Food for thought

[Donal]

Any one ever try placing the bait or attractant 3-4 feet above ground?

 

[Railroader]

I am about as new to trapping as it gets, but in the beginning I figured why not let my dog help me learn to trap...

I took her out walkin' a few times, and really paid attention to what caught her eye, and interest. I watched how she reacted, and inspected things she was interested in.

I also locked her up in her box and made a few "sets" for her to find.

A couple dirtholes, scent posts, etc. Used different stuff, different smells. Several around the yard, in view of the back porch.

I found out that it's easy to get a dog's interest, if she thinks there's a "trespasser" in her yard.

Never could get her very interested in a bait set, prolly because she's never been hungry in her life.. ?

This led me to using mostly natural looking scent-only sets in travel routes, and this is how I have caught most of my coyotes.

Baited sets seem to get me coons and possums, which I don't want.

I may be way off base, but this makes sense to me, if no one else... ?

 

[cj580guitar]

I was setting to far back and to much of an offset. A coyote in reality is only a few inches wide in the chest. So your offset should only be slight. I think I posted a pic of trap placement on here before.

Would you touch base on what you were doing, what was wrong, and how you fixed it?

 

[sportsman94]

I am about as new to trapping as it gets, but in the beginning I figured why not let my dog help me learn to trap...

I took her out walkin' a few times, and really paid attention to what caught her eye, and interest. I watched how she reacted, and inspected things she was interested in.

I also locked her up in her box and made a few "sets" for her to find.

A couple dirtholes, scent posts, etc. Used different stuff, different smells. Several around the yard, in view of the back porch.

I found out that it's easy to get a dog's interest, if she thinks there's a "trespasser" in her yard.

Never could get her very interested in a bait set, prolly because she's never been hungry in her life.. ?

This led me to using mostly natural looking scent-only sets in travel routes, and this is how I have caught most of my coyotes.

Baited sets seem to get me coons and possums, which I don't want.

I may be way off base, but this makes sense to me, if no one else... ?

Awesome observations Railroader! I haven’t done any dog research like that, but most of my coyotes come in natural looking scent posts or flat sets. If I do catch them on a dirt hole it’s generally a mouse sized hole and not a big 3” auger hole. I’ve also noticed that in general I have better luck on baits in December then The catch switches to glands for January and February.

 

[sportsman94]

I agree with all you said here with the exception of water critters moving heavily during rains. I actually don't disagree with that statement either. But I haven't seen that big of a difference between rainy weather and dryer weather.

DougB, are you using castor or other scents to catch them? I haven’t noticed the difference when castor is used, but the crossovers I set are where I see a difference. It could definitely be coincidental or something I just imagine though. Was just mulling over reasons why it may or may not be true this am

 

[Doug B.]

DougB, are you using castor or other scents to catch them? I haven’t noticed the difference when castor is used, but the crossovers I set are where I see a difference. It could definitely be coincidental or something I just imagine though. Was just mulling over reasons why it may or may not be true this am

I don't use castor until I get the "easier" ones caught. Then I start using castor for any that are still there.

 

[buckpasser]

I like this thread. I’ve noticed most of your points too OP, certainly the increased beaver movement. Here’s some I’ll add, that I’ve probably mentioned here before.

1) Rainy nights suck for catching nest predators (for me)
2) Bobcats love beavers, beaver parts, and beaver smells
3) Coyotes are much more seasonal in diet and habits than I ever would have dreamed before becoming a trapper
4) Carcass sets are almost not worth it
5) A conibear set in a swim channel around here catches 241 otters to every beaver!

I don’t think I have a rule of thumb for trap placement. In a wide open, flat field I usually wind up with them about seven to nine inches from dirt hole edge to center of pan probably. Usually offset around an inch or so. In brush or woods I usually just look for an existing natural barrier to guide with, so no norm there.

 

[buckpasser]

Any one ever try placing the bait or attractant 3-4 feet above ground?

I’ve screwed beavers up by the tail on a tree and set underneath. Didn’t produce for me. I’ve also put turkey wing tips dangling from tree limbs about that high with a set underneath for bobcats. Didn’t work then either. I’m not sold on it.

