Re Luring, Re Baiting and Resetting

[GoBlueGuy]

Last week the temps had fallen into the mid 20's and my traps had a frozen crust over them about 3/4 of an inch thick. I reset every set and dressed the set up as nice as I could. Then 2 days later (last Saturday)we had 3 inches of snow. I didn't know what to do so I went out and brushed all the snow off all my sets and found the traps workable so I redressed the set and made the area look very dirty. I relured, rebaited the sets I couldn't smell and dribbled fox urine on the backing of every set. Today it rained for almost 6 hours and all the snow is gone.

So I don't know if I should leave the sets alone or relure and rebait them. Temperatures are going to stay in the low 30's for the next 5 days with no rain. My instinct is to let them be because I have been messing with them so much in the last 5 or 6 days they have to very hot with scent.

Looking for some advice. The weather in SE Michigan has been so up and down with temps and rain I can't believe it. Tough conditions.

[tzone]

What type of antifreeze system are you using?

[trappnman]

definitely let them be if you are certain they are in working order.

sounds to me like you are doing what so many do, and thats messing around with the set too much. While I don't consider human scent to be a silver bullet, I do believe that constantly readjusting, reluring, etc doesn't help things. if the coyotes are already avoiding the sets, then constantly redoing things just makes that worse, IMO

now you see the value of making sets, that work in all types of temps and conditions- but take heart- trapping in snow is HARD. the only bright spot in that snow cloud, is it certainly is a learning experience!

lots of guys think coyotes do things different in snow, but as JC told me years ago- don't beleive for a second, what you see them doing in snow, they aren't doing on bare ground.

personally, what I would do- is pull everything, regroup, then either set up a fresh area, or wait a while then go back and set up in new locations (on same general area as you pulled) using baits and lures unused in first sets.

[bulldozerjoe]

Same problem here in new york, everyday is different. Good reply tman.
Sometimes you get frustrated and mess with the sets to often. I love it when you mess with the set and it fires, now your back to square one with a human sent covered set.
What about lure usage this late in the game. With season almost over and the mateing season just going to start, would more gland at sets be better?

[jim]

lots of guys think coyotes do things different in snow, but as JC told me years ago- don't beleive for a second, what you see them doing in snow, they aren't doing on bare ground.[/quote]

I am not sure I believe that(I am on a tear tonight) I have had a few sets in a real sandy spot where the tracks show and it didn't compare to the snow sets. Would be nice to have some more of those spots to observe what they did.
Jim

[trappnman]

a good discussion point-

do you, as a coyote trapper, feel that coyotes work sets different on bare ground, vs snow?

I was talking with a freind a while back, and said i was sailing along, thinking i was slaying them...then we got a couple of inches of snow....and my ego got deflated quite a bit.

those tracks that come 15-20 feet away, or stand behind the backing -you would never know w/o snow- but i'm thinking it still occurs

one thing JC also said- concerning the habit of canines tracking each other in snow- he said, based on his experiences with blind trail sets, they do the same on bare ground.

[Aaron.F]

The weather in Southern Michigan has been awful to try and keep traps going; thaw, rain, freeze, snow. This last weekend I would have added three yotes to my catch if traps were working. I struggle with how much to adjust my traps and then I have a day like this last weekend and I realize I obviously didn't do enough. You could argue if I reworked them the coyotes might not have commited. I don't know. After this thaw and the remaining soup we were left with on Monday, I called it a year on canines. Had my best year ever though.

FYI, I love trapping in about 2-4 inches of snow. I don't catch as much, but I learn a whole lot more.

[Possum]

I think coyotes in a few inches of snow behave just like coyotes on bare ground. Drifts could make a difference. I agree, trapping in fresh snow is nothing if not an eye opener!

[cowhorn]

My dealings are with rain,no snow here to battle very often.But i always leave dirthole sets alone.My most recent battle was a good rain that filled the hole up.I didnt even want to pull as that red mud was awful.I just let it sit.Tracks on the farm path so i knew several coyotes were there.5 or 6 days after that good rain,got a large male yote.I never did anything but just let it sit,i guess he could still smell the bait and pee,dont know but this is not the first time for me.And each time i drove by i said i need to pull that,but kept hoping and it pays off.

[janv]

I believe they act the same on snow but when a fresh snow covers traps subtle guiding is coverd up and useless.

[Possum]

Not to rile any feathers, but snow or not, subtle guiding is useless.

[trappnman]

I disagree 100%

[foxman]

Jan 28, 2012 7:18:57 GMT -6 Possum said:

Not to rile any feathers, but snow or not, subtle guiding is useless.

why? maybe to you, but i like it.

[trappnman]

I've heard plenty of knocks on "subtle" guides meaning, in most instances, using small clods of dirt, pebbles, pieces of corn cob, etc.

the knocks come in 2 forms- one is they don't work, the other is they aren't suitable for all conditions.

#1- they work, at least for me. I've never come to a "missed" set, and found a track on top of my subtle guide, nor do I see misses cause they rolled them away, etc. I believe a coyote, or any canine for that matter given a choice, won't step on small vertical items, if the rest of the terrian hes looking over, is smooth/flat/horizontal. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong, but until I see evidence I'm wrong (by the coyote, at the pattern), I'll continue my ways.

#2- yes, there is a conditional point here. That indeed, if you are using guides 1-2" tall, if you get a foot of snow, they do indeed become worthless. But how many that use subtle guides, trap much if at all, in snow covered traps for more than a rare day or two? I don't.

When I trap coyotes, if I get a foot or two of snow- I'm going to have a lot more worries than if my guides aren't working. And mid oct to mid nov we get such snows so rarely, that its not a consideration nor a factor in making sets, or choosing locations.

How about rain? I hear the debatre that clods, etc melt in rain- and while that might well be true, its got to be based on soil type- and I've never found, even with an inch or more of rain, where a sun baked clod, is going to melt down (my soil)...............they don't.

so while subtle guides might not be your thing, and while some do have the debate that personally they want to be ready for deep snow, tornados, torrential rains etc-

I'm a fair weather coyote trapper (you can keep your snow) and I find clods and stones convienient, readily available, easy to add to a set- and they do what I want them to do-

guide

but- I'd love to hear the reasons why, other than snow- subtle guides don't work.

[trappnman]

no one with the courage of their convictions?

[redsnow]

I'd been watching too. My opinion, small, even tiny guides up the catch percentage.

[seldom]

Yup, I've been watching as well. I'm a firm believer in subtle guiding and a good 1/2-2/3 of my "scented" coyote trapping is done with a snow depth ranging from 2"-6". The only difference between my bare ground sets and my snow sets is the vertical heigth of the subtle guiding!

as JC told me years ago- don't beleive for a second, what you see them doing in snow, they aren't doing on bare ground.

I agree, that has been my observation and experience as well.

[GoBlueGuy]

Seldom, are you saying that your guiding is low to the ground. Not using sticks but using small stones and twigs so the yotes don't step on them?

[seldom]

Feb 11, 2012 18:06:31 GMT -6 GoBlueGuy said:

Seldom, are you saying that your guiding is low to the ground. Not using sticks but using small stones and twigs so the yotes don't step on them?

Rather than repeat what has been previously well characterized, take another read of Steve's post.