A pipe dream set with Elk River Lures “Gold”, “Euphoriam”, and “Red” took this pup. It’s the second pup caught at the property, previous was 8/6/20. The mama dog was caught 8/27/20. Sweet Home Alabama has no closed season for coyotes. Year round is the best time to control the predator population to save turkey and deer. With fur prices so low, this is the time to build trapper numbers. The legends have a break from their normal routines, let them pass down the American Tradition.

Nice - thanks for sharing pic

Great catch
I'll start prepping for Feb soon

Thats a pretty yote you got there! Congrats!

Congrats. I caught a beaver that was plugging up a culvert and a coon last week. It is about time to get my leg holds dipped and waxed and start putting some steel in the ground. On a positive note, I have not gotten many pics at all of coyotes this year.

42# beaver this morning.

Dang that’s a big beaver

I just ordered some more DP traps this week Z traps in white this time.

Keep us posted I’ve wondered about the white for attention grabbers

Attsa big ole beaver you got there.

It is about time to start on the coyotes, coons and cats. Got the pot boiling this afternoon, and will get them waxed this weekend.

Good deal
I think I gone hit coyotes and cats Hard in early December after I scare my deer Real good

I caught one big female on the 12th and i caught the big male that was traveling with her this morning
These were operating in the pasture behind my house and i had seen them several times

Every time I think I’ve got em beat back, more show up!

Nice - good job sj

It took my curs 3-4 year to just about eradicate my coon population behind the house. We went from killing 12-18 a year to 4-5 the last two years. We killed one Monday night first one in over a month. No tracks no pics they are about gone till a new one comes in from a ways.

Another coyote yesterday

A few years ago I ran a couple gang sets for two straight months......quit for awhile and then started again about 6 months later......With 6 traps I ended up catching something like 53 coons.....The population still doesnt seem the same

Couple more last night

SJ22,
What are you using for bait in your DP's? You're having pretty good luck.
We caught just shy of 100 coons/possums back in the spring Corona shutdown. Coons have just now started showing back up at some feeders.

A blue eyed coyote this morning....makes the second one ever

Few more last night
[url=https://postimg.cc/WhGBkddL]

I mix some peanut butter, corn and vanilla flavoring, sometimes add a little syrup

Do you have a problem with ants when you use that mixture? Ants got my peanut butter last spring so I switched to marshmallows. They weren’t as bad then

Sometimes but but I tried marshmallows and have the same issue with ants if it’s warm and never caught many on the marshmallows, I don’t know why

I might have to steal your recipe and see how it works. I switched to dry cat food and it did ok

No coons last night

This is the 3rd pup caught on a 40 acre parcel over the last few months. She’s a 12 lb female and was caught in a pipe dream set in the backup trap. Bait used was Caven’s Predator bait, and the lures used were Elk River “Euphoriam” and beaver tail oil “BTO”.

Nice Pollwoll - thanks for sharing picture

Y’all make me want to get into trapping!

I’m seriously thinking about it as well.

Go for it....It's not all that hard and its a lot of fun.

School me on trapping coon

Duke or similar dog proof traps. Extension cable to anchor trees. Marshmallow on trigger and top with dry cat food. Get some used fish fryer grease for a trailing scent. Dead coons.

Anything special you need to do to the traps?

I hate not knowing stuff and having to ask lots of questions.

U can look up video on internet too - the z trap are nice - I done well with corn cause when it was hot ants would get my other bait Like marshmellow etc

I am a newby- lot other better trapers on here than me - the z trap prob catch more consistent- duke or similar u got to hav coon step on small spot - z trap he got to go in trap to get
Coyote way tougher than coon - I was told to boil traps - dye - wax - never touch coyote traps - use gloves after U bowl etc

U can google lot of it

Good luck

No, just start setting. After Christmas start using a dab of fox gland or a similar predator gland mix to pull in the roaming boar coons.

It sure is nice to put some steel out. It’s even better to get a few coyote.

