coyote populations-

[Steve Gappa]

for most of my trapping coyotes- the number taken was directly related to time spent-

but not the past 2 years- 2007s year numbers were close to the norm (84) but thought with the work I did should have had more BUT trapped 10 days less... so all in all a 100 coyote year assuming those 10 days.....

so-

this year, really hit it hard- not dusk to dark hard, but 100+ traps hard plus coon.

and it simply didn't work out like planned-

take a farm where farmers told me "yeah, lots of yotes around" and I'd bang 3,4,5 etc quick-

but many normal spots- little or no luck-

had 1 location where its ALWAYS minimum of 4-5, and most years 7-8 , last year 9 for 20 years- this year- a coyote first night- and nothing.

another location- 7 last year- this year not a trap touched-

several other examples-

coon as well were down- but coon come and go- I've seen a general decline in coon on individual farms over the years, but it goes up and down regular

so- back to coyotes-

when will my populations regroup?

fox have been consistent btw and increasing each year- every farmer you talk to tells you they are seeing fox, where a few years ago they didn't. I took fox scattered all over this year- on farms that I never saw a fox for 20 years-

so if parvo or distemper or whatever- whats the cycle?

thoughts?

[Traveler]

Can't help 'ya on this one Steve.My population has been on rock bottom for three years now with no relief in sight.Whatever hit here took things to the bone.

[trappnman]

how are the other furbearer populations? Any thoughts as to why less yotes?

[Traveler]

Everything else except 'cats is running pretty well normal.There does seem to be a little increase in the coons overall.'Cats hit bottom the same time as the coyotes.Back in early Feburary I walked half a day and finely hit one coyote track.The is the worst I've seen it here.

[ryanvo]

Coyotes and cats are down here too,our rabbit population tanked last spring probobly has everything to do with it. NO FOOD no predators. Litters are smaller cats I believe had one maybe 2 kittens, survival rate probably around 10% My thoughts Rabbits come back cats and coyotes start a year later. PS Plague hit the prarie dogs. Absolutly No food No food NO LIFE

[bobwendt]

saw the dead rabbits everywhere last spring around gillette. only fox were ther ranch yard fox and the towny fox.

[trappnman]

but here, the food is pretty consistent and pretty varied- plus road kill and farmers dump-

whats your best guess bob on why my populations are down, and when they will rebound-

all I caught were healthy-

no mange

never found any dead ones

seemed like a mixed bag between adults and yoy

[ohiyotee]

you have trapped them to death

[trappnman]

while I like to think that- I just can't believe that you could- my area is 25 miles by 25 miles by 25 miles in a half circle along the river-

is it possible for basically 1 guy- Im guessing conservatively that there can't be more than 75-100 more harvested in that area besides me-

so say a max of 200 year after year-

possible?

it IS a somewhat blocked off on 3 sides from any major travel

[ohiyotee]

I was kinda joking , but it could be possible. Here we are still in the growing population as i have seen more every year and it is increasingly easier to catch a few. Seems that no matter how many i kill there is even more the next year. Not hard to explain as i am the only one that i know of killing any number for a good radius.

[trappnman]

I knew you were joking- but have wondered it myself-

I mean 1 litter a trapped farm would more than replenish-

[17HMR]

I have skipped over big areas becuse of lack of sign that the year before was full of coyotes. I always go back and have a look later in the winter in these areas and most times still see little to no tracks. I always like to think it was me too but, I think the real reason is farmers doing somthing diff over the next hill or two that I dont know about that pulls the coyotes away from there. Here it dont take much to get a coyote move on to better ground because there isnt much anywhere that is better than anywhere else, its all the same till the farmer changes somthing. I think I must trap coyotes a little diff than you as in I dont set traps unless there are tracks or turds. My soil/sand is easy to track in after 2 or 3 calm days.

