Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote

[trapper1954]

Wow. Thank you trapper 1954. I found the brochure very interesting. I found it particularly interesting that they are trying to control predation through contraception. They mentioned that one can request a book: Contraception in wildlife (technical bulletin 1853.)
Has anyone here requested that book?

Well I understand their concept but I find it stupid, stop them from breeding with a bullet. If a problem exists the #1 proven method is removal, no kind of fence will stop a determined coyote, not Elwood, Staytite, not an apron, they will jump, climb as well. Just sayin

These coyotes only ate Axis.. Fact

 

[ohlongarmisle]

Heres another short story. Ole 3 toes..
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I laid for that guy and had nothing but misfortune. From melding coons to curious foxs and it was most likely a fox I let go.

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His tracks in there... But the stinkin something played in the dirt..

Somebody had to light a tension on the pan , this is usually the result a toe catch on anything and gone, try a flat set with two traps,usually gets them.

 

[74honker]

Well I understand their concept but I find it stupid, stop them from breeding with a bullet. If a problem exists the #1 proven method is removal, no kind of fence will stop a determined coyote, not Elwood, Staytite, not an apron, they will jump, climb as well. Just sayin
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These coyotes only ate Axis.. Fact

This right here. Stupid. Dead sows dont reproduce! Or dead coyotes, wolves, etc!

 

[DSheetz]

That is why I squeeze the dog down on the frame so that it doesn't have any back-and-forth movement then file a vee notch in the dog and the pan, making a gun sear notch, there is no creep in the pan if it moves it fires, they are putting downward pressure on it when it closes on their leg above the foot for a good high catch. no pinched toes with no creep in the pan in my experience. With frozen or frosty ground, the trap is sometimes slowed down here so learning how to use a good antifreeze for your dirt is one method and the use of a cloth pan cover that extends under both jaws helps with that as well. I had a lot of digging at my sets sometimes and found it was mice and packrats that's when I stopped waxing my traps, I just used logwood dye after that as a rust inhibitor, kind of like the bluing on a firearm does sort of thing. A good backing like was shown in the picture of Walt marking where the other canines had marked, is also helpful to keep them from coming in from the backside or rolling on your set as is the use of a good quality lure in my opinion. The USDA has done a lot of study on all types of predators and various other animals, I worked with Wildlife Services to control starlings at a power plant as well as doing coyote control. I also took part in a rabies study here in my county, where they took the heads of skunks and checked them for rabies. I live trapped 30 skunks and drowned them, and only had one that sprayed, to send in the heads. I also turned in one live bat that was out in January it had a fungal infection called white nose disease, but wasn't rabid as I suspected, because a bat out in January here is unheard of. I sat a coffee can over it then slid the lid under the can and sealed it with it inside.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

That is why I squeeze the dog down on the frame so that it doesn't have any back-and-forth movement then file a vee notch in the dog and the pan, making a gun sear notch, there is no creep in the pan if it moves it fires, they are putting downward pressure on it when it closes on their leg above the foot for a good high catch. no pinched toes with no creep in the pan in my experience. With frozen or frosty ground, the trap is sometimes slowed down here so learning how to use a good antifreeze for your dirt is one method and the use of a cloth pan cover that extends under both jaws helps with that as well. I had a lot of digging at my sets sometimes and found it was mice and packrats that's when I stopped waxing my traps, I just used logwood dye after that as a rust inhibitor, kind of like the bluing on a firearm does sort of thing. A good backing like was shown in the picture of Walt marking where the other canines had marked, is also helpful to keep them from coming in from the backside or rolling on your set as is the use of a good quality lure in my opinion. The USDA has done a lot of study on all types of predators and various other animals, I worked with Wildlife Services to control starlings at a power plant as well as doing coyote control. I also took part in a rabies study here in my county, where they took the heads of skunks and checked them for rabies. I live trapped 30 skunks and drowned them, and only had one that sprayed, to send in the heads. I also turned in one live bat that was out in January it had a fungal infection called white nose disease, but wasn't rabid as I suspected, because a bat out in January here is unheard of. I sat a coffee can over it then slid the lid under the can and sealed it with it inside.

All my traps are fine tunes as you mentioned,dog filed down and trap trigger filed at an angle ,I use 5 to 6 lbs pressure checked with a gauge, all my catches are usually squarely dead center in the yotes pad.

 

[DSheetz]

Tuning your traps is mostly a one-time thing like tuning your brass for reloading, you do it and then just check it again as you use it after that. Yes, it takes some time to do it but for me it is time well spent, by what the end results show. Being a part of what I consider doing my part of a good job and taking pride in my craft, I really pretty much enjoy the time I spend tuning my equipment. If I didn't enjoy it, I would look for something else to spend my time with. But then my wife and kids tell me that I'm annal retentive or something to that effect, about it.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

Tuning your traps is mostly a one-time thing like tuning your brass for reloading, you do it and then just check it again as you use it after that. Yes, it takes some time to do it but for me it is time well spent, by what the end results show. Being a part of what I consider doing my part of a good job and taking pride in my craft, I really pretty much enjoy the time I spend tuning my equipment. If I didn't enjoy it, I would look for something else to spend my time with. But then my wife and kids tell me that I'm annal retentive or something to that effect, about it.

