Hello all,
I just recently got interested in trapping and I am planning on trapping on my brother-in-law's property. A coyote just got caught investigating a possum body on a trail cam, so naturally, I want to try my hand at getting one in a trap. I am a complete novice and I understand it could be a bit optimistic of me to try and catch one, but I'm going to give it a shot. I bought some MB 550s and plan on doing some dirt hole sets. My brother-in-law is the landowner and has no problem with me hunting/trapping responsibly on his property. However, he is a bit worried about the potential disturbance a trapped coyote will make. He lives in a private and wooded area, but neighbors sometimes pass through woods near his property on some walking trails. His main concern isn't the burn circle, but any potential noise a trapped coyote will make. He doesn't want anyone to freak out over a trapped k9. I have no frame of reference and I couldn't find any info specifically on how much noise coyotes will make in a trap. How realistic is his concern about disturbing neighbors? Will there be a fair amount of barking, yapping, etc.? The actual plot he owns is about 5 acres, but its bordered by 50 acres of land that is relatively unused, and has one neighbor, who he isn't too worried about hearing a trapped coyote, with a similar plot directly next to his.
Thanks in advance for any replies

Welcome! I am new to trapping coyotes but from my own experience, I've never heard a trapped coyote make a sound other than the rattling of the chain. With the walking trail in the area, personally I would be concerned with catching someone's dog, which will make a lot of noise if caught, although you're on private property so less chance.

I have caught bunches of yotes here in Nebraska over the last 45 or 50 years or so. Most times the critters (yotes) don't make a sound. Every now and then you get one who barks, yips or whimpers some. And far and in between you get one that really barks , yips and howls a distress . I had a couple caught in traps and snares around my house … probably about a mile away that I could hear as I was out side doing my livestock chores around dark or working in the shed a couple hours after dark. Some do raise cain.

Thanks! And thanks for the info, that helps me a lot. Catching a dog is a bit of a concern for me, but the probability of one getting loose back there is pretty slim. I’m not sure what precautions I can take besides obviously not setting blind, and keeping away from trails that people would even consider walking their dog through.

That’s good to know NebrCatMan. I hope I get lucky and it’s not a loud coyote. Do you think the loud ones is a reflection of comfort? Or just purely the chance of a noisier personality. I don’t think I’ll be able to pull many coyotes off this property so hopefully I don’t run into the loud ones!

East gonzo, what city are you close to? Just curious.

I would reiterate, be very carefull to stay away from places where people walk their dogs. You can give trappers a tremendous black eye in a hurry, because it is never the dog walkers fault in the public eye! Wish you good fortune, but remember that above all!

you'd be wise to come to the Bland Va convention this weekend BOTH Friday and Saturday to see the demos given by old pros, buy gear without paying shipping, eat like a King, and pick the brains of many great trappers!
http://www.virginiatrappers.com/page34.html for info!
and camping is free!..but several good hotels in Wytheville within 15 mins of Bland

What traprjohn says is correct. You need to go to Bland,VA.

If there's a dog within a mile of the place you'll probably catch it. Not a big deal, MB550 pretty easy on them. Welcome to trappin.

Here’s what helped me shorten my learning curve by decades. Join your state trapping assn, Google it. Then contact officers off their site and ask for a mentor to ride along with. This gets you in the info loop of FREE trappers ed classes and meets and fur sales/pick ups, and conventions. Then attend ALL YOU CAN, this shows folks you are serious and will be a good student. It sure helped open many doors for me and it could for you as well. ALSO, get several different trapping supply catalogs, like MTP, Sterling Fur, FandT, PCS, Schmitt enterprises, Southeastern outdoor supplies, rpoutdoors, etc etc, THEN circle gear you need, and give the catalogs to loved ones to buy your Birthday and Christmas and July 4 and Anniversary gifts. Explain to them, you want their money to go towards what you will use and need, as opposed to another sweater hanging in your closet. WORKS GREAT in our family.

the last three coyotes I caught were curled up taking a nap when I drove up to the set. They started howling when I got out of the pickup though.

We can go on for days about the little nuances of trapping coyotes but here are the big ones. These rules are the only ones all coyote trappers can agree on lol

Bed your trap SOLID. If it moves at all when you push down on any part of it keep trying
Use clean traps. Make sure no bait, lure, blood, etc gets on your trap
Stake well. The last thing you want is to catch a coyote and have it leave with your trap
Set on sign. You can’t catch coyotes that aren’t there
Be patient. Sometimes it can take weeks for a particular set to connect.

It seems like the mature alpha type of coyotes put up a pretty good racket, 2-3 come to mind last year that I could hear when I stepped out the door in the morning.
They were from half a mile to almost 2 miles away, but we have semi open farm country here, so sound can carry quite aways. As stated above be careful where you set to avoid catching pets, I tell most all my neighbors that We have a coyote problem and that I’m putting traps out.
they all have agreed that they are a problem and I have met no resistance except from my sister who has hated trapping since I started doing it 25 years ago lol. Any idea what type of sets you’d like to run? There is a wealth of good information on this site

The coyotes sound like sirens in my neck of the woods.