I'm thinking of trying my hand at thinning out the local coyote population this winter. Is there a thread here that gives me the A-Z on coyote trapping? How far apart should traps be? Lures? Sets? What type traps? Or, should I use snares?

I have 40 acres and there's another 125 acres right behind mine that is mostly wooded, with the rest being a part time gravel pit.

I'm pretty much a noob at trapping, unless you count the time I caught the neighbor's wandering tomcat when I was a teenager.

Thanks.

bruin,

A few years ago I read a few articles on trapping at trapperman.com and you would learn a lot from there as that website is dedicated to trapping. I am in the same boat as you. I just picked up 4 MB traps from Cabelas that were on sale and itching to try them out once the snow falls or when its very cold.

Thank, valad.

I'll check over there for info.

Good luck with your upcoming season.

Trapperman.com is a good source for info and there are many utube vids that are good.

The place that I learned the most from is Gutenberg online books. Go to gutenberg.org, scroll down to Site Map and click on Book Search, type Trapping in the search bar.

There you will find many e-books on trapping. Most if not all were written years ago, but the information is priceless.

Pick and choose through all the ideas and use what applies to your situation.

Yotes are careful critters, sometimes they won't touch a set for 3-4 days, so you have to do a good deal of driving to catch them.

It may be better to call and shoot'em than trying to trap them.

Sounds like you have private to trap, that should give you the luxury of making obvious sets..Like in a crossroads, and yes i mean the crossroads that you drive your truck on..set them.

Read the sign on the property and set on it, make at least twin sets, meaning two traps per spot..no need to crowd them, play the prevailing wind always,from there set for eye appeal/changing wind. Use a simple dirt hole and anything from a modded 1.75 Vic up to a #3. I prefer a #3 Vic RJ or a SJ #2 northwoods/bridger.Honestly an area the size you are talking, one or two properly located sets will get every dog on the place..After getting the dirt hole down, practice with some flat/blind sets for the ones youve educated, which is bound to happen.

Start simple and develop your own style..in a nut shell

Thanks for the advice, guys.

What about snares? Anyone recommend them.

Bed your traps solid.

If you are in michigan, entanglement snares are illegal. Personally if I was trapping MI, I'd steer clear of snares. Both because of regs and the deer issue.

I share something that I experienced years ago when I was trapping coons back in the late 70's.If I caught a skunk,I'd shoot it and leave it in the trap.It would usually spray,so I kept my distance from it for awhile.Everytime I did this,in three days,the coyotes would eat the skunk and roll and tear up the ground where the skunk and trap was.I remember an old coyote and Texas red wolf trapper during that time period use to brag that he would bet a man any amount of money he could catch a coyote within three days.I've often wondered if that was his secret.If I was after coyotes these days,I buy some skunk scent and give it a try.

Bald, skunk lures and urine are sometimes used in my arsenal. I can't even begin to think where to start with the OP's question.

First off I guess is where do live or where the hell is mitten?

You got alot to learn starting out going for yotes, but everybody has to start sometime.

Off the top of my head, while a few drinks into some Basil Hayden.....lol.... learn to hide the trap smell and try your best at covering your scent, although I believe they know you were there no matter what. Your job is to make it irresistible still though or be able to distract and get em with a hidden one. There's tons to learn grasshopper.

I will say this, love him or hate him, when I bought Ogormans reads my trap catch increased significantly. I can't give him all m the credit though, although most, some has to goto Clint Locklear reads as well as videos. Get familiar with those two names man. Goodluck looking for those tight chains brother

I actually picked up a tip or two from Mark June as well. Helluva guy and full of knowledge. Start going to some local trapper events and meet some pros like Mark and Clint and if you got thencash, Clint will come to you for a weeks worth of lessons along your trapline. I almost took him up on offer after PTA'S event one year, but the Mrs. Wasn't budging on the cashola. Plus I heard "you already got piles of fur in the shed" what's he going to show you--women--they just don't understand.

Thanks again for the responses, guys.

Pittu, several years ago Michigan allowed snares with certain parameters. I'm not aware of that law changing, but I'm going to take your advice seriously and look at the regs again and make sure I don't break any laws.

Molon41, the Mitten is the lower peninsula of Michigan and I'm about 8 miles due South of the tip of the lower peninsula.

Bruin, heard you got snow up there!!! Cool here, but no snow.

