coyote trapping mistakes

[wheelie]

One yote every 10-12 traps (in my area) is doing good....its the 10% rule....100 traps should produce 10 yotes, etc.....
But like Steve said "only setting good locations"

[fireant]

Trying not to leave there scent and taking to long to make a set. Set and go to the next one. Coyotes are used to human smells and are not very smart. Rod

[Steve Gappa]

ever notice how on somedays you think....

"man, do I got this coyote thing figured out...I'm the best coyote trapper in the World!"

and a few days later..

"#@$%$% these coyotes..."

[ohiyotee]

ditto for me

[Wiley]

Timbob I believe there is too many mistakes for any particular mistake to be considered "most common".

A short list would be (in no particular order)...

1. Trapping coyotes you have already skinned
2. Not covering enough ground / fox trapping coyotes
3. Not guiding the feet and body
4. Not blending your subtle natural sets and not tearing the hell out of your disturbance sets (making both appear natural)
5. Not bedding your trap properly
6. Not using good coyote traps
7. Not knowing what lures to use in which situation
8. Setting textbook locations instead of sign
9. Not covering your trap enough.
10 Not knowing the difference between a great location and a good location.

That's the short list...........


~SH~

[timbob]

Wiley said: I believe there is too many mistakes for any particular mistake to be considered "most common"

Right- I changed original to read "most common mistakes" - This is really turning into a good thread, thanks for all the input

[hotandry]

When my buddies and I were young and single we used to joke: "go ugly early" when trying to meet women in bars.

For coyotes: "go big iron early."

The song dogs will beat the living crap out of small traps, weak chain, short stakes, home made stake connectors, etc. etc. They will run out of state on you with a drag that will not stop an elephant. Turn around and bite threw a light snare in about 60 seconds.

Tough hombres thru and thru.

A newbie is well advised to not even mess with them with your fox gear or coon gear.

Go with real coyote traps right off the bat. The #3 is the standard, either coil or dls. And the best quality you can afford.

Then how you anchor it is essential. If short chaining (not how I do it) you better double stake it down to China.

If drags, use serious drags that leave a scatch mark that looks like you caught the farmer on his plow. Otherwise you will spend the rest of your life walking in big circles hoping to luck out.

I am exagerating a little here. But seriously newbies need to use heavy duty equipment and pay attention to anchoring the trap because it is in for ride.

[trappnman]

I do agree that its "easier" to catch coyotes in bigger traps- but small traps work just fine if you use them right. TRouble with small traps, is you need to be darn near perfect on all mechanics, AND you better use something- smaller pan, trappers cap, whatever- to make sure te coyote is pretty much standing ON thep an to make the trpa snap.

If oy uare delaing with 60 lb coyotes, then perhaps a .175 isn't your trap- but on my 30 lb yotes with occasional 40+ yotes, they work just fine and very honestly, I see no difference worth mentioning in results with my 1.75s over my Montanas.

I was told westen coyotes would destroy a 1.75, and maybe they do, but the ones I caught were no different than here. Get a full foot in the trap and hes there.

The biggest difference in big traps is they are for sure more weather proof and they can be set in a fraction of the time.

[trappincoyotes39]

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.

Robert I agree to a point, if I catch a badger all that digging and smell adds to the set and I'll reset this every time and it is an awsome coyote attractor!

But blended sets alot of times take less time and with rain as Tman mentioned look even better. In summer I can mist a set with water and get it to age to fit the surroundings in 1 day in hot/dry air! Nothing new but it does work and have it's place.

I like alot of my sets to be more natural than showy, showy has it's places and times, but for me blended/natural looking sets seem to catch less trash.

[robertw]

TC37;"but for me blended/natural looking sets seem to catch less trash."

That is very true if trapping in the midwest or south where you are plagued by oppossums & skunks.

In a western environment...Don't have much trash to worry about besides the porkys and they seem to end up about anywhere you use much urine.

[Steve Gappa]

TC37;"but for me blended/natural looking sets seem to catch less trash."

That is very true if trapping in the midwest or south where you are plagued by oppossums & skunks

If only that were true robert..... sigh..... no set is safe from a possum or skunk- even middle of bare fields is no protection.

[jalexander]

Good Thread and put me down for making all the mistakes described and then some.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

Setting up against a backing that is to high.

