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location location location

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:25 pm
by rhino
For all you expert tenured trappers out there. I need some suggestions. I am trapping along this drainage and I have been there over 2 weeks and the only thing I have caught is a badger and a pullout of something (thinking coyote).

The guy I trap with has his line just across the road and on both sides of the drainage. He has only been going for 5 days and caught 4 coyotes. It is blowing my mind that he saw action 1 day after he set and I haven't for over 2 weeks beside a badger. We are both setting with a dirthole set and using approx the same trapping techniques.

Question #1: How far out do you think lure will call one in?
Question #2: Is it maybe just that the coyotes coverage is so narrow and habitual that they don't vary from their ways?
Question #3: Or maybe am I on a territory edge?

Any ideas or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

Re: location location location

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 7:23 pm
by Tim Anderson
When I'm land trapping I would consider myself a heavey user of call lures, most every set has some..
The main thing is to have your trap location and call lure up wind of the animals travel route and either at the back of the set or a few feet off the ground.... It also does'nt hurt to have a good size site attractor like a rock, weeds, or a piece of firewood....

As for the coyotes perhaps the other trapper is catching them before they get to the other side of the road where your sets are..
Some pic.s would be helpfull...

Re: location location location

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 8:18 pm
by Prairie Ghost
A territory edge is one of the best places you can be if you're after coyotes.

As far as how far will a LDC call them changes everywhere: Which one you are using, humidity, average temp, where you have it (in the dirt, on a bush ect) that is something you need to let the animals tell you.

Tim made a good point he might be catching before they have a chance to get to your sets.

Re: location location location

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 9:29 pm
by EO caller
Traps all descented? make sure your boots don't have oil,gas,or any kind of unnatural scent on them. Leather gloves. wind? is there sign? Any number of things.

Re: location location location

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 7:58 pm
by Coyotehunter
How often are u checking? how many sets over how big of an area? are u seeing any recent sign?

Re: location location location

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:55 am
by rhino
Coyotehunter wrote:How often are u checking? how many sets over how big of an area? are u seeing any recent sign?

I check every other day during the week and every day on the weekends. Minimum of 2 maximum of 5 sets on each location. I have had some sign but it seems like I am just off the edge of their travel route a bit. I did have a pull out 2 weeks ago and this last week I had one digging at the flat set but the trap didn't trip. The temps have been up and down with recent moisture so I think in that case the trap was frozen. This is my first year of coyote trapping. Definitely a learning experience.

Re: location location location

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 1:17 pm
by Coyotehunter
You are probably in there way to much, 72 hours if the law allows it at least and if at all possible check at a distance. 1-2 traps per spot is more than plenty for now. Unless you have a huge non-target issue 5 is to many. If you have a non-target issue I would go with trail snares and avoid most of that stuff. Loud lures and carcusses at location bring in a bunch of non-targets but if you are hopeing for anything then that is a option. If you are using Dirt holes what diameter of hole are you useing and how far off of travel ways? what is down the hole? any visual? what are you putting your bait on and and were are you putting your lure?
rhino wrote:
Coyotehunter wrote:How often are u checking? how many sets over how big of an area? are u seeing any recent sign?

I check every other day during the week and every day on the weekends. Minimum of 2 maximum of 5 sets on each location. I have had some sign but it seems like I am just off the edge of their travel route a bit. I did have a pull out 2 weeks ago and this last week I had one digging at the flat set but the trap didn't trip. The temps have been up and down with recent moisture so I think in that case the trap was frozen. This is my first year of coyote trapping. Definitely a learning experience.

Re: location location location

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 2:02 pm
by rhino
finally caught a coyote last night. but some bastard went up to it and used a shotgun!!! It wasn't too fun to skin with the guts hanging out but the fur looked pretty good after I was done.

48 hours is recommended check in ND. dirthole set is probably 1 inch diameter, usually I put lure in dirthole on some type of visual. I used a rock at this last set that caught the coyote. snaring starts the end of nov in ND

Re: location location location

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:30 pm
by rhino
Here is my dirthole set picture.

Suggestions?? or Comments??

dirthole
dirthole

Re: location location location

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 5:18 pm
by Coyotehunter
4"-6" dia. dirt hole for coyotes is a good rule of thumb. Bait down the hole, lure above. there is no check law in ND. 3-5 days on traps for coyotes is typical were legal. as you can see not alot of coyotes caught 24-48 hours. I am just giving you typical, general rules for coyote trapping, if you are happy with your results then continue with what your are doing.

Re: location location location

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:35 pm
by Tim Anderson
The set looks good to me. On another note I like to use some sort of backing,be it a rock, cow pie,chunk of wood ect.


I used this big rock at my set which produced two coyotes and a red fox. Trap was reset each time in the same spot..
Image

Trap was placed to left of rock with dirt hole that had bait in the bottom and a gland lure placed at the top and backside of hole..
Just to the left of the rock was a north and south fence line which is about 40 feet away. A good strong call lure was placed on top of a wooden fence post and I also used urine around the set and gave the top of rock a squirt every so often when I drove by to check trap....

Re: location location location

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:17 pm
by Coyotehunter
Cool Tim, you have been doing this for a bit. Great post. I am just saying that if he is just starting.........keep it simple and learn the basics. Dirtholes are a great place to start.

Re: location location location

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:29 pm
by Coyotehunter
Tim that might have sounded sarcastic.....I didnt mean it that way.

Re: location location location

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:19 pm
by Tim Anderson
No problem and I also agre with your other post...

I'm not new to land trapping as i trapped fox and coon alot when I got out of the military but trapping coyotes was new to me till last season when I decided to get back into it with a few well placed traps.. Anytime I'm out hunting here or in S.D. I always look around and study a coyotes tracks and look at places I would set a trap if I was after them its kind of a habit I got into from the old days...
Be it fox or coyotes most of the structure and how they travel is the same, creeks, fence lines , drainage ditches, saddle in a ridge and so on.. Fox and coyotes also know there areas like the back of your hand and if you make some changes or something has changed in the given area they will check it out. Placeing a lone haybail out in a open field will get there attension or a 6 ft. high tree branch placed in a open field will work just as well and so on..

Re: location location location

Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:43 pm
by Prairie Ghost
Rhino: Congrats man!!

Great discussion guys coyotehunter makes a lot of good points i agree with all of them so i'm not going to reinterate them. I would definetly start leaving your traps alone a little more and give the coyotes time to work them. They catch on to a pickup driving into the area all of a sudden on a regular basis.