Female 10/23


Female 10/29


Male 11/06


Female 11/07


Female 11/13


The female from 11/13 had a deformed foot:


Female 11/15


Male 11/17

Heck yea Velvet Tine - you are kicking their butts - great job - way to go

The coons are easy like no brainer For me with z trap but the coyote kick my butt - I got ways to go on the coyote trapping

Thanks for sharing - I like seeing those pics

Dang Brenda, those black genes are strong in your hood. Nice catches

There's a friend of mine that expressed interest a while back, so I wrote up a beginner's guide for him.

I've been learning about trapping for several years and started my first trapline a year ago. It took a while to accumulate all of the equipment that I'd need on a trapline. I have traps out on a neighbor's land and on Redstone. My buddy, who used to cut my grass said "take all of them you want" when I asked him on facebook if I could help with his coyote problems. There's 100 acres, but only about 20 are accessible by truck in the winter, 90% of the land is farming property and is too soft to drive on. I found out he owned land using the HuntStand app that shows parcel owner info.

When trapping, it's easiest to set traps nearby a dirt or gravel road so that you can quickly cruise through your line and see if anything has been caught.

Unintended targets are a part of the game. A skunk will clog up a set and you'll hafta try to get a syringe close enough for a lung shot full of acetone. A half-buried skunk set would arouse some curiosity in a coyote. If it’s a bobcat out of season (Mar-Oct), then you can put a large pan over them and release their leg. Coons can also clog up a coyote set. There are so many of them, it wouldn't hurt their population to dispatch them then toss them into the woods or skin and tan them. Possums and raccoons are nest predators, so you’re doing the turkey population a favor in eradicating them from an area. Coyotes love decimating deer herds and neighborhood pets, so eliminating them to the best of your ability is a civic duty for responsible land managers.

The best way to make sets is using knee pads or a gardeners kneeling pad . You'll be down working in the dirt for a while, about 30 minutes per trap at first, and anything that you can do to be more comfortable helps. You want to use shoes that you only wear into the woods, never out in town/at a gas station. Coyote’s sense of smell (220 olfactory senses) is nearly as good as a deer's (300 olfactory senses) and you have to work hard to leave as little human scent as possible at a set. Most trappers use different gloves for bedding and handling a trap than they do for baiting. Gloves can save you from painful situations when the trap closes on your fingers, too. Coyotes are known to dig up traps if there's any scent left on them.

The equipment required to trap coyotes is rugged stuff. The traps have to be bedded properly, flush with or below the grade of the ground. You'll need a cookie cutter or a sod buster mini sledge hammer to dig the footprint of the trap out of the ground. Then, you compact the soil under the trap. You don't want the trap to rock to one side or the other or to press into the dirt when you're done bedding it. The coyote needs to be committed to placing its foot down on the pad of the trap.

To attach the trap to the ground, you can use rebar stakes or cable stakes. I'm using Wolf Fang anchors attached to cable stakes. They are set into the ground using an anchor driver. The trap and chain are attached to the anchor using Minnesota Brand Crunch Proof Swivels, Barrel Swivels, and Quicklinks.

The coyotes are very strong and can wreck a cheap trap or pull out of a trap. Shock springs keep this from happening, they do just what it sounds like. Every time the coyote pulls, the shock springs absorb the energy. It reduces stress on your trap, the animal, and the staking device holding the trap to the ground.

Trap screens go over the trap pan or you can use some polyfill/pillow fluff to go under the trap pan. It's important to keep the area under the pan clear of clay, dirt, mud, or rocks. The pan should release the jaws of the trap with 3-4 lbs of pressure and anything in the way of the pan traveling downward will prevent the trap from firing. To cover the trap, you'll need a dirt sifter. It helps to carry a 2-gallon bucket of peat moss to cover the traps with, as it’s light, absorbs moisture well, and won't clog up the jaws of the trap when it shuts.

While checking traps, it's state law to carry a catch pole/choke stick.

It may be easier in your area to call coyotes in using electronic game calls and shoot them when they get within range, using a shotgun or rifle. Trapping equipment can get expensive and it's a daily responsibility to check and clear any traps. There are so many homes around me that it's not an option to predator hunt. If you have pets, they may get caught a few times before they learn a lesson about suspicious smells.

