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Post by 4fur on Jan 29, 2014 8:22:00 GMT -6
The December Deep Freeze denned up the coon hard enough on my line that I had to set up a coyote line. I think it's a myth that coyotes are difficult to catch in December. If it's not a myth, don't tell me because it's when I always go after them. I have some pictures of catches that I'll upload and try to post when I get time. Something was wrong with the coyote in this area this year (besides the mange  ). Not sure if it was the 2 year shut down of the Ft. Calhoun Nuke Plant across the river or what? But most of the coyotes I took were not very happy. Like this one...   |
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Post by skunkboy on Jan 29, 2014 9:09:06 GMT -6
Isn't Zombie Coyote an oxymoron?
Looking forward to this post. I think next year will be a good one for me. I certainly learned some things this year...especially how NOT to catch one, but then, I didn't really get serious about it.
L8R...Ken
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Post by hillbillyken on Jan 29, 2014 10:13:25 GMT -6
That second coyotes not as friendly as the other one.
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Post by ntg2 on Jan 29, 2014 15:12:42 GMT -6
Is the Iowa coyote season closing now also or can you keep catching them? We can kill them all year up north, no season on them and skunks. Though I heard a game warden was giving out "want and waste" tickets to guy's who throw skunks into the ditch. Dosn't add up if you ask me.
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Post by ~ADC~ on Jan 29, 2014 15:32:10 GMT -6
Only thing open to trapping here after Jan 31 is beaver until April 15th. We can shoot coyotes year around, just can't trap them.
~ADC~
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Post by blackhammer on Jan 29, 2014 17:59:02 GMT -6
 Zombie coyotes up here right now are about half junk rubbed stuff from what I have caught lately. I hate wasting fur and there is nothing more ugly and worthless than badly rubbed coyotes. I see the coyote market is very good but I'm not sure it's possible to make money on them now. Got time to trap some zombie coon yet if the weather moderates just a little next month . |
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Post by hunter43 on Jan 29, 2014 18:09:41 GMT -6
Mine isn't smiling like yours 4fur, but it has a pretty necklace.  |
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Post by 4fur on Jan 29, 2014 20:03:03 GMT -6
Zombie coyotes up here right now are about half junk rubbed stuff from what I have caught lately. I hate wasting fur and there is nothing more ugly and worthless than badly rubbed coyotes. I see the coyote market is very good but I'm not sure it's possible to make money on them now.
I think they are pretty much all junk down here now, Hammer. But a good coyote is a dead coyote in my book. Nearly all the foothold trapped coyotes I'm showing were taken in December when the coon were denned pretty hard. I did snare some too but that was this month.
Like the two pictures above Ken, these will probably all be a two picture set of the same animal; one showing the location and the second showing the coyote smiling. 
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Post by ~ADC~ on Jan 29, 2014 20:10:45 GMT -6
Why they got to be so grumpy? You have on your cat costume or something Wayne?
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Post by blackhammer on Jan 29, 2014 20:15:02 GMT -6
I hope by killing a few it may make room for more fox which are probably my favorite animal. As far as deer they can eat all they want.
