When you eliminate...

[foxman]

A group of coyotes on a particular tract of land, assuming you caught all or maybe all but one. How long before the next group moves in? Do you wait until next season to trap it? Or do you rotate back after a few months? Just curious... -Matt

[trappnman]

too many variables- so much depends on the coyote populations, the area where caught, time of year, etc

[foxman]

Oh. Well what would kind of answer would you give for your area ?

[trappincoyotes39]

foxman if your trapping early Oct and NOV and come back in January your going to have more coyotes in good areas No doubts about that! Your getting the residents out early and your going to get fill in rather quickly. Specially along major drainages.

Your never going to trap them ALL, so if you have great areas and hammer them hard early mid fall no reason you can't come back in later and take a good amount again, location will determine your sucess and also breeding coyotes and large draw stations can benefit you early and late for sure.

[foxman]

Thank you for the answer tc. I probably won't trap a single yote this year unless I miraculously get a new truck real soon.

[trappnman]

good areas are one of the variables I mentioned.

the point being, is that there is no true or correct answer-

in my aera, we don't get a drift per se, we get more of a rearranging meaning enough good terriory, that tey don't move far.

which brings up a question- does drift (or shuffling) occur by nature or need? how far to they go?

one more reason to look for the spot- the bigger the attraction, the more overlapping territories, the faster it will fill in.

and look at fall trapping locations, vs winter locations- those coyotes aren't going to be in the same place during each season so that while you wil lget relocation, during winter, esp in snow/cold areas- many hot spots during nov will be dead zones during december

I don't like to go back- I caught some, I spooked some- why fight a battle stacked against me by returning to pick up a coyote or two that moves in?

I'll give them my best while there- and remaining can run free and repopulate- after all, as a fur trapper, the last goal in mind is to eliminate or knock them back enough so my catch hurts next year-

and like 1080 tells me- that will be the day! lol

[trappincoyotes39]

Tman trap and area of yours give it a break go back in Dec and later and howl or locate at sundown I think you will find more than what you thought in the beginning.

IN many areas in SD you can go back and what your working will be a pile of new coyotes has been seen time and again. The reason for maximum bang for the buck most will hold off until Mid feb or later to start to do real work on coyotes as the sift in is quite a thing to see. Earlier on than that time frame.

Coyotes have a pecking order and remove from the best habitat it will fill in with about as many as you have taken out then as your timing gets later into early spring your numbers will start to slow down on the sift in part due to them starting to lock down on core areas for pup whelping.


Modified to add; if your on limited amounts of ground or want to keep trapping/snaring later on into the year going back through after the first Fall frenzy can gain you plenty of extra pelts, but I think more like an ADC guy than cream and go fur guy

[trappnman]

TC- the HABITAT demands changes in locations- much of whats held as territory in the spring, isn't even occupied in the in winter.

thats not to say that GOOD spots won't keep attracting- if the situation is right they will.

but generally overall, for me, its not worth going back

if you really wanted to trap them in 2 waves, then if it was me, I'd scout out both fall and winter locations, because they are going to be, for me, different more often than not.

if its a great everyday location- then why move at all?

[foxman]

Sept 5, 2012 8:59:42 GMT -6 trappnman said:

if its a great everyday location- then why move at all?

No real reason except to keep trapping new land and to keep moving. Say your trapping 3 plots of land... Nothing huge maybe 5 thousand acres a piece. So you have 15 thousand acres to trap total.. You trap one section hard until catch dies off then u switch. Once you've trapped all 15 and say you don't have more land to trap you start over at the beginning. I'm not out to trap 100s of coyotes just wanting to keep the catch consistent, enjoy myself and learn more about these things. The reasoning behind my original question was to get opinions on wether or not it is a logical thing to do. -Matt

[trappnman]

Matt- whether its feasible to do, depends on what you want to do.

certainly, if your goal is to just trap, whatever is there, then rotating lines is fine-

15000 acres isn't a lot really, esp if it continuous. that's 40-50 average sized farms around here- I used to traps those 40-50 farms spending weeks on them ,and caught coyotes, here and there, during the entire time. but it suited me.