Once you have the trap bedded and anchored, you'll want to bait your hole, pipe, or tire. For dirt hole sets, you want to have backing to make the animal funnel into an area that the trap is hidden inside of. I use logs that I find in the woodline for backing, but sometimes you can use grass clumps. I try to place the trap 9" in front of the hole and 3" to the right, and left sometimes. It helps to have your trap off-center from the hole in order to have it aligned to attach to the leg of a coyote.

One bait and 2 lures is the standard for baiting sets. I use Elk River Lures, No BS Lures, Caven’s and Pro Line. The bait works best when it's applied to some sheep's wool. It causes the coyote to get curious and dig it out of the hole, pipe, or tire. Coyotes think that dirt holes are where mice are hidden or where a fox has buried a nice snack for later.

The limit for inside jaw spread on a leg-hold trap in Alabama is 6". The K.O. K9 Xtreme traps are more than 6" unless you order them with inside and outside laminations. The lamination is just a small gauge wire that is welded to the contact surface on the jaws of a trap. It spreads the pressure over a larger area of the coyote's leg. They call jaw type traps leg-hold traps. The more springs on a trap, the faster they shut but they also become harder to set. If you were in Kansas or the Midwest, where the coyotes are huge and powerful then 4-spring traps may be best. A 4-coil trap also breaks icy ground better than a 2-spring trap for those who live in icy climates. But, our coyotes in Alabama are smaller, our weather is warm and a 2-spring trap is usually plenty. The K.O. K9 Xtreme would need to be inside and outside laminated, 2-coil, with offset jaws, if you decide on those. The 550 traps are best with offset jaws, 2-coil. The offset jaw will let blood flow to the foot of the animal, they're easier to release non-target animals from without lasting effects. If you were on a ranch where there were no non-target animals, like housecats, then a closed jaw trap would hold the coyote better.

A good trap with laminations, swivels, and shock springs won't hurt animals that get hung up in them. Snares are illegal in Alabama for that reason. Snares are the best way to trap coyotes but they're indescriminatory and will kill anything that gets hung in them, like chihuahua's and housecats. Trapping coyotes in leghold traps is extremely difficult. You have to make sets (dirt hole, T-bone, pipe dream, tire, and urine post) to trick the yote into stepping on a 3" x 3" area (the trap pan), whereas if you set snares, you can place them where coyotes travel. They're cruising the woods and all of a sudden they're hung and choke to death.


Alabama Trappers and Predator Control Association

Trapper's Post

Elk River Lures Trapping & Customer Appreciation

Good info Pollwoll - the coins been lot easier THan the coyotes

Did you hav trouble catching at first on coyotes

One of my big disadvantages is I can only leave mine out 2-3 days and I hav heard u want to leave them several days but check daily - but I can’t check daily so I reset them when I can’t go out

I see why u said above - I hav not been using 2 lures - will try - I been using 1 and 1

and I hav also had trouble with them getting my bait and trap not going off and when I try to set off - think I might of got to much dirt up in trap - it don’t want to go off

I also had trouble with them getting set off and nothing in them - I am guessing they stepped on side of trap - I hav noticed you set out double traps sometime - do you do that often? Do you just set them side by side

I may hav educated some of mine - I gone try to lay off 3-4 weeks - Pretty sure the trap going off prob educated them a little - what do you think?

One other thing Pollwoll - how deep do you make your dirt hole For bait? I only been going around 3-4 inch - may need to be deeper - prob the harder they work the better chance they may step in trap just go guessing

Thanks for the measurement - I been setting it 2-3 inch to left and guessing 6-7 inch Away from hole - will try 9. Do you offset it to right more? Think I saw guy in

On internet always doing to left and that is why I did it. I hav failed a lot 😀

I spent a long time learning the fundamentals and stumbled my way along for a couple of weeks before my first catch. I take advice of Management Advantage trappers and leave a trap for 10 days before I pull it, now. The coyotes in my area had been running amuck forever, so when my traps went out, the fell every time. Once they get educated, you have to gang set an area, put them on the left and right in front of your bait, then 18" back, and sometimes, 18" before that. When a coyote works a set, they make their moves very calculated, if anything's off they'll skate on out. The traps have to be bedded well and scent free.