Got another question for you gents. This one is about coyote behavior. I found a spot out back where one or more have been crapping. It's a little 2' diameter hump of earth that I scalped the top off of with the brush hog a couple months ago. Yesterday I found very fresh droppings in this spot that are almost certainly coyote, and a few inches away from the fresh droppings there is another set of coyote droppings from a week or so ago.

Would you guys say it's coincidence or do coyotes mark areas like this? If not marking g territory, maybe it's just a convenient spot? Any ideas on this?

I'm considering setting up a hundred yards away in a brush line and trying to wait the canine crapper out and bust him.

If you keep finding multiple piles in same spot I'd say it's a boundary line or not spooping inside of den where it sleeps. Since you've been here and tampered with area I'd rule out the den because it would have relocated. Dont set trap 100 yards away, set it right where the [bleep] is. Play the wind and try to naturally funnel him down towards trap. That doesn't mean remodel area. Try to tamper as little as possible and place trap around 9inch Mark away from bait/lure. I sometimes setback 9 over one to three. Depends on location every set is different once you get good. Measure his stride if you can find is footprint nearby.

Take pics and I'll give as many pointers as i can before and after set. Dont put alot of [bleep] down like fox trapping if it's in a real open area. They don't like big huge backings or fall for the sticks all around the trap eliminating everywhere possible to place foot accept on top of trap--they're way smarter than that. They don't circle the trap either like fox. Atleast not the ones in the east. They come into a set and leave you either string him up or he roles

One of the biggest newb mistakes I would make when starting out was tampering with area trying to guide him to pan. Your job is to find out where he steps naturally. You have to remember he hunts same boundaries all the time. That's like his living room. If when you came home from work and your couch was moved a little you'd notice something w a snt right and somebody was there

set on the sign..You already made the eye appeal with your brush hog, without even knowing it..

Yotes dont so much make a "toilet" like a cat will,but the turds are certainly left as calling cards.

Wanted to add, if someone came in and cut a 4ft area of grass out of your front lawn, you would certainly go check it out and spend some time seeing WTF happened..That is essentially whats going on with that bald spot from the bush hog.

Prominent features in the landscape that catch your attention, will also catch predators attention.

[bleep] I just reread your post. Your not talking about trapping him now are you. You mentioned hiding in brush to ambush him

Yeah, Hazen, we got some snow, but nothing that lasted. Too darned early for that stuff and I have too much to do before winter hits - as usual.

Hope all is well with you and your Mrs.

Thanks for the info on the scat, guys.

Molon, yes, I am talking about trying to shoot the coyote. Sooner than later I hope. I don't know if it's the coyote or what, but something has the deer around here acting very strangely. 2 weeks ago I put a few apples and carrots that had gone a bit soft out in my food plot about 75 yards from the coyote restroom and 1 of the apples and all of the carrots are still there and judging by the coyote scat, it was the coyote eating the apples. The deer just won't touch them.

It's legal -

Coyote Snare guide for Michigan


Video - may or may not be current but gives an idea.

[video:youtube]ZAzgPL9BbuA[/video]

I read the Michigan regs a couple years ago and dispatch snares were illegal. The only type of snares you could use were non lethal snares. They have to have relaxing locks, deer stops on them, and two swivels. They cannot be attached in a way that the coyote can get entangled or strangulate.

Unless something has changed in the regs, I personally would skip snaring under those conditions, but then again, if you can check once a day, maybe its not so bad. A canine in a non lethal snare is going to tear the hell out of itself and your gear. I'd rather have them dispatched shortly after the catch and long before I get there.

Good luck, they can be tricky to catch depending how wary they are. The young ones can be incredibly stupid, but they can learn fast.

Thanks again for your input, Pittu. You too, Teal.

I'll probably forgo the snares. They were only appealing due to what I thought was their simplicity, but if they have to have this, that and another thing to be legal, they're no simpler than a trap.

I gotta look into getting a few traps now.

Not trying to steal the thread---

Caught a coyote in a hog snare today-- stuff happens!
Also had a deer in the hog trap-- turned it loose.

I got back from Eastern MT yesterday.
There was an old guy with 3 coyotes in his truck and some coil spring jaw traps.
I asked him how he could trap a coyote when I am kicking up a cotton tail or hare every few feet in the sage brush.

He said he was putting lure on a bone.

keep us abreast of your progress.

That scalped spot with the turds is a public read board of sorts. They crap to mark their presence and others will follow suit to communicate.

Set on either side of it, one dirt hole, one flat with gland.

