Overlap.....bait em up!

[aaroncurtis]

Based on some discussions here in the past I got to thinking about territory size, overlap, etc. In my area I don't have the luxury of large tracts of unbroken private property in which I could follow tracks so I basically have relied upon circling the square to determine coyote movement from one section to another.....sometimes its easy sometimes its not depending on the area I am in. Based on what I have noticed while following sign in the winter I would say I need to move 8-9 miles to get into a new territory with different coyotes.......I will add that 8-9 miles is a SSWAG (slightly scientific wild a$$ guess). How far do you guys feel you need to go to get into fresh coyotes? I trap primarily farm country and gravel pits......there are a few pits that I cannot get into unfortunately .........they are all fearful of being sued so getting into the bigger pits is about as easy as catching Haley's comet. The best I can do is find private ground surrounding them and intercept them coming and going........it's not ideal but it is reality. I have been trying to formulate a game plan to bait up some of these locations and wondered what baiting means to you? I am sure everyone has a different definition of what baiting coyotes is.........is it a truckload of meat scraps, a hole in the ground with some liquid bait, a few deer carcasses.......a semi load of butcher scraps/bones/skins? To me baiting is something that would last 7-10 nights before needing to be refreshed!

[trappnman]

2 types of baiting from the way I have come to understand it.

Baiting that's a long term draw for scavenging purposes, or baiting to keep them in the area a little longer.

Best big bait around here, are dead cows and calves. Luckily I'm in a good dairy area, so I have farmers doing my baiting for me 365- and those places are of course the highlights of my line. I have several farmers that have other farms, with cows but seldom dead, and they actually will take dead stuff periodically from the home farm, to points on their other farms where I feel it would do the best good for me.

If I had the inclination and the time, I'd have deals with several close by farmers to call me when they have dead calves, and I'd go get them and spread them out along my line in choice locations. If you have that option, or could make a deal with your county to take dead deer, I'd go that route.

I also see the value of having carcasses at most if not all locations as a short term draw, and more as a interest point to keep them in the area a little longer if just passing through.

For those that do not skin in the field, all I can tell you I wish I would have started doing it decades ago, I like it that much both to have carcasses there, but also in the sheer ease in skinning, transporting, at home work, etc

the only way to really find overlap, is to know where the litters were raised. This is a weak point for me, and I compensate both by being out on many of my farms all summer and thus being able to see whats in the area, and also by assuming that a big attraction in suitable country, will have overlap.

the right way would be boots on the ground searching out dens, and calling to locate family groups.

as far as how far to you have to go to get on different coyotes, IMO that is 100% dependent on the habitat and the attractions. I think continuity of range is also a factor- some of my singular attractions I don't doubt that coyotes are coming in from far more than 7-8 miles, yet in coulee small farm country, the habitat is such that I don't think there IS much overlap.

[trappincoyotes39]

Overall coyote population will also dictate how many family groups and over lap you have as well.