coyote trapping

[coyotelatrans]

Question if you have a fence crawl under the coyotes are using on a regular basis why use the bait station there? I think you would be better off finding a place down "low" to place your bait and then snare the trails comming inot the bait station back aways allowing you multiple catches. Hot coyote sign on a crawl under can also shy away coyotes.

A lion taking a half eaten calf over a 3-5 strand fence? really? Never heard of that one?

Another question how do all these coyotes get educated? Also how come they where allowed to cause way to much predation in the first place? 80% of predation will occur when you have a den of pup's. Who can wait for winter to kill depradating coyotes?

 

[tlk]

The reason that I put the bait by the fence is because I do not care about scaring the rest off. If they get caught, fine. If they don't come by and dont get caught, fine. Either way, the issue stops. I used the deer season example because it is on currently, and it does make for great bait that tneds to be readily available (i.e., FREE). So does a calf in the summer.

With all due respect, there is a hole in your logic: if 80% occurs when there are pups, do coyotes live on air the rest of the year? Should I wait until the chances of loosing more of my investment is at its peak? Or - does that mean that the other 20% of the time they are not going to continue to try to come over, I can rest up, and those tracks & turds (and the one I caught two weeks ago) just a mirage? Whether the problem occurs during the 80 or 20, it is a 100% chance that I will be severly ****ed.

BTW, I have found that they DO come back. Obviously not the next night, though. Have caught two in the same week in the same spot. Once when there was nothing but bones left to chew on. Evidently, hungry is hungry no matter who you are. That seems to be the point that I learned, I guess: we spend all this time baiting traps making holes, etc. While those things definitelyhave their place, it also seems like we forgotten that real food works as well as the fake stuff - everybody's gotta eat.
---------
If you raise livestock where large cats are you can most assuredly have this happen. Neighbors have seen them take goats over fences and found the remains in trees,creek botoms, etc. Maybe it sounds crazy, but it happens. A 4.5 foot tall fence is no big deal to a full grown mountain lion, and an extra 40 pounds -live or dead - isnt going to stop it from going over. Half of a calf isn't that big. We aren' t talking a yearling steer here. Seriously, don't take my word for it, ask around. Talk to some ranchers that have dealt with them or guides that hunt them. I put this piece of info in because I didn't see any mention by Gebhardt of his location and thought it may be food for thought - just trying to be helpful on something that stumped me at the time.

OR - are you just trying to rattle my cage?

 

[tlk]

Gebhardt02,

Sorry I forgot to answer your question: I have a DVD: Buckshot's predator trapping. It is OK, good for beginning with lots of good tips.

Can find it here: Buckshot's Predator Trapping Video Or DVD

Hope this helps.

 

[coyotelatrans]

Not trying to rattle your cage, how do you know the first one through the crawl under is the offending coyote? Also the majority of spring calve kills are by pairs although not all the time, but ussally involves a pregnant female, a male and and sometimes a third coyote as well. They also last for a shorter window of time,Calf kills compaired to lamb/goat kills are lower in number and yes 80% of lambs are killed why a pair of coyotes are on a den, looking to feed hungry mouths with a constant source of protein once weaned. The number of sheep kills after the lambs are sold drops off alot, although they can/will take some ewe's and ewe lambs later in the fall/winter but not near the % of late srping and summer and early fall when the parents then teach those pups how to hunt.

If you fall calve you could have some problems for sure, but I would set up more than just a crawl under if I where apt to stop the killing, generaly more than one coyote.

Coyotes live on alot more than livestock for sure! Many food sources,mice,rabbitts, porcupines, antelope fawns, deer fawns, road kill, wounded deer/antelope after the seasons,bugs and berries and vegtables and fruits. All coyotes have the ability to kill but not all kill livestock, generally your more agressive coyotes are the ones who will do the bulk of the killing again not all the time but enough to make the % work.

I just don't see how dragging a carcass by a fence enables you to catch a live stock depredating coyote the first time through time in and time out. If I where working the depradation I would set up all holes in the fence leading into the pasture of trouble and catch as many as I could comming or going. I would also call!

I do agree deer are great for bait stations and work well when winter time hits and I use them myself around bait stations, but the colder it gets the better they work! So do other large forms of protein!

In the summer some coyotes will come back to the last kill the next night or two, but it is hard to keep a large bait and interest to those causing depredation when they decompose so fast! Much easier for them to go get a fresh one and many also like the thrill of the kill, I have seen where baits in late summer close to a pair with growing pup's will eat a large bait with gusto but it must be close and they need to hit it before it gets to the ripe stage or all they do at best is roll on it. They also will kill just for the heck of it and feed on nothing at times as well.

You don't wait until your chances of lossing more of yourinvestment is at it's peak, you control those coyotes once they have setup shop and where they will be denning come April! You will have less fill in then! If you have a large cow operation in good coyote habitat and kill out coyotes from Nov-Jan your taking out 50-60% young of the year coyotes, those that will be forced to move once breeding and den selection kicks in, they get run about! Kill all the coyotes you want, but if you kill them NOv-Jan then your going to get fill in come Feb-April!!! Kill those coyotes out Feb-end of April and your fill in is much less and much slower as those denning coyotes have established themselves and unless moved for a good reason they will stay there until the pup's are mobil and by then all spring claves are to big to be much of a concern to coyotes. Summer lambs are always a problem but even take out the pair and the pup's and many times that is it for the entire summer causing issues. If you kill those denning pairs out for 3 miles or so your taking out those coyotes that are the ones to cause trouble a large% of the time. The other run comes Mid August when those pup's are very mobil and being taught to hunt and kill by ma and pa and that is when you get the ripped up lambs and ewe's.

Early snows and cold temps can keep family groups close together and that is when the fall calvers ussally have the most trouble, as these family groups stay in closer contact and go to killing larger prey. Alot of this depends on coyote density's for sure, but for srping time calvers and spring lambers the best predator control will come in that Feb- end of April time slot!

Good day and good luck with your trapping adventures.