Coyotes

[versa-06]

--Well Deer season is over for this region & I'm not done for the season. I try to start my coyote trapping as soon as deer season ends, but the weather has been tough in these Va mountains. Do any of you go after them after the meat season is over? I want to get rid of every fawn killing machine that runs in these woods. I got me a FoxPro caller last summer & plan on using it also. Year before last I got 11 Yotes but only 2-3 last year due to some old age back problems. Shot 1 this year with a 454 casull rifle, bullet impact was right behind the shoulder with the Lee 255 gr FN bullet. When I picked him up his insides sounded like bone mush. Exit hole was between the size of a quarter to a fifty cent piece. I hope others kick in to rid of these pests. -06

[Outer Rondacker]

Bait pile and a thermal. Couple that with some short on sleep nights and dead dogs.

[cwtebay]

My sons and I kill around 80 a year. I have a few Iray thermals and a couple Fox Pros. Couple that with a suppressor and cows that are calving and the body count goes up quickly.

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[Tripplebeards]

Normally I use a 12 gauge with 3” lead BB loads or my left over Remington HD shotgun loads. I’ll go out and call around me but in my state and where I live they’re there but they just don’t come into the car like they do when I go to Arizona. I’ve tried to trap them around here but they’re too smart and dig up my traps. Apparently i can catch a bobcat tried for and got drawn for a tag a couple years ago along with raccoon, beaver, and possum. I’ve even caught a few feral cats in the neighbors dogs. But fox and coyote stay away from my foot traps for some reason. I boiled and waxed them, wear gloves and put Pete Moss over the traps and have used many scents and baits with no luck. Kept Seeing a pair coming in during bow hunting this year but never a clear shot. I had four come in one morning and they kept howling really close to me like within 150 to 200 yards when walking in in the dark… rotten things I’ll get them one way or another. I’ve sat out there many times with my fox Pro and they just don’t like to come in for some reason. I don’t know if somebody has made them call shy or what the deal is.

[versa-06]

Try spraying Scent away on your traps or apple juice before you cover the trap. I like the apple juice for my use. -06

[versa-06]

P.S. It doesn't take much of either for a cover & don't want it overbearing either. -06

[MarkP]

My father in law puts traps in with several black walnuts that still have the green rind on them. He says as green skin rots away the gooey black stuff protects the traps from corrosion and hides human scent.

[cwtebay]

Normally I use a 12 gauge with 3” lead BB loads or my left over Remington HD shotgun loads. I’ll go out and call around me but in my state and where I live they’re there but they just don’t come into the car like they do when I go to Arizona. I’ve tried to trap them around here but they’re too smart and dig up my traps. Apparently i can catch a bobcat tried for and got drawn for a tag a couple years ago along with raccoon, beaver, and possum. I’ve even caught a few feral cats in the neighbors dogs. But fox and coyote stay away from my foot traps for some reason. I boiled and waxed them, wear gloves and put Pete Moss over the traps and have used many scents and baits with no luck. Kept Seeing a pair coming in during bow hunting this year but never a clear shot. I had four come in one morning and they kept howling really close to me like within 150 to 200 yards when walking in in the dark… rotten things I’ll get them one way or another. I’ve sat out there many times with my fox Pro and they just don’t like to come in for some reason. I don’t know if somebody has made them call shy or what the deal is.

My local government trapper has disdain for users of Fox Pro and Lucky Duck users. His statement amounts to the number of Jackwagons that set up a call then park their vehicle 100 yards away from it, then shoot and miss. I can't say I blame him!
I did however take him and his son out one night with us and we killed 2 on one set and 5 on another. He said we are definitely not the problem. BUT...we park, walk about 1000 yards - set our call - leave a roadkill varmint (raccoon, rabbit, etc) by our call and back off 100 yards and set up on tripods. Everyone scanning and everyone aware of the other hunters, truck, livestock, houses....
It's not hard, but you can't be lazy.

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[Tripplebeards]

Yep I agree. I don’t set up by the road either. Last year I called three times and called in a red fox the first time around. Took a shot through some thick stuff with my 22WMR that I knew better than to do. I never found it but tracked a nasty blood trail for a couple hundred yards fill it dried up. I’m sure I took the turkey nest raider out of the gene pool. Just never found it. I was t even planning on predator hunting but found a turkey diaphragm call in my pocket when I was rabbit hunting and started blowing on it to make it sound like a dying rabbit. I should have had my shotgun with Bb loads and it would have anchored it.