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Post by cottonwood on Jan 29, 2014 20:23:41 GMT -6
How do you get them all to say cheeeeese??? This one was caught right after a light dusting. I love seeing fresh tracks lead to a circle!  |
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Post by 4fur on Jan 29, 2014 21:03:26 GMT -6
Some are grumpier than others. Here are two that weren't photogenic including the yellow one I showed in a different thread earlier...   But here is one that was not happy to see me...   Although it was very cold during the couple weeks I chased coyotes, we did not have much snow. Really just perfect K-9 trapping conditions considering I did not have any waxed dirt and was just getting dry dirt from under a bridge to bed my traps. When the temps would approach 32*, I'd sweep the snow off my sets before it melted and froze my traps in. This big female was no doubt the meanest, nastiest coyote I have ever trapped. She repeatedly lunged at me almost as soon as I rolled up on her...   |
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Post by wildman99 on Jan 29, 2014 21:17:58 GMT -6
Amazing pics, thanks for sharing
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Post by 4fur on Jan 29, 2014 21:25:50 GMT -6
Thanks Wildman. Here is one more for tonight...   |
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Post by cottonwood on Jan 29, 2014 21:41:22 GMT -6
Great pics 4fur! I've always wondered if those yellow ones are like outcast red heads or if that's a genetic thing and all their litter mates match?? They can sure vary in color.  |
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Post by blackhammer on Jan 29, 2014 22:03:14 GMT -6
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Post by skunkboy on Jan 29, 2014 23:18:10 GMT -6
Thanks Wildman. Here is one more for tonight... Isn't that my Dad's house in the backround Wayne? Great pic's...thanks. L8R...Ken |
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Post by 4fur on Jan 30, 2014 5:38:03 GMT -6
Close Ken. Mo. Valley. But most of my coyotes were taken on the river dikes between there and Logan. |
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Post by braveheart on Jan 30, 2014 5:38:54 GMT -6
With the coyotes breeding they like them long travel routes.Pulling traps today have caught a coyote everyday since the first of Dec.I wish every winter was open the coyote hunter are nasty to work around with snow.
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badger
Hyper-Active Trap Talker
Posts: 127
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Post by badger on Jan 30, 2014 7:47:24 GMT -6
impressive.
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Post by cottonwood on Jan 30, 2014 9:10:58 GMT -6
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Post by Coydog on Jan 30, 2014 10:38:18 GMT -6
Great pics 4fur!!
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Post by Coydog on Jan 30, 2014 10:39:27 GMT -6
...and everyone else.
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Post by 4fur on Jan 30, 2014 21:12:11 GMT -6
Thanks Jarod. Looks like you have the snare thing down Cottonwood! Wish my yeller girl would have met you yeller dog! The land owner told me had seen a white coyote on that farm but I suspect he was talking about the one I caught because I never did catch a white one. 
I prefer footholds to snares but did get some snares out in January. Snared coyotes just don't photograph as well as trapped but I have a few pictures I can post later. A few more pictures...
This coyote seemed pretty docile...
...until he went into his barking act (love the howlers/barkers!)...
I set every single trap for a NW wind. My thinking is that when a front passes through, the temps usually drop like a rock, the wind switches around to the W/NW/N and that is when coyotes really move...and the coon don't as much. When the wind is blowing my set smells away from the critters it is because the wind is more southerly and blowing up some warmer air. Of course I expect action in my coon sets on those nights. This system works for me and allows me to multi-specie. Doesn't always go as planned though. As I jumped from the truck to check a couple fish sticks at a tile dump I noticed a coyote that I had just driven by...
Guess he didn't want to ride around with a bunch of greasy, muddy coon...
This was the same location the next day. This little 80 acre farm was my best location for total fur this season: over a dozen coyotes, 3 mink, 2 blanket beaver and at least several dozen coon I'd guess. Another barker...
And a grinner...
I had 2 sets of 2 at this farm; the other was a hundred yards east at a field crossing. This farmer is very picky about tracking up his fields so often I had to time checks for early morning when the thermometer dipped below freezing. Made for a couple good pictures on the December full moon, though...
And my favorite, taken the next night...
I guess I didn't take too many pictures of the real Zombie coyotes but, believe me, I caught a lot like this one. Some way worse...
There is always some mange around but the Great Flood 3 years ago forced all the coyotes out here into the hills. They stressed the local population and a mange epidemic occurred. Fox were killed by the coyotes or the mange and between the predators and the soaring birds, the 'rat, mink, small game, upland birds, etc. populations were massacred as well.  Not much money in trapping predators especially compared to coon. But as stewards of the land and wildlife, we as trappers often look past the almighty dollar. 