so if it suits you, then for sure go back to at least your best lines, best spots, best attraction & stall out combination points, and hit it again.

how long and how many parts of that 15,000 acres are you going to cover at one time? how many loops?

so after 3-4 weeks, even taking it slow, you would have that ground covered.

so if, going back to your original question, on that 15,000 acres- if you did any good at all first time through, unless absolutely prime perfect habitat, spot etc (in which case don't leave) then its going be like you never left to the ones still there, and I don't think you'd have enough drift in a few weeks to matter

my advise since you want it to be a learning experience- find the best locations, map out a couple of loops and spend 3-4 weeks on each loop- moving locations, changing things up, studying hits and misses- would be a good way to have fun

[foxman]

Thanks the for the input. -matt

[trappincoyotes39]

How about if you have an area that you kill say 32 coyotes off of and a 3 weeks later you take another 28? Where they all there you just missed them or did you have fill in to a large degree?

[foxman]

I would say you had a fill in to a large degree.

[trappnman]

thats not fill in- thats continous use of a location thats a terrirorial overlap at a prime attraction

[trappincoyotes39]

Tman that is a fancy way of saying "fill in" is it not? Where talking winter time here pre denning period.

There would be little territory over lap, as though that held it where done did killed off! Correct?

Prime habitat being filled in by lack of response from those dead coyotes correct? The shift was on correct?

[trappnman]

There would be little territory over lap, as though that held it where done did killed off! Correct?


actually, we are talking fall, and prewinter if oyu will. anyone wanting to winter trap coyotes, is on their own concerning advise from me- cause my advise, is trap mink. LOL

but your statement, in my mind, is false.

We are not talking holding territory per se, we are talking about overlap- and if you aren't having overlap, you aren't in the right location.

and as I said many times, if you ARE at that location, and you have the time and are trapping for experience and education- then STAY there

but if you are not, on 15000 acres of land- not much reason TO go back

[trappincoyotes39]

tman I understand over lap I also understand how quick coyotes can fill in the right areas too. Fill in takes place has been seen time and time again, aerial hunting can really show one the differance of overlap and fill in. 3 types in situations overlap, fill in and concintrations.

All depends on how "rich" your enviroment is. If your setting on the best places in that 15,000 acres the other surrounding it for quite some way might not be much of anything, you search out those best locals that will put the most coyotes in your lap. The higher acrchy thing for the most suitable habitat.

Not all areas of the US are the same.

[trappnman]

no, all areas aren't the same- but a coyote is still a coyote.

a more pertenient qustion might be- what casues relocation? nature or need?

[trappincoyotes39]

a coyote is a coyote but taking in habitat and prey base and the makeup of such all get's into dispersal and how far and how fast and also denning situations as well to how far apart or how close.

Good coyote habitat will get filled in, that is a given as well as good denning areas will have a den in them every spring as long as things stay relatively the same.

Coyote very communicative we all know this, if they find a vacant area of good habitat, they will move into that area if given the chance. Happens quicker in the late fall and winter but will take place after those coyote pups are mobil as well.

A guy calls in Late May moved sheep into summer pastures and right off the bat they have killing going on, alot of the times they moved the sheep right into a coyote denning area, you go in kill off that family and all might be good for a few months come mid to end july, he calls again bigger lambs showing up dead, a now mobil family just moved up and filled in the void left by the ones you killed out. A typical situation, you could take out 1-3 dens but many times the same thing will happen those coyotes could be moving in from 4-5 miles away or more. If he is the lone sheepman for aways those coyotes hear the sheep and just move the kids up to the buffet.

Call it nature or need it takes place.

In the midwest with less summer livestock to work and a much higher prey base of small prey species they don't need to move as far as the small prey base is more abundant and the habitat better.

[trappnman]

you went around the point I'd like answered- if yo udon;t want to or can't, thats ok-

but seriously, I'd like your (and any others) opinion on what triggers dispersal, or drift the most-

need or nature-

do they disperse more from needing better habitat/preybase/etc or do they do so more cause thats just the nature of coyotes.

I think it makes a difference if in no other way than understanding