I love it when a plan comes together.........

[trappnman]

as this season wears on, I can see one thing that is apparent- despite wanting to, I'm simply not going to run 100 traps and 40 locations, for a couple of reasons. Foremost I guess is that having only a trapline that allows me only a 180 from the point of origin (my house) severely limits the territory I can trap. I'm further limited by flat desolate space (cash crop, very limited habitat)to my west, and the twin cities to my NW, but also pretty urban area (suburbs, etc ,etc) south of me. I COULD add up all my locations, and instead of running 5 weeks plus a few days, condense it all down to a couple of weeks- but thats not going to happen for one main reason- we love coyote trapping, and the window is short enough between worthless fur, and the onset of a MN winter and 5 weeks is barely enough to satisfy the coyote urge.

And I'm not going to set traps, just to set traps, meaning sure I could set traps at every farm along the way, but I check enough empty traps as it is. so- it seems like our "normal" routine has come down to running 75-80 traps over 125-150 miles on each loop, running 25 or so locations.

but when it all comes together......

this present loop seems to be doing just that- even after a day and night sunday of 30-40 mph winds where we only caught 2 on monday, this is shaping up to be the best loop I've run and had my best day yesterday. I've taken 5 doubles of this loop in 5 days.

enjoy the pics from mon,tues and I'll be glad to answer specific questions on how each coyote is in relation to the location..I take pics only to show lori on days she isn't along, so they focus more o nthe coyote, than the area

the double with the bone- used to do this a lot, haven't past few years, started up again last year, and here and there this year. I DO think it adds to set, but in any case, does no harm





a double, but I just got corner of catch pic for the one-oh well














a muddy coyote at set 2 days in row-


a couple of pics from sun on camera, so might as well post them as well

[RdFx]

THanks for posting, do you wash your muddy yotes or hang till dry and then bush and skin? You have some real blond looking yotes there in your trapline. My yotes here are darker and more brown brindle color. Had almost inch and half rain here so things are real muddy and slippery on farm roads without gravel. THank god for 4x4 as even when pulling over to side , sometimes need to get going again or a slight incline. With the front coming thru with rain, really got the canines moving and yesterday was a banner day with yotes, fox and coon.

[trappnman]

I wash them. I've gone full circle a couple of times including the old wringer washer, and am back to using a tub and buckets. so wash and wring out one night, in front of fans and put up next.

wish I was getting more coon/fox incidentals- I'm even setting a few coon traps and have taken maybe a doz coon- all big boars but 2 15 lbrs- and only 5 fox- and am in a traditional fox area now-

did you get that snow? just missed us, but we got rain and inch plus a while back, then a front every few days with a bit more- as you said- spooky field roads esp when both sides chiseled plowed

on past 6 days- only non coyote catch has been 1 skunk

[trappnman]

had a pm asking if I'm just not setting on edges- in essense, wheres the spot? as I said earlier, the pics are just of the coyotes, not the locations- and yes, at the locations I do set on the edges- its the only backing available and even thats meager at best

but just about all those pics have a dead pile or other attraction close by-

for example the wagon pic- that whole area is a bone pile, with a huge dairy maybe 150 yards to right of pic with silage, compost, cow smell etc

or the last pic- at right hand corner, is a bone pile/dead pile with old feed manure as compost. it sits on top of the ridge, at an intersection of plateau field roads, with coulees on all sides.

[garbage collector]

Thanks for taking the time to post the pics. If the reds where around you'd have them, most of the locations scream traps. On the stock dam pic, it appears theres a levee of sorts, and it appears you've set off some ways, what was the reasoning.

[trappnman]

if you look in left of pic, you can see the cattle on the dam. thats part of the reason, the other is this little draw, runs from that coulee, up to the main farm and the dead pile