As a kid I. Did a lot of trapping but never ever could catch a coyote in a leg hold...had some old timers show me sets and how to sift dirt ect..fence line snares would get them tho...caught a few that way....dog hunters hate snares but tough they weren't supposed to be running there....

If you will put a stop on the snare, it will catch the coyotes, dogs, deer, etc and not choke them to death. That way you can release the dogs and deer, alive.

I could be that the coyote ate the apple, they eat pears. Put a game camera out and you can see what is coming around. I killed 5 coyotes eating pears, this past September (may have been August). They started eating them at night, but after about 10 days to 2 weeks, they started coming in the daytime. Their mistake!

Never caught any pets it was always someone's hound out coon hunting..
Never bothered with a stop as they would just take the snare...and then have choice words for me.....and they were trespassing on our farm...go figure...I ran hounds too and my dog would not choke himself with a snare..he just waited for me to rescue him...

I've been using "snares" known as "cable restraints" in Michigan for 10 years...we use what is allowed better than nothing ...sure would like to use" dispatch snares" being we can only use "cable restrains" only on private land...

Its the best way to eliminate coyotes in deer yards in the UP when we get a couple feet of snow in January and February...I've caught only one deer in 10 years a very small fawn and it was released...I use jump sticks across deer runways...deer go over coyotes go under...I do loose 1-2 coyotes a year to wolves killing and ripping to pieces a caught coyote...

Last year I caught in "cable restraints" 43 coyotes on 1600 acres of private land...

I have used a bait/attractant successfully. Stake down a dead sheep in an open field and set a scent post set downwind nearby. Don't set the bait itself or you are liable to catch an eagle or hawk.

Bed the trap SOLID and u will be successful

Set the trap were he puts his foot down

I started trapping rats (muskrats) when I was 10 years old (1973). Caught thousands of them. A few mink, skunks, weasels, ducks, pheasants etc... Back in the day, I was getting $7.00 for an avg rat, and upwards of $13.00-$14.00 for a nice big one. Bringing home a check of $750-$1000 a month as a 15 year old kid.

I trapped beaver too. But by far the most difficult was Mr. Wiley Coyote.

Read lots of books, talk to lots of old timers and then develop a routine that works for you.

Good Luck !

I don't know if this link will work; but I know the guy who wrote this article on trapping coyotes in his career he has probably filled several dump truck loads full of problem coyotes. The trap he is setting in the pictures are sterling mj 600's and they do fit inside a plastic sandwich bag when set. Those traps are powerful leg holds. Hope that helps.

http://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/C660.pdf

Guys on the deer lease catch them. They hang a big treble hook 4 feet off the groung baited with hamburger. They do this by the place where dump deer and hog guts. They have caught quite a few.

Sorry, I cannot hate any animal that much. A cat once caught itself on a sturgeon bait I left dangling out of the pickup bed. I hate cats and still felt bad for catching it.

Agreed^^^^^^

That's truly f u c k e d up.....

You have some real a-holes at your Deer lease hanco.........

ETA....the fact that you allow it doesn't say much for you either.....

No animal deserves that!!

Having trapped a lot of animals in my life, I'm having a difficult time seeing this work. Not that they would not bite it, but that they would still be there to see them on the line.

Are you suggesting that they are caught and still there when you arrive? Or is this a way to have them runoff with a treble hook in their mouth?

I've caught a pile of wild stuff that will fight so hard that they will do far more damage to themselves trying to escape then the trap alone could ever manage. I just don't see a coyote hooked in the thin skin of the lips or tongue staying put without ripping loose and running off. Raccoons, hogs, bear, coyote, wolverine, these guys are gonna rip lose and be gone I think in every case, especially upon your approach.

Cats, possums, skunks, and even Wolves, I could see them curl up and sleep til you arrive. They don't fight traps as relentlessly as the others.

I had a PM from a trusted member here this morning that said he knew an old fool that did the same thing and it worked...

Either way it takes a real piece of chit to even think of doing something like that.....period......

With the bait 4' off the ground the coyote would have little leverage available and I suspect it would work. The cat I caught was off the ground.

I guess with a springy limb and only the back feet on the ground?

I'm sure you know and have experienced Art, some animals will rip themselves apart without seeming to feel any pain at all to escape, and others will just curl up and lay there.

Wolves were the biggest surprise in my early years trapping. I cannot even recall how many traps I walked up on thinking they were empty only to see a wolf curled up laying there looking at me.

Wolverines on the other hand if they came loose they would chase you all the way back to the skiff trying to kill you.