I normally walk about a half a mile up into my woods and then a lot of times I’ll sit in my tree stand and put the remote control caller on the ground so I can see them coming from a long ways away. I just think there’s not as many in my area as they are when I go to Arizona. I’ve taken so many coyotes out there coming into the call that I don’t even remember how many I’ve shot I’ve gotten about a dozen bobcats and one mountain lion coming into the call to. It’s pretty cool to see stuff come in out there. I also forgot about all the little Kit fox that I’ve got that also come in. Javelina like to come in and investigate to quite a bit. I spray myself down with scent, shield and camouflage from head to toe. I used to just sit on the ground until the gobbler lounger was invented man those little folding chairs save your butt. I make sure to bathe and scent shield and spray down with scent shield before I hit the woods.

[trapper9260]

I trap them and for the 1 1/2 week I trapped . I got 9 coyotes . I also trap other animals also. From when I had read . First is what you boil and dye your traps in and what type of wax you use. 2nd is how do you bed your trap? I use Peat Moss and a pan cover that is wax paper that I cut ahead of time and crumb it up before I set over the pan. I put a layer under the trap and then set the trap and make sure it dose not move at all. That is the key thing , that is one of the reasons that you get dug traps also coon is known for it also. Then i lift the loose jaw and put my waxed paper over the pan and then set the jaw on the paper then I put a layer of Peat moss over the trap and make sure all the dirt is packed around the trap solid then after you use some dry dirt screen over the trap to blend in or fine grass over it . Depending on the type of set you are use. When you use urine use a squirt bottle and just put it on the edge of the backing , like if it is a dirt hole set you squirt the urine on the edge of the hole not all over , because when you see a dog pee they do not spray all over the place . You are just copy what they do and put you lure on top of the backing and bait in the hole and cover with some grass or wool or dog fur from when they shed. as for flat set .just do the same but no bait. One year I trapped 43 . I use footholds and snares . If anyone have any thing to ask me PM me . Oh I use maple leaves to dye my traps before I wax them. Log crystal will work also . Also during the deer season is the hardest time to trap coyotes, Because of the gut piles and lost deer. After the season about a week or 2 . They will run out of food and will be moving more . That is what I seen for the years I been trapping.

[Tripplebeards]

Good tips!

I only hit it hard one season to be honest with you and that’s because I got drawn for a bobcat tag. Maybe because I was trapping for bobcat and doing things differently is why the coyotes and Fox stay away. I did have fox tracks come up to one of my sets, but it didn’t commit and walk all the way into the hole so I backed out my traps another foot or so back from the bait holes.

I boiled my traps till all the grease came off then I let them sit for a day or two to get a little orange rust on them. I then dipped them in boiling pot of water with floating wax. I’ll have to try wax paper over the top! I just put pillow stuffing from Walmart under my pans to keep from freezing up along with sprinkling salt under the trap in the bedding area to keep from freezing. I laid I good layer of salt, then peat moss over the top. Then I placed my trap on top of it. Maybe the salt had a smell? Then I bedded the taps with 6” nails on each side to keep from moving. From there I covered with peat moss till flush with the group. Lastly I used a wire basket and graded the dirt I dug out of the hole over the pear moss to look like the trap was never there. My bait and scents used was all bobcat stuff. The bait used was sardines with cat nip. I used 2 different bobcat specific scents. I did catch the biggest raccoon I’ve seven 2ce in my foot holds. It chewed its toes off the first time in a duke 650 and got away. Caught it a day later in a duke 550. I never caught anything else accept for my first Bobcat a few weeks later…beside a trespassing farm dog. I also only have five traps. Three duke 550’s and 2 duke 650’s. So not a lot of coverage. I only have two or three raccoon cuffs as well. I need more. We had some nuisance beavers, coming up in the yard last year eating our trees that hold our bank up. I had fun and put each one of the Duke 650s on both sides of the tree that they were chewing on. It was trial and air experiment and they ended up killing the tree before I could get them all but I caught seven in a week and a half! The biggest one was a pound and a half shy of 90 pounds.

I saved a bunch of beaver meat to use for bait, but I didn’t get drawn for bobcat again. I would assume that would be a good universal bait if I dug a hole by my trap and shoved some in. I also saved a bunch of the casters which I believe that’s one of the commercial baits that I used for bobcat.

I started seeing bobcat tracks for five years ago on my land for the first time and had one on camera for the first time ever. I knew they always had to be around but I don’t think there was a population ever in my area. It seem like I would get one picture on my trail camera every year. The last couple years I’ve been getting a half a dozen pictures of them each season or more. I was excited to catch one 10 days before season close. It was a front double pad catch! I tubed it and had the hide tanned along with the giant raccoon and a grey Fox I shot one morning while bow hunting that year. They turned out great.