I'm trapping near work and started doing Mon-Fri sets. You can only do the work of 1 man, so be sure that you don't over extend yourself on a line. I brought my sets away from where I track deer this year. Last year, I didn't care about spooking them or pressuring them daily with trap checks. I use a spotting scope and only get close to the sets often enough to check for sprung traps. The rain springs my traps a lot of times. I've made it a point to check after heavy rains to be sure my trap will fire.

When you put the work into the line, it pays you back. My 1st lessons were cheap traps, too high of pan tension, dirt/mud caked under the pan/not firing, and quicklinks not tight enough. Everyone is unique in the methods that stick with us. The hardest lessons stick with you the most.

My coon trapping attempts haven't been as successful as my coyote trapping has. It's harder to check coon traps because they like being in the woods a bit and not out in the field or on the edges of hedgerows or roads. I have much to learn about my deer feed thieving bandits. I'm at 4 coons and 12 coyotes for the past year on 100 acres of ag land.

I don't let anything get inside the jaws on the trap except peat moss. I won't even let dirt or clay get over the levers or jaw because it slows them down a lot. Poly fill can work well to keep dirt and mud from clogging the area under a pan.

Coyotes have a long memory. I wouldn't count on them forgetting anything. You just have to keep throwing them a curve ball, use a variety of sets and place your traps where they have no way of inspecting your sets without stepping on your trap pan(s).

Be sure your pan tension is around 3-4 pounds. You can use a trap pan tester or get a 4 lb hammer and set on the pan with the loose jaw up to see whether it fires. Use trap wax to loosen the pan tension and a file to increase the pan tension.

I use a 3" auger and go 12-18" deep at a 45 degree angle on dirt holes. The deeper you go, the more the coyote has to work the set. And, the longer he's working the set, the more opportunities that you have for him to step on your trap pan.

Everyone has different methods that work, sometimes a 'V' shape formation has natural blockers on the right side and I'll set a trap on the left. I try to setup where the dog gets funneled into an area, spots that already have a natural 'V'. I've used a 'Y' shaped dead fall log over a dirt hole to funnel a coyote onto a trap and it worked well.

Either side is as good as the other on what side of the dirt hole. Roundabout 6-9" in front and 2-3" to the right or left is the target zone. I've welded Expand a pans on my K9 Xtreme's to get a bigger pan for the dog to step on. It's hard to say whether it helped or triggered a bunch of sprung traps because the heavy rains have been so frequent around here.

Don't give up. I worked off and on with the coyote traps for almost a year. I asked a state guy from our district to set some for me to see what was the correct way and to give any tips. Main thing is bedding the trap. Second, I don't obsess with scent control but I don't linger in the area either.

Thanks! They were all running the same road too. Haven't caught anymore black coyote, as of late.

Wow - thanks guys - that awesome stuff

I never would hav thought about checking from a distance to keep sent down - smart

Ztraps made the coon trapping lot easier for me - they hav to go in the trap to get the food - corn has been great for me with coons

I watch management advantage tips too - I use to Turkey hunt w Casey a few times years back - good guy - he makes Coyote trapping look easy

11/18 female


11/18 bobcat


11/18 male


11/21 female


11/21 male


11/21 female


11/21 caught 1st grinner of the season (haven't downloaded pic yet)

11/22 bobcat


11/23 female

11/28 female


12/01 female


12/01 fox


12/01 grinner


12/02 male

Dang - you getting it done - that’s awesome

Thanks for sharing

Is a cat harder To catch than a coyote? I heard coyote way smarter And harder to catch than cat but I hav no experience catching either

No, bobcat is not difficult to catch and can be caught with same lure for fox or coyote. Curiosity, ya know! It took me a bit to get that first yote and it’s been game on since then.

