Coyote Trapping
Coyote trapping can be very difficult because these animals are known to be very intelligent and can give you real headaches while trying to catch them. As most of you know, coyotes are dog family members. To have more chances to catch coyotes it is advisable to do this during the fall and winter as these animals usually travel on larger areas in comparison to spring and the beginning of the summer when they can be found only in limited areas.
Most of the coyotes rely on their nose, eyes and ears in order to protect themselves from any incoming danger. They usually follow certain routes/paths and also they like roaming around high hills from where they can observe the entire environment. The key to trapping coyotes is knowing their habits, what they usually do and using well-thought techniques to trap them efficiently.
The first thing you should do is try to locate the most suitable place for setting traps. Coyotes usually circle around areas where they can roam easily, where there aren’t any obstacles; an example would be old roads. It is highly advisable to set the traps on ground level in order to catch coyotes after they walk across the ground level where the trap is installed. If the trap is set at a different ground level, your chances for success are lower because coyotes will notice something is wrong and they will run in the other direction. Coyotes usually prefer locations such as: trail junctions, high hills, groves of trees not to mention isolated lands, livestock trails and fence crossing.
The following steps should be followed in order to set an efficient coyote trap.
- First of all, you should dig a hole measuring 4 inches ( approximately 10 centimeters ) in diameter and 8 inches ( approximately 20 centimeters ) deep, at an about 45 degree angle if possible. After doing so, place the dirt which you removed on the kneeling cloth so that it will be easy to cover the trap.
- Second of all, you should place the trap at 2 maximum 3 inches ( approximately 7,5 centimeters ) from the hole in order to find out how much you will dig for the trap’s bed.
- Third of all, you should set the trap aside. After doing so, the next thing to do is to dig one more hole about 1 inch ( approximately 2,5 centimeters ) below ground level. Also make sure it is wide enough for the stakes and of course, the trap.
- Fourth of all, you should level & smooth the trap bed.
- Fifth of all, you should place the trap in the hole and secure it by driving a stake inside the attachment on the swivel. Once you have done this, the next thing to do is to place loose soil in order to bed the created trap and also you must firmly twist it into the land.
- Sixth of all, you should install a pan cover so that it will keep the dirt away.
- Seventh of all, the next thing to do is pack some loose soil around the area where the trap is installed. Pack it around the outside margins of the trap in order to bed the trap efficiently. All this should be done in order to keep the trap from tipping while the coyote steps on the loose soil situated outside the trap. It is highly important to use only dry soil.
- Eighth of all, once you have successfully bedded the trap and installed the pan cover you should sift a half inch ( approximately 1 centimeter ) of dirt over the created trap. The next thing in order is to create a saucer-like depression over the built trap. Also you should place clods of dirt around the place where the trap is installed in order to guide the coyote towards the trap.
- Last of all, this is one of the most important steps that you must follow; place bait, scent or lure. Combining two of these products will make the set even more attractive to the coyote and it is known that it brings better results rather than just using one. Some of the most popular lures used are: flesh from a beaver, cattle or bobcat but they also have an inconvenient, they deteriorate very fast when the temperature is high.
As you can see, setting a coyote trap isn’t a piece of cake. But if you follow these 9 steps you shouldn’t have any problems at all. Of course there are other ways for setting a trap; this is one of techniques which is considered highly efficient by professionals.