 

[2dye4]

I’ve screwed beavers up by the tail on a tree and set underneath. Didn’t produce for me. I’ve also put turkey wing tips dangling from tree limbs about that high with a set underneath for bobcats. Didn’t work then either. I’m not sold on it.

I tried hanging hog hide, quail parts and etc. and never had any positive results with the exception of buzzards wondering how to get to the bait.

 

[Doug B.]

I tried hanging hog hide, quail parts and etc. and never had any positive results with the exception of buzzards wondering how to get to the bait.

I have never placed bait above the ground but I have put lure like GHII or gland lure 2 to 3 feet off the ground. I have caught critters in these sets but I don't know if it was cause the lure was that high. I may have caught the same critters if the lure was in the hole.

 

[buckpasser]

I tried hanging hog hide, quail parts and etc. and never had any positive results with the exception of buzzards wondering how to get to the bait.

Exactly! Carcass sets of any description are a headache. It’s just too tempting not to try, at least once. The only exception I can think of, is there was a gut shot deer (elderly neighbor) that the coyotes actually brought down and finished off right by our woods road. They were hitting it hard and I had success there. I think because it was their handiwork and they intended to have it for themselves. Plus there were four that were in on the kill.

 

[2dye4]

Exactly! Carcass sets of any description are a headache. It’s just too tempting not to try, at least once. The only thing exception I can think of, is there was a gut shot deer (elderly neighbor) that the coyotes actually brought down and finished off right by our woods road. They were hitting it hard and I had success there. I think because it was their handiwork and they intended to have it for themselves. Plus there were four that were in on the kill.

Where I used to throw my pigs at, I had flat sets there and never produced, but where I had natural kills I’ve caught on those. Kind of weird how they think about those scenarios.

 

[sportsman94]

Exactly! Carcass sets of any description are a headache. It’s just too tempting not to try, at least once. The only exception I can think of, is there was a gut shot deer (elderly neighbor) that the coyotes actually brought down and finished off right by our woods road. They were hitting it hard and I had success there. I think because it was their handiwork and they intended to have it for themselves. Plus there were four that were in on the kill.

I am big on carcass sets for cats. Never had a bit of luck with them on coyotes. I’ll wire a beaver up in a tree where the belly is about 10-12” up or right at comfortable face level for a cat. Then I wrap another line of wire above it and stick green pine boughs in there until the carcass can’t be seen from the sky and just a little bit shows below. Sometimes I’ll wait until a cat starts hitting it before I set and sometimes I’ll go ahead and set it. These were 2/3 caught on one set like that last year just with a goose instead of beaver. You can see some of the pine boughs sticking down in the first pic. Since I’ve only been successful on cats I started using exposed dls instead of bedding a coil spring. It’s not a set I use if I’m setting a new property, but somewhere I know that cats frequent and I have caught them before will normally get this set before the season is over.

 

[buckpasser]

I am big on carcass sets for cats. Never had a bit of luck with them on coyotes. I’ll wire a beaver up in a tree where the belly is about 10-12” up or right at comfortable face level for a cat. Then I wrap another line of wire above it and stick green pine boughs in there until the carcass can’t be seen from the sky and just a little bit shows below. Sometimes I’ll wait until a cat starts hitting it before I set and sometimes I’ll go ahead and set it. These were 2/3 caught on one set like that last year just with a goose instead of beaver. You can see some of the pine boughs sticking down in the first pic. Since I’ve only been successful on cats I started using exposed dls instead of bedding a coil spring. It’s not a set I use if I’m setting a new property, but somewhere I know that cats frequent and I have caught them before will normally get this set before the season is over.

I’ve caught some bobcats on beavers, coyotes on deer, and grey foxes on each. For the target animals caught, I’ve released a pile more buzzards though!

 

[sportsman94]

I’ve caught some bobcats on beavers, coyotes on deer, and grey foxes on each. For the target animals caught, I’ve released a pile more buzzards though!

I’m going to jinx myself here I know, but I think the pine boughs have prevented it for me. I have (knock on wood) never had to release a buzzard or seen any signs of feeding on one of these. I will post pictures of the 27 buzzards I’m about to catch on them the rest of the season now!