Joel

[Steve Gappa]

Joel and others- what I find really fascinating on coyotes- is that we all came to different conclusions based on our successes-

speed dip works no problems for some, yet for others, its the worst thing you can do

rusty traps are business as usual in some places, in others its a receipe for disaster

high banks are a favorite set for some, and not a ocncern for others.

The examples are endless.

I think that much of the reasons for the above, are the coyote populaitons in the specific areas, along with the prey availability.

here for example, food is no problem at all. Food both to be hunted and scavenged, is everywhere. No hngrey coyotes here. Full bellies, lead to having time on their hands so to speak.

I weish I could have trpaped the same area in WY again, to see if the tenative conclusion I reached this year, would have held true in the long wrong.

and that conclusion is this- the coyotes I trapped in WY, had no time for nonsense. No digging at the set, no standbacks, no circling sets. Here- the opposite is true.

[Wiley]

T'man: "ever notice how on somedays you think....

"man, do I got this coyote thing figured out...I'm the best coyote trapper in the World!"

and a few days later..

"#@$%$% these coyotes..."


Steve I honestly do not know a coyote trapper worth his salt that didn't eventually run into a period of time where he thought he'd forgotten everything he once knew about coyote trapping. What I was never able to do is figure out why because I can't remember the time of year. Was it during deer hunting season, was it during the mating season, was it during certain weather patterns, I'm not sure. Just know it happens in OUR coyote populations of the Dakotas.


Like others have mentioned, I also want to add anchoring to my list. That is a very common mistake made by novice trappers. As hot'ndry said, if you use short chains you need to cross stake them and if you use long chains you need to run at least a 24" rebar in tight soil or a disposable.

I wouldn't use anything less than a #2 Bridger for coyotes. The smaller the trap, the more chance for toe catches due to coyotes stepping on the pan and the jaw at the same time.


~SH~

[hotandry]

Steve,

You make some good points. One guy swears by speed dip. The next guy swears at it.

Different styles on just about everything by guys who are equally adept at taking coyotes.

The long spring guy with long chains and drags who never waxed a trap in his life and uses only flat sets with urine and home made gland lure. Versus the coil spring guy with short chains, stakes, wax, pours salt all over the place and wouldn't be without fish oil poured down a dirt hole.

What is the novice to think?

There is no one right way. Many different versions that lead to success. All of these different styles and techniques can confuse the beejeezus out of the new guy. And coyotes are the very worst at exploiting mistakes or messing with someone out there stringing steal but still not sure about any of this. Coyotes have survived and expanded their range by having the knack to find a loophole in any program. They seem to enjoy it at times.

But the novice needs to learn a system that works. Thats the hard part. Finding one way of doing it that works. Once he does and can rack em up consistently, then it really gets fun. Can fine tune that system, try different things, different places, different equipment. Can go to a convention or buy a video and learn an entirely new system and take it home and try it out the following year. Or not try it.

[trappincoyotes39]

Out west you have a ton of jack rabbits, and in the spring you have coons,badgers and skunks as well to deal with. I just soon leave the coons and skunks, and white bones, a pile of fresh dirt invites both the first night. Urine I use very little as the number of rabbits I have isn't worth it on a wide scale.

Pan tension helps out greatly with rabbits.

[Steve Gappa]

Pan tension helps out greatly with rabbits

caught more rabbits (jacks) first check in WY, then I get here in a year.

[Wiley]

Hey Steve,

You'll never guess where I set those MJ600s that still have your tag on them. Hahaha! Just Kidding! I had to chuckle when I saw those tags the other day. Hmmmm.....naaah I couldn't do that to ol' Steve because he'd get even right? LOL!

Drove past the ********** on my way home from Wyoming recently. Looks like it would be a bit challenging to sort locations in some of that flat ground.


~SH~

[Steve Gappa]

You leave those tags on- I plan on borrowing them next year....

Really wanted to catch a coyote in a jake or a sterling. but not to be.

When I pulled out all that shiny, new smelling chian, I thought...will I be spooking yotes?

And then I thought- Wiley wouldn't steer me wrong... if new chain was going to be a problem, then he would have told me.

it wasn't.... ;D

It was an eyeopner. At home, I have- really, I got to admit it- perfect set locations. No brainers.

There, few perfect locations. took us a couple of hours or so to figure that out- so then we concentrated on two things- 2 tracks and little depression lines that ran for a good distance.

Did have a couple of classic types that paid off- like finding gold when you drove over a rise and saw stock tanks.