I finally have some time to put some steel in the ground. I got 5 leg holds and a few dp’s out, and will put out several more tomorrow. I snapped a couple pics of my sets and thought some of the newer guys might like to see some. I mostly use 2 sets, a dirthole and a compass set. Dirthole is pretty self explanatory and a compass set is a modified flat set where I blend the trap in and punch 4 holes with my driver around the set and use a different bait/lure/urine in each hole. My go to is the dirthole and I will put a compass set in locations where I set multiples or where there is no backing for a dirthole. Location is the most important part of trapping, but making sure your trap is bedded solid so that it doesn’t move is very important.

Congrats VT, you are wearing them out

Thanks for the info guys

Only 1 grinner last night. The 1/2” of rain they were calling for turned out to be 1 1/2” lol. So I will have to redo some sets.

thank you!

TDog,

I'm not as good as these guys but one trick I like is to pick up coyote droppings and put them in a ziplock bag. I use then put them around the edge of compass sets to get a coyote to stop and investigate. They seem to hate another "turd" in their area and I think it helps to get their attention. I usually try and make a set close to where you see different aged droppings in a location too.

Thanks Wade - good info

Caven’s Predator bait, Elk River Lures’ Blood Moon and Southern Snares’ red fox urine in a dirt hole set landed in his 25 lb male on 12/6/20

Way to go - U putting Hurtin on em

I added 5 more coons and possums over the weekend.

I’m about a month or so into this trapping. I’m really enjoying it. The yotes have been pretty tough so far. I think over the past few days I’ve learned I’m setting them a little too deep. I’m going to start over and reset them and see how it goes. As far as the coons, I think anybody can get those things with a duke dogproof. I caught 3 today.

Cuaght first Coon if the season yesterday big boar

I caught 16 coons over Sumer on 256 acre - last deer season I would get 6-8 coins a feeder

The coons This season were 2-3 Per feeder and now I seeing 4-5 - think I may start in them again In about a week for few weeks

I may start coyote again soon - still catchless on yote

Finally got one of these jokers after about a month or more of attempts. My first dog on a trap. Thanks to deadeye48 for answering 5K text with trapping questions. 😁

Very nice Super spike

Them things are pretty but very destructive.

WOW!!!

Y'all are rocking and rolling on the catches!!

Great work ladies and gentlemen!!

Keep it up!!

God Bless,
David B.

Few more

That’s what I takin about - I may wait till feb - getting more and more free loaders in one my corn

Not much predator action around the place I’ve been trapping. Maybe I have finally put a dent in them the last few years. I did pick up a little gray fox this morning. I don’t see them much around these parts. I skinned it feet on for a wall hanger for my little boys room.

Nice fox - will look good on boys room I bet

This is from Monday morning making a run checking traps. These were along with the coyote I posted earlier.

This was about a month ago.

Congrats man.

What is y’alls preferred dispatch weapon on the Yotes? .22 or are you using something bigger?

22lr get it done every time

When I ever catch one - gone be 22 LR

I bought my boys a cricket 22LR. They love shooting that little gun but so do I. Makes a perfect size gun to carry while checking traps. It gets it done.

Got 4 coons in the last 3 days. Got sick of seeing them at the feeders every night. I’ll get back to yotes and more after deer season.

Fixing to try to trap for 4-5 days myself - deer season bout done except for maybe a doe hunt and I got way to many predators- deer herd noticeably spooked by them And not seeing as many little ones - know they killed some

Guys - when it super wet like this - do you still coyote trap? I am thinking my trap will be caked in mud - do u give it a few days r trap?

Got my 1st red fox today.

Nice - congrats super spike

I caught 2 coons over the weekend - that’s it - no yote r cat - leaving sets out - Checked this morning and nothin - will check by tomorrow afternoon

I have the next 5 days off and was hoping to set my first traps for coyotes. But it looks like we are getting rain late Wednesday and all day Thursday. What are your thoughts on setting with rain coming? I was planning on using dirt hole sets. This will be my first rookie attempt at setting traps. Thanks for any input!

Be patient - I will let the other real experts weigh in

You can google how to trap coyote also if u hav not already

Casey Shoopman w management minute has some good videos out - I very much a rookie

I picked up an otter in my very first beaver dam break set. The water is way to high to get anymore sets out on my land.