[bobwendt]

you can trap then to lower levels. I work them hard here close to the house, and not many. my super pig farm I`ve taken from 25 a year and now down to 3 a year andI trap nowhere around it, but likely get all the coyotes in a 10 mile radius coming there. one little blip of parvo or a guy on the pig farm 10 miles over and you can hurt them. sheep country in the west is proof you can hurt them. a coyote trapper would starve to death there. and you stay at one spot 30 days tman. I doubt much left except what comes in after you leave.

[trappnman]

I do stay at some spots 4 weeks- most other spots 10 days or so-

I've been thinking of more of a run and gun- which will mean expanding but thats ok

[cowhorn]

It could be a combination of things too,a smaller prey base,disease taking hold and maybe trapping pressure all bringing the populations down. would be hard to pinpoint exactly i guess. I know as coyotes become more plentiful here in NC our fox are fading,as you say yours are staying the same. I wish that would happen here.

[bobwendt]

I notice if youi take the dominant breeder female, often no litters in that area for 1-2-3 years. they aren`t bullet proof, even tho their great migration distances does make them more resilient than the poor little red fox. those can be trapped "OUT".

[jim]

Steve; I was a mink and coon trapper only until I retired in 1995, dinked around with some old traps a couple years and then bought ten doz. no. 2 bridgers for 1998 season and got 29 coyotes, 103 mink ,107 coon and 165 beaver.
1999-48 coy,89m,210 b
2000-54coy,51m,66b
2001 start of daily trap check, only trapped for coy got34
2002 back to two day check only got 7 coy, just didn't seem to be any out there, pulled coy traps set for mink and only got 28 of them, a very poor year
2003 coyotes were back got 69 in a month, 67 beaver
2004 was going to get my 100coy in a month-wrong got 27 in two weekspulled and set for mink got 50 mink,68 coon
2005 daily trap check law again35 coyotes
2006 17 coy
2007 prostate kept me at Dr's office almost as much time as I spent in the woods. 13 coy in a week
2008 last year 3 weeks got me 37 coyotes,looks like they are thicker now dog hunter are still doing good. It is hard to find a rabbit or snowshoe track for the last two or three years, they must be eating mice or deer. Jim

[rionueces]

You have thinned them out T-Man. Think about it. 70 to 100 per year plus the other trappers. it doesn't take too many years to reduce the population. we have reduced the populations on the large ranches that we trap and snare down here. it takes a few years for others to move in and reproduce. the bonus is that the bobcats really come back strong after thinning the coyotes out.

[seldom]

Well I'll be danged!!! Tonight on the 6:00 pm news they reported we've got a PARVO outbreak in my county!!!! It seems the County's Animal Control cops, while picking up stray dogs apparently got one(or more) with PARVO. Contaminated the Shelter and forced a decontamination of the facility.

Tapping canines these past few years I've caught coyote and reds each year with mange and this past season there was an obvious decrease in coyote and fox sign. At first I thought it had something to do with crop rotation but that didn't hold up. So, I figured I had more of a mange problem then what I was seeing.

My coyote take was down 40% and my fox, down 60%!!!! I spoke with a couple of houndsman and one said that he'd been warned early in the fall to make sure his dogs' shots were up-to-date because something was going around. You might know, neither of the fellas attempted to find out what "was going around"!!

Coyote are hunted heavily with dogs in my county and the three counties east, south, and west of mine. Rumor has it that their take was down considerably but nobody was talking numbers or differences between years.

There is another faction that hunts coyote on foot every weekend with snow on the ground and they're pretty darn good at it since they hunt the same sections every year. One of those groups has hunted the same area east of me(part of my trapping territory) for 20 years and they take 65 coyote every year, year in-year out. This year I spoke with one of the group I know quite well and for the first time, he avoided talking numbers!!! Usually they hang the coyotes in trees in their front yards to freeze and if anybody wants them, they just choose and pick them off the trees.

I'll know before next fall if the mange and PARVO has put a big hurt on them or if it's an isolated thing and much to do about nothing. I'm not putting any money on it though and may just start eyeballing mink again.

[bobwendt]

coyotes get parvo. red fox don`t. grey fox do. coon do.