Charles Dobbins a famous trapper who lived near me in Ohio personally taught me how to tune traps, I never forgot.

 

[HRM Johnny]

Well I understand their concept but I find it stupid, stop them from breeding with a bullet.

This right here. Stupid. Dead sows dont reproduce! Or dead coyotes, wolves, etc!

I agree. That having been said, I am of the opinion that we should try to eliminate all coyotes. Obviously, that's not possible. However, you should be trying to come as close to that is possible. The government doesn't see it that way. They only want to get rid of coyotes that are a problem. As some of you have noted,
When you get rid of the problem, coyote, others move in to take its place. The brochure the trapper, 1954 posted a link to makes note of this by saying that by leaving them alive and sterile no new ones move in. Again, not my idea. Shoot them all. But I would be curious to see what the governments philosophy is.

 

[DSheetz]

I had and read some of Charles Dobbins books especially on mink trapping. With tuning traps there are many ways to skin that cat. As long as they get the results that we are looking for. The coyote is the most pursued predator in the U.S.. They have tried to kill all of them, and it didn't work. As an alternative it was found that taking the problem makers as fast as we could stopping the killing as fast as we could worked the best. Learning to target the specific animals that are killing simply allowed time to spend fighting fires by a limited number of people spread thin trying to help as many livestock producers as possible. It has been found that the best way to control coyote populations was a good denning program. Studies done by several groups show that you need to eliminate 75 percent of the pup crop just to maintain even numbers of them. I suspect that with pigs you would need to take out an even larger percentage of the piglets. For the majority of us it isn't about controlling the coyote population as much as it is about getting out and enjoying the pursuit of them.

 

[HRM Johnny]

The coyote is the most pursued predator in the U.S.. They have tried to kill all of them, and it didn't work. As an alternative it was found that taking the problem makers as fast as we could stopping the killing as fast as we could worked the best. Learning to target the specific animals that are killing simply allowed time to spend fighting fires by a limited number of people spread thin trying to help as many livestock producers as possible. It has been found that the best way to control coyote populations was a good denning program. Studies done by several groups show that you need to eliminate 75 percent of the pup crop just to maintain even numbers of them.

Thanks Dave.

 

[DSheetz]

Trapper1954; thank you for posting the link to the USDA site and brochure it's an updated version of the one I had from the 80's . At that time Collage Station TX and The University of Southern California, had done the most studies on coyote depredation and control. In one of the studies done in southern California they watched a blind female coyote successfully den, give birth and raise her pups, that just shows how determined they are to survive. On one ranch that I went to work for they were only raising a 70-75 percent lamb crop at weening and shipping time when I started working for them in five years' time, with a good denning and control program all months of the year they were shipping 109 percent on average. Range lambing you start out with the potential of 120 percent being born, you will lose some no matter what, then you can lose up to five percent at docking and some to the weather so it is possible that you could get around 114 percent at shipping time in a really good year. I earned my way taking out the killers first than the others as needed. Had a good time and enjoyed myself while learning a lot about coyote lifestyles in the over 36 years of doing coyote control.

 

[trapper1954]

I agree. That having been said, I am of the opinion that we should try to eliminate all coyotes. Obviously, that's not possible. However, you should be trying to come as close to that is possible. The government doesn't see it that way. They only want to get rid of coyotes that are a problem. As some of you have noted,
When you get rid of the problem, coyote, others move in to take its place. The brochure the trapper, 1954 posted a link to makes note of this by saying that by leaving them alive and sterile no new ones move in. Again, not my idea. Shoot them all. But I would be curious to see what the governments philosophy is.

Not all state biologist that are published are wired right, just bold and loud regurgitating written material from someone else's experiences... Sat next to them for days in symposiums while getting my continuing ed for m44. Oh yeah guess who was speaking yep, her and pro casteration, as well. One rancher stood up and said they aint screwin our livestock. real story I was there, Kerrville Texas

 

[DSheetz]

So many of the people in management positions don't have much field experience, they tend to have mostly classroom time, and the opinions of their instructors, as well as pretty high opinions of themselves and their abilities.

 

[blackoak]

The coyote is the most pursued predator in the U.S.. They have tried to kill all of them, and it didn't work.
A wise man once said that there will be a coyote around to gnaw the bon\es of the last man on earth.
I am a new member here. I was on another hunting forum and someone posted a link to this site and this thread. I started reading the start of this thread three days ago and it has kept me up late at night. I am on the 90 page and I have to say that it is by far the best there is on the art of coyote control. I have just now got into calling coyotes, but have trapped probably over a 1000 in my life. We used to do a lot of trapping for the live market. I don't hit it very hard anymore since the fur market has all but crashed and I'm not as young as I was. I still catch a few close to home just because I love trapping them. I noticed that Dsheetz mentioned his brother living in Shoals. I am not far from there. I live near Petersburg. I have enjoyed the first 90 pages of this thread and look forward to reading all of it. Thank you all for such great info and very interesting stories.