most newbies don't plant enough hardware in enough places. They put in six sets in one farm and don't catch a coyote. They get discouraged and start thinking they are doing something wrong. Or that coyotes are super smart and impossible to nail.
The longliner knows that he may have a stretch of 20 or 30 sets on his line that doesn't do diddly. The next 20 or 30 are average. The next 20 or 30 he knocks em dead.
The newbie is working in that weak area and thinks its all his fault.
Coyotes are a mass production game. Even to catch a few it seems like you have to throw a lot of hardware out there and cover some ground to get into the pockets.
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Mar 13, 2007 14:23:47 GMT -6
Blending in your sets to match the surroundings. As others mentioned it will take longer for a coyote alot of the times to work an eye sore set. Blend it in as best as you can and feather out your pattern so there is no hard lines, doesn't matter East or West you will still have sets with those hard lines unless your working all sand all the time. Make sure to minimize those hard lines and your time to catch ratio will jump alot.
Look for a natural spot and don't force in a set, make a dirt hole in a location that makes it look natural, a flat set is tough to beat in alot of locations. Don't set every text book location, find sign and set on it as much as possible. Unless you have a ton of coyotes, they don't visit every fence corner, read the land and know how and why those coyotes come through the area your trapping, roads are great and you don't need a ton of sets on a road, I set the "on" points and "exit" points of the road as these are the places you will have most of the majority of the coyotes. I also like to put in 2 sets at every "good" location as you can't catch doubles or triples if you don't have the traps there.
Also new guys tend to get to close too often to there sets, I like to leave them as long as legally possible and if the weather is nice check them with binocs and only approach to reset the trap or relure it once a week. If trapping areas that don't get alot of human interference, then blowing in there all the time with a noisy truck and the radio blasting, those coyotes know when you come and when you leave.
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K-zoo
Demoman...
Posts: 163
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Post by K-zoo on Mar 13, 2007 14:45:13 GMT -6
Worrying too much about specifics. Just go out and put in sets and let the animals teach you. That might seem over-simplified, but I think some times that guys fret over how far back from the hole to set the trap, how much offset, dirthole too small, too large, what angle etc., etc. Find out what works the best for you in your circumstances and keep building on knowledge and experience. Have fun!
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Post by k9 on Mar 13, 2007 19:04:54 GMT -6
Thinking the coyote is smarter than you is a big mistake most beginners make. If you think he is smarter than you, then he is.
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Post by pastortrapper on Mar 13, 2007 20:00:59 GMT -6
I can see this having the potential to be the biggest thread ever.
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Post by wheelie on Mar 14, 2007 5:51:22 GMT -6
Trapping takes a long time to work out the bugs and work in good fundamentals. Some novices are naturals and it comes quickly. Most have to plug away and make mistakes. I think most newbies don't plant enough hardware in enough places. They put in six sets in one farm and don't catch a coyote. They get discouraged and start thinking they are doing something wrong. Or that coyotes are super smart and impossible to nail. The longliner knows that he may have a stretch of 20 or 30 sets on his line that doesn't do diddly. The next 20 or 30 are average. The next 20 or 30 he knocks em dead. The newbie is working in that weak area and thinks its all his fault. Coyotes are a mass production game. Even to catch a few it seems like you have to throw a lot of hardware out there and cover some ground to get into the pockets. Great 1st post hotandry
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Post by robertw on Mar 14, 2007 7:16:18 GMT -6
TC37;" Blend it in as best as you can and feather out your pattern so there is no hard lines, doesn't matter East or West you will still have sets with those hard lines unless your working all sand all the time. Make sure to minimize those hard lines and your time to catch ratio will jump alot."
That works fine if using blended flat sets..However it does rain, we do have mud to work in and the coyotes still need to be caught. Dirtholes with dirt thrown everywhere "eyesore" sets often out produce blended flat sets. How ever it is important that the set look natural or have that made by a coyote / animal look.
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Post by trappnman on Mar 14, 2007 7:27:57 GMT -6
and often blended flat sets just look more blended in the rain, and outproduce muddy pools of water. Make the set fit the conditions.
A wise man once said, if I had a nichol for everytime I tried to force a set in, I'd be a rich man.
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Post by Jeffrey on Mar 14, 2007 8:18:59 GMT -6
What really opened my eye was when Bob and Steve started talking trap day to success. They were saying, and correct me if I'm wrong Steve or Bob, that if you catch 1 coyote per 17 trap days, then you are doing good! What that translated to me was I had no where near enough traps out in different locations. For me it seemed like spray and pray. ;D
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Post by Steve Gappa on Mar 14, 2007 8:24:24 GMT -6
thats essentially correct. I never paid attention to trap nights until doing the collaring work. First I'd ever considered the term or heard of it.
You can reduce that number by reducing traps and only setting good locations where you have coyotes patterned. For example, on ADC work I use only a couple of traps, and have a much higher percentage.
But on an extended line, that seems to be about the pattern.
on otter fyi, over 3 years of trapping our average was 1 otter in about 250 trap nights.
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