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Post by muskrat10 on Jan 30, 2014 21:22:07 GMT -6
Enjoy the pictures. Thank you for sharing!  |
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Post by ~ADC~ on Jan 30, 2014 21:35:51 GMT -6
 I see several MB550's in them pics Wayne, is that your coyote trap of choice these days? ~ADC~
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Post by cottonwood on Jan 31, 2014 6:52:37 GMT -6
I normally prefer footholds too, by the time I had any time to get some out this year the ground was pretty solid and I didn't have any holes pre dug. I managed a couple Earlier on. The snares can take time to connect but are quick and pretty low maintenance.   I agree that coon trapping is far more profitable, but it is always fun to see a yote bouncing around! What type of sets do you guys prefer? I normally run just dirt holes, haven't completely figured out flat sets yet. |
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Post by 4fur on Feb 2, 2014 11:57:18 GMT -6
I love the MB550s Jayme! I use the underalls rather than a pan cover which increases the pan tension enough to keep trash out of my sets. I did not catch one fox this year in an area where I would take 60 20 years ago. But I just don't think it was the traps' fault; there just are no fox left to catch. I had minor foot damage on just two of over 60 and most coyotes had their foot buried to the base plate. I run all two coiled and should cut off the pins because they do get bent up some. But nothing to interfere with resetting and using the trap. Dogs are a real possibility with K-9 traps in my area and the MB550 with offset cast jaws lets me sleep easier at night. Looks like you thinned out the coyotes in your area, Cottonwood. Good job! Looking through my January snare pictures I don't see much worth posting. Here was a coyote that was working a dirt hole on top the dike but not committing. So I stuck in a snare and that stopped the nonsense...  Same thing up the river with this one. Deer hunters had thrown bones and scraps on the ice in the background and I set a couple snares in an old beaver trail...  I snare in the open because I want to avoid entanglements that might choke down an NT. Here is a spot where coyotes were using a trail going under a fence on private property...  Very, very little concern about catching a dog in this spot but I realized a cat would be DOA so I didn't reset the spot. Furgood on hear came up and kicked it with me a couple times. He is a very good trapper who like most of you traps around a full time job and a little vacation. He can do it all, but really likes the flexibility of snaring predators because he can open and close loops to accommodate his work schedule. Anyway, thanks Joe! Joe had some ideas I thought were kind of out there and never would have tried. Some worked and the ones that did not work probably would have if I had given them more hang time. This was a tube connecting an unharvested corn field and a pasture. No coon sign but there were coyote tracks all over on the dirt road. So we snared up the tube and Joe suggested we throw in a skunk carcass. I thought a fox might go through a tube but a coyote...no way! The snare was missing on the third day and I could hear heavy breathing in the tube...  When I shined the flashlight into the small culvert I about crapped my pants because I had totally forgot about the skunk! But then the coyote's head appeared...   |
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Post by hvtrapper on Feb 2, 2014 13:28:02 GMT -6
Based on where the snare appears to be (right behind the ears) I'm surprised the coyote wasn't dead. I don't snare a lot of coyotes but that catch position is usually lethal for me. Have had a couple like that with no kinks in the snare at all and very little "spin" sign.
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Post by coonnfoxtrapper on Feb 7, 2014 8:05:00 GMT -6
 Top picture is a smart female that was digging up sets. Sure saved a lot of headaches Once she died.  Second Picture is a small female i caught she was crossing from a Large Timber Going to the river I took 2 off this trail in 3 days.  Third picture is my Nephew with a coyote in my most productive set this year i took 7 coyotes out of that one trap. The traps a duke #4 i had to bend the dog back straight after almost every catch.  These are what i took to the ITA auction in Boone Jan 4th. The rest of the coyotes i got in January i sold locally Hope to take more and better pictures next year I just get so Into the trapping thing the camera is easily forgotten. |
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). Not sure if it was the 2 year shut down of the Ft. Calhoun Nuke Plant across the river or what? But most of the coyotes I took were not very happy. Like this one...
Not much money in trapping predators especially compared to coon. But as stewards of the land and wildlife, we as trappers often look past the almighty dollar. 
I see several MB550's in them pics Wayne, is that your coyote trap of choice these days?