I learned a lot from Polwoll's posts. I also watched several Management Advantage videos and also some from Hoosier Trapper Outdoor. I have 6 MB550 traps that were cleaned, dyed and waxed. I added shock springs and have some lures and baits. Finally got 5 days off in a row and looks like rain will limit me to Fri/Sat/Sun to trap. The property is about 1 1/2 hrs from where I live so getting 5 days in a row where I can stay on property is rare. Ideally I could check traps daily for 1 week to 10 days but that won't be possible for awhile. Was hoping to trap coyotes, fox and bobcats. May also set out some duke traps for coons. Only animals I have ever trapped are some beaver which I was successful at removing from my pond. I am excited to get at it but don't want to spend time setting the traps and have everything washed out or needing to be reset right after I get them out.

The trap that I used to catch the otter was given to me by Polwoll. I've since purchased three more Conibear 330's and some TS 85's to go after the beavers.

Guys - I read where u tag a bobcat when u catch it - how did u get The tag? I finally caught a bobcat - still waiting on yote catch

I think you’d take it to the nearest game warden station or maybe call you and see if there’s an easier way that to have to drive a ways.

If you arent going to sell the hide or mount it you dont have to do anything

Thanks Deadeye - got up w Gamewarden - told me the same

If I know it will rain, I switch out the brown coffee filters for screen material and use some peat moss instead of just natural dirt/sand from the area.

Put them out but use screen instead of paper to cover the pan. If it's not a Noah's Ark type rain, the sets will be fine and sometimes, especially if it's really cold, you will still have coyotes roaming for food. If it's a super heavy rain, you may have to recover the trap with your sifter and freshen up your lure/bait.

I always use pillow fill under the pan no matter the weather
You can buy a big bag at WM for a few bucks
I’ve never used pan covers
The pillow fill will keep dirt from getting under the pan and let the trap fire as designed.....never had any issues using it

Thanks Velvet - never would hav Thought of something like that

Had a fresh cat track by my pan this morning at same trap I caught Cat on yesterday - I tried putting some Small rocks in area around pan to encourage him to step on pan - still just missed

Thanks for the info!!
I decided to hold off and plan to set traps on Wednesday. Should be able to keep out 3-4 days. I was planning on using the polyfill. I have some aluminum screen I will experiment with. My only concern was having it raise up too much over the pan? Is that an issue you have. Do you cut a notch where the dog is?

Not likely to happen where I am planning on trapping but...if I were to trap someone's dog, how do you release safely without getting bitten or hurting the dog?

Andalusia - it’s called a pole snare - you can google - forgot what I looked under - how to release an unwanted animal like a bobcat out of season which I hope I never hav to do
There are pinned dogs about 400 yards from my traps I hope I never catch one - think they only got out like twice on 2 year

Thanks TDog. This kid makes it look easy when he releases this coyote from the trap and puts him in a crate!

I plan to just make the same one he shows how to make. The clothes line tightener is a great idea! Cheap at Lowes.

https://youtu.be/8WJvDIe4t8Q

I started with a homemade release pole that used the close lines tensioner but bought a HD model from Southern Snares. Worth the upgrade IMO.

Agreed

A T-bone set with Elk River Lures' Tonnage and BTO spoke to this 25 lb female coyote.

I use nylon screen so I don't have to deal with the aluminum screen bending up. Yes, cut a notch in the screen where it rests atop the dog.

Nice Pollwoll!

After I caught cat 3 days ago - had one get out of Same trap 2 days later Or yesterday - I check traps w in 24 hours - guessing it might hav bairly caught foot - looked like big struggle - ground dug out Around trap

Was waiting to catch multiples before posting pics

Thanks for the help!

I got some pics of a pair of coyotes last week, so I put out a few sets on Monday. Had a coon yesterday and this female bouncing for me this morning.

Awesome - way to go AUCoonhunter

I caught my first every coyote today - same trap I caught cat on. Last 4 day in that trap - caught cat - had cat step by pan - animal got out of trap - look like big struggle and caught coyote this morning. My other 3 dog traps - nothing. Hav caught 3 coon in last 4 days. Will post Cyote and cat pics in next 3-5 days.