[cwlongshot]

Mostly same seal here. We have some strange thought up laws. So altho we shoot coyotes on site we dont hunt them till into the new year.
But once about 1/15 rolls around we hunt them pretty heavy. But best years, were likely not a dozen animals. We hunt a few spots every sat AM and Evening weather permitting, calling and decoying. Trapping here was made difficult. We have zones and limits on licenses issued. Antis learned and won/bought these licenses, and then don't trap.
But we been at it for a long time and do our part ta curtail the Numbers.

[Tripplebeards]

We can hunt them year around here. If you’re a property owner and they’re considered a nuisance you can trap them year around to. I don’t think there’s a trail that they come through on my property where there’s a highway of tracks so I would guess that’s probably why I’m not catching them. If I had a bait pile, I’m sure I would. I had a dead deer on my property this past season and that’s why I saw a bunch during bow hunting.

[versa-06]

Coyote trapping is year round here in Blackwater Va. I like to finish up when all other trapping closes on Feb. 29th. Sometimes I work them a little longer if I feel like it's worthwhile to do so. I usually go to all snares after trapping season so I don't have as many releases to deal with. I adjust the snare below the deer & above the other smaller critters. -06

[mulespurs]

If you bed your traps better I think you will fix your problem.

You need to bed those traps so when you push on the jaws or springs so that NOTHING moves. Then do your cover job and maybe blend with an old broom if you want.

Go out and gettum.

[trapper9260]

Good tips!

I only hit it hard one season to be honest with you and that’s because I got drawn for a bobcat tag. Maybe because I was trapping for bobcat and doing things differently is why the coyotes and Fox stay away. I did have fox tracks come up to one of my sets, but it didn’t commit and walk all the way into the hole so I backed out my traps another foot or so back from the bait holes.

I boiled my traps till all the grease came off then I let them sit for a day or two to get a little orange rust on them. I then dipped them in boiling pot of water with floating wax. I’ll have to try wax paper over the top! I just put pillow stuffing from Walmart under my pans to keep from freezing up along with sprinkling salt under the trap in the bedding area to keep from freezing. I laid I good layer of salt, then peat moss over the top. Then I placed my trap on top of it. Maybe the salt had a smell? Then I bedded the taps with 6” nails on each side to keep from moving. From there I covered with peat moss till flush with the group. Lastly I used a wire basket and graded the dirt I dug out of the hole over the pear moss to look like the trap was never there. My bait and scents used was all bobcat stuff. The bait used was sardines with cat nip. I used 2 different bobcat specific scents. I did catch the biggest raccoon I’ve seven 2ce in my foot holds. It chewed its toes off the first time in a duke 650 and got away. Caught it a day later in a duke 550. I never caught anything else accept for my first Bobcat a few weeks later…beside a trespassing farm dog. I also only have five traps. Three duke 550’s and 2 duke 650’s. So not a lot of coverage. I only have two or three raccoon cuffs as well. I need more. We had some nuisance beavers, coming up in the yard last year eating our trees that hold our bank up. I had fun and put each one of the Duke 650s on both sides of the tree that they were chewing on. It was trial and air experiment and they ended up killing the tree before I could get them all but I caught seven in a week and a half! The biggest one was a pound and a half shy of 90 pounds.

I saved a bunch of beaver meat to use for bait, but I didn’t get drawn for bobcat again. I would assume that would be a good universal bait if I dug a hole by my trap and shoved some in. I also saved a bunch of the casters which I believe that’s one of the commercial baits that I used for bobcat.

I started seeing bobcat tracks for five years ago on my land for the first time and had one on camera for the first time ever. I knew they always had to be around but I don’t think there was a population ever in my area. It seem like I would get one picture on my trail camera every year. The last couple years I’ve been getting a half a dozen pictures of them each season or more. I was excited to catch one 10 days before season close. It was a front double pad catch! I tubed it and had the hide tanned along with the giant raccoon and a grey Fox I shot one morning while bow hunting that year. They turned out great.

I had used salt and I stop because I have a problem with deer set the traps off because of they wanted the salt , some years ago when I was running my line and watch a deer set a foothold trap off. it was interesting and explained alot of seeing some traps sprung off. I stick with peat moss. no smell and when it rains and freeze you can just take the crust off the top of the trap and just replace it .

[jss227]

I've never seen or heard a coyote around my house in 30 years. Until a few weeks ago. I came down in the morning, looked out the dining room window, and there he was, sitting in the middle of my lawn. (For about a minute, then he was laying in the middle of my lawn.)

[elmacgyver0]

I really want to go coyote hunting, but I really want to stay warm more.
I will wait for warmer weather.
I did buy a neat electronic caller that I'm itching to use.
It did work great to get all the neighborhood dogs to go ballistic and get my wife all Tee'd off.
Well...I did have to test it...didn't I?

[elmacgyver0]

[versa-06]

Yea! I can just see that K-9 sitting in the seat of a car.Talk about Ballistic!!! -06