What is your go to early season lure for coyotes? And the trappers that prefer bait only, please state as such.

Lenons coyote or fox #3 not too loud and always seem to stay and the set for a long time

Cavens "Yodel Dog"

I'm no expert and maybe I'm missing something but I have been testing lures, baits, and ingredients year around for 2 yrs. What I've seen is that a great lure or bait will be great no matter what time of the year it is.

Quail remains and an egg down a dirt hole and a shot of coyote urine. Early season/late season...as long as the ants aren’t around.

Gland lures, with weisers horse meat. Early season they aren’t always hungry, lots of food around, so I like to give them a smell that triggers the territorial/curiosity response.

I’ve done well with a Nelson formula, or Dobbins bait solution, Lennon’s coyote super all call has been good for me as well.

Most coyote trappers that have written books on the subject will tell you that gland lures and call lures are better in late season. Gland lures are best in mating season which starts mid to late December in my part of the world and call lures are most effective in cold weather. That leaves curiosity lures and food lures that should be effective in early season before severe weather sets in. There are plenty of reasons for this thought process since warmer weather affords more fresh foods for predators, i.e. fruits, berries, rodents, and mice that are active and not holed up for the winter. Everyone knows the effectiveness of gland and call lures, but little attention is given to food and curiosity lures. Therefore, I was seeking advice and preferences for the early season.

Wayne Derrick's G Man on a dropping. Extremely close to line of travel.

Yeah but coyotes never learned to write a book so if you really want to know you have to ask them through testing. The answers they provide aren't based off theory. You start testing you will be able to separate fact from theory, that is if it makes a difference to you. Some things in print I agree with from what I see testing somethings I don't. Ive read from some "experts" that catch coyotes by the hundreds that a coyote gland lure spooks more coyotes than catchs and some writes claim its great stuff. The question for you since both are in print how do you know which to believe. Myself, ill just ask the target animal, after their opinion is the only one that matters right? A lot of conflicting theories out there even among guys that catch lots of coyotes.

So does that mean you have no preference for early season? It is just a question, not an argument.

[/quote]Yeah but coyotes never learned to write a book so if you really want to know you have to ask them through testing. The answers they provide aren't based off theory. You start testing you will be able to separate fact from theory, that is if it makes a difference to you. Some things in print I agree with from what I see testing somethings I don't. Ive read from some "experts" that catch coyotes by the hundreds that a coyote gland lure spooks more coyotes than catches and some writes claim its great stuff. The question for you since both are in print how do you know which to believe. Myself, ill just ask the target animal, after their opinion is the only one that matters right? A lot of conflicting theories out there even among guys that catch lots of coyotes. [/quote]
I have to agree with with you on this as it seems the coyotes around here apparently haven't read the same books or watched the same videos as I have. I think much has to do on the coyotes way of thinking is on that particular day. Sort of going to a good steak buffet and deciding on a salad. I take most information with a gain of salt unless it's the target animal showing me otherwise. Western coyotes may handle a situation much differently than an eastern or even it's mate for that matter. True, some coyotes are very predictable but I feel there are way too many variables to say for curtain.

My opinion is its more situational than seasonal when choosing a lure. Gland lure when I have a defined trail and want to put in a subtle flat set. Bait in a dirt hole with maybe a curiosity or call lure to amp it up a little when I think the situation calls for a dirt hole. I think a coyote that can be caught on a particular lure in the fall can be caught on same lure later in the season if they haven't been educated to the type of set or that lure. Some types work better for the more cautious type of coyotes and some lures are completely deadly on the braver dogs. Ed Schneider just recently came out with a pretty good youtube video talking lure selection and usage. Here's an example of a bait theory that some guys have,
they think meat based bait during some seasons aren't too productive or that the best bait mimicks what the coyotes are eating at the time. 2 summers ago I wanted to test these ideas so I waited till the mulberries were hitting the ground. Now around here when mulberries are ripe every animal that I know of eat a lot of them. Coyote droppings will be loaded with them. So I found a mulberry tree with lots of fruit on the ground and punched a dirt hole and put a horse meat bait with fish oil and a few other ingredients it. Came back 3 days later and the coyotes had blew up that hole. Even though they had all the fruit they wanted and were eating a lot of it. I guarantee you I can catch more coyotes on horse than mulberries even when the mulberries are in season just because the majority of coyotes like my bait better the mulberries no matter what season it is.
I personally use a variety of types of lures though out the whole season. One thing to consider is if your coyotes see a fair amount of hunting and trapping, late season will have you dealing with a larger class of spooky or educated type of animals.

Thanks for the comments and theories. It is truly a continual learning process with coyotes. Your comments help with that process.

I agree trying to understand them, if only a little bit, is the fun for me