Otters in 330s were always the ones that scared me... awful tough to kill when caught wrong. 220s are perfect and never fail to just kill 'em, but when they get in beaver sets with 330s a bunch survive it and are real unhappy about the whole thing.

I was always petrified of setting those 330's. If you were caught in one you're not getting out by yourself! I had one set in a barn for a raccoon that was killing the farmers chickens. It was set in front of a 5 gallon bucket with bait in the back. Coons are not trap shy at all.

It was a harmless situation with no risk of non target species. However the farmer had a giant mixed breed dog. Looked mostly like an Akita, or something like that. Hard to really tell it was mangie and oily looking from laying around in the barn, and where they worked on equipment. It was at my age then,.... the meanest living thing on earth. He kept in on a 100 feet of chain when he was not home in front of the house. The idiot would chase me at full speed every time I arrived to check the traps and fly up into the air backwards when the chain ran out. Every single time! He was truly an idiot of a dog.

So I'm there with my then 10 year old brother in my jeep. I get out to go check the coon trap before we head to the pond for the ice hockey game. It was middle of winter. On my way to the barn the idiot dog comes for me,.. and about the time the chain would normally flip him over backwards it breaks and the dog is now free to come for me. I ran my ass off ( thankful noticing this) and jump for the barn interior ladder to the hay loft. Ha Ha! I made it safe and he cannot get me!

However after about 5 minutes I'm thinking my little brother is gonna come looking for me. He would be shook like a rag by this beast. HHHMMMM well there is no coon in the trap....... I can climb over to the other side with the dog following my every movement. Sure enough he sees the bait and WHACK, one giant dog dead as a rock. A few kicks and a a gasp then it's over.

So the farmer will kill me now, but what was I gonna do? The Farmer ended up not caring one bit. He said it was actually a relief because he was afraid that beast would kill somebody or badly hurt them and he would be sued. So I kept up with the trap line and never had a problem.

The biggest takeaway though was being a man about the whole thing and telling him what I did in the first place. I could have carried that dead dog away and never said a word.

I got a friend that will make you laugh so much that you cant get a breath, when telling about the time he got his arm caught in a 330.

Luckly it happened at his barn, so he walked to the house to get his wife to help get it off.

Needless to say, he tells of the shock of getting caught, the struggling of trying to get out while at the barn, the decision to get his wife to help, the pain, and how useless his wife was.

Lucky his arm wasn't broken. Those 330s are one bad mother.

The worst injury I saw with one was massive blood loss when the forked metal trigger speared through the forearm of an acquaintance I had in Alaska. He was rather close to death before getting help by a miracle of a hiking passerby.

I met up with him a short time after the event and he told me the trap was secured to a slider and that weight went down into the water trying to pull him down. All the while the blood was soaking through his jacket and he was being pulled by that weight.

I love the performance but hated the fear they put in me. Ha Ha, some of my buddies tell me I'm way to paranoid about stuff. I reply Paranoia has kept my alive over 1/2 a century now!

I agree. I'd be tempted to shoot the guys not the yotes...

Coyotes and bears are predators, and should be treated as such.... Aerial gunning, snaring, treble hooks, dogs etc....

It must suck walking around with that much ignorance and hate 24/7.....

no love for coyotes, but pulling wings off flies might suit your needs

No not really. I like quality hunting for deer, elk, moose etc. nothing ignorant about that....

So only the animals YOU like have a place in nature and should be treated humanly......got it.....

Ya that's it.....

I can remember in this area, when their was plenty of rabbits, pheasants, quail, and deer. Now their are plenty of hawks owls and coyotes. I wish we could kill-em all any way possible like people did before they all got Bambi-ized.

Ya it's a. Feminized society for sure. Hell some of these donkeys act like they'd rather eat coyote, wolf or bear steak than a good buck or bull steak.....

You don't suppose Rabbit, Quail, Pheasant, and Deer hunters as well as the loss of habitat so's you could build a house, clean farming, and over grazing had anything to do with that do you.....

Yea.....I didn't think so....

All that aside.....it's still a sad sack of chit that thinks gutting an animal with a fish hook is acceptable......

Funny thing about social media, lotta thing get said that wouldn't get said to ones face...... Social media has created lotsa tough guys you big name caller you field grade!!! And folks wonder why there are so many azzholes on the web.

I live at 31553 Whitetail Lane in Lenore ID.....stop by any time you're feeling froggy....

You are a bad man!!! Funny I hunt babbit bench rd, might cross paths in November.. .... You'd go out like a bitch... Just sayin'