Lots of good advice there.
A lot of what is written and in DVD's about coyotes is from guys in the west running long trap lines, catching the young, dumb, and stupid coyotes. They educate some and then move on to new ground and new coyotes. Most of us don't have this luxury.
Most of us are trapping smaller properties, deer leases, our own property, etc. We want to catch as many as possible on a smaller sized property.
We need to be more cautious about scent and technique and make a higher per set catch like Yaz is talking about.
I also prefer the biggest traps legally allowed.
I use duke #4, 4 coiled offset traps with a 6.5 inch spread. With a wire pan cover the whole trap diameter is a kill area. This allows me much more kill area that a small 1.75 trap does.
I am like Yaz, I want to be killing every coyote that visits my set so I try to do all I can to stack the odds in my favor.
I can't wait to get some steel in the ground on 10/15!
Originally posted by Yaz:
If you don't think a coyote can't smell your bare hands on a trap under ground, you better think again. You'll catch young coyotes, and coyotes that have not been exposed to traps and sets once in a while. BUT, if you try that with experienced coyotes, you'll have dug, and thrown traps. PSE, If I remember right, you commented how the coyotes would circle your sets, and you had some thrown and dug up. They likely SMELLED you. Yes, they do smell human scent all the time. But, when they work a set, most don't just come running in and step on the trap. They come in with their noses on high alert, and on the ground. Also, the time of year makes a difference in how much you can get away with as far as odor goes. Earlier in the season, you have to be more cautious. When it gets late, and the ground is freezing, and thawing, scent is not as important. I want to catch EVERY coyote the very first time he/she comes on a set. You do not want educate one. If you educate one, it will also educate another. It doesn't always happen that way for me, but I try. I make every effort to leave absolutely no indication I was there. Even wiping out foot prints in the snow or dirt. They do know what a human print looks like because they have smelled them in the past and associate the print with human odor. Yes, I do believe they are that smart.
I use a kneeling pad of 2'x'2' rubber roofing to kneel on while I'm making the set to keep any odor off the ground.
Gloves are a must. It doesn't matter. Leather, rubber, or even cotton jerseys will work as long as they are clean and scent free.
Do NOT carry scents and lures with any of your tools, traps, or gloves. I keep mine in a zip lock bags separate from all of that to keep them from contaminating everything else.
I treat a coyote set like I'm trying to kill a big buck as far as scent control. Overkill??? Maybe. But I tend to catch most every coyote in the area every year with very few sets each year. I don't have time to make a lot of sets everywhere in the neighborhood. So, I make the most out of the ones I do set.
