Good Stuff SPC.

When it comes to avoidance, skirting, or a delayed second catch at the remake, does the crew think that the hesitation is due more to a visual or olfactory overload?

Knowing that could certainly point us in the right direction as far as a solution goes.

I think it is more scent than visual in my area. I have tried to sift grass and duff over a catch circle several times. The coyotes still shied away.

So now I leave the catch circle and set a subtle set 5-15 yards downwind. And maybe a set just outside the circle upwind.

But I mostly fix it by using drags. It preserves my original set. Then I set near where the coyote ends up in the brush. I leave the dispatched coyote right there in the brush. ( I do damage control and our coyotes aren’t worth squat)

I try to find a trail or open spot downwind of that dead coyote and set a scent post / blind set. When they circle, I have a good chance at them.

I do catch a few,very few in remakes even in frozen ground,but most of my location's have 3 set's sometime after awhile I've had as many as 7 catch circles within a 50 yard area.I make sure I always have at least one clean new set around my remake's.

Remakes are usually gold here. 15 miles to the south I have to set on the edge of the catch circle or just pull the set and put in a new one.

I think we have it easier here than most. In our wide open fields after the chisel plows run and it gets muddy the grass is the place to be. Most of the prey is there and it’s easy traveling. Found many a great yote locations by watching hawks and crows. Another plus here is the wind is always changing the micro environment by blowing corn and to some extent bean chaff around. I have got away with some insane guiding at times around corn fields and by transplanting bean stubble.

If I’m in a location that is subject to new yotes traveling that seems to be where remakes shine. Big stinky mess gets attention when you are the new yote on the block. I’ve had a couple sets do 7 yotes and several do 5. That’s here in a more stable environment like big woods or secluded travel ways like Tejas has I don’t know if they would work as well. I also think how you dispatch the yote matters on remakes. Some guys don’t police their brass or leave a big blood pool and that could be enough to make a yote think about something else and leave. If he is traveling he may never be back. Not saying it scares them just changes their focus.

I really don't think it is either. I feel that it's learned from seeing others get caught. Then they associate the visual and bait or lure smells in the catch circle with danger after witnessing it happen. I've seen where a pair of tracks come down a trail where I have to 2 sets presented with a little different aroma at each. The first trap connects and then the second or single coyote continues down the trail 20 yards where another fresh set is. It paws delicately at set until it exposes a jaw or pan cover confirming that same danger awaits, so continues on. I've seen this more than once. I think it's the coyotes that are gifted with a little more intelligence and maturity though. Because I've seen the opposite as well, where both sets of track head down the trail and both caught.

Once again I have to thank all of those coyote trappers that have posted on this thread. Beginners, young or old, should copy and save this. Very few will realize until they beat around the field and woods a spell, just how much information has been shared. Thanks Tejas for taking folks along the line.

Mac

Here is a recent case in point that it’s scent-related though I’m not one of the “Coyote Crew” and my country is vastly different than what leads this thread.
Here’s an interesting observation when I put in one of the 2 sets of urine tests recently. I did so very near where I’d caught a coyote this winter in a blind trail set because I saw where a pair of coyotes used the travelway within 24hrs. There is an overgrown 2-track coming out of the brush and into a clearing, the catch circle was just back from the edge of the clearing in the 2--track. When I made the test plot there was 4” of snow and the pair of coyote had come down one of the tracks and swung over off the 2-track into the edge of the brush and continued on their way into the clearing and continued on in more or less a the same line of travel. I thought is was a little strange at the time that they didn’t continue right down the 2-track but I didn’t realize the catch circle was that close to the edge of the clearing or that close to my test plots.

A week later when I went to switch-out the cards the snow is all gone and there’s the catch circle. It was easily apparent then that the coyotes had skirted the edge of the catch circle which was made 12/18/21 and why they had walked almost in the brush off the edge of the 2-track to get around it. I thought their change of travel looked odd with the snow cover and I believe I see why now. The only scent that could have been left was the coyote’s and mine and there was absolutely no visual evidence that could be seen when they came through, yet they skirted it.

Do you think perhaps a trap circle made by a dominate coyote could also cause avoidance?

Nope, a yoy female.
https://youtu.be/KYuHB8Bfe2k

That's a good observation Seldom.

Do you think it was just the residual smell under the snow they are avoiding, or do you think that perhaps the coyotes remembered exactly where that catch was made and were avoiding the location itself?

All I can say objectively speaking is that they avoided the invisible, 2-month old catch circle and proceeded on across the clearing to near where I started the video. The day with the snow cover I followed the pair down the other 2-track and saw that they sort of dill-dallied along. 1 checked the ice on the swamp and came back onto the 2-track. They veered off on to another side track but turned around and came back to the 2-track they were on and continued off the property.

When I 1st published my coyote gland testing videos a fellow trapper commented that coyote are afraid of all gland lures as told by a very, very well known trapper that isn’t allowed on this forum. I told this person that I have objective proof(videos) that isn’t always the case, there are no absolutes. I’ve proven that yes, some gland lures scare coyotes and proven that some don’t and are attracted to them. Everything in this catch circle is either me or everything a caught coyote leaves there but I have no idea what transpired around the catch circle for the 2 months it was there.

Great thread and thanks to all of you who have shared your knowledge. On my line last year I didn't have much problem with resetting the catch circle and catching coyotes again but I don't believe there's many coyote trappers around here. Out of the 40 I caught in 17 days, 18 were in remakes. That will probably change next year but time will tell.

A good gland lure will attract and will trigger interest of coyotes. Marking, digging, rolling rubbing behavior can all be reactions in my experience. Too much can lead to some refusals at times but it in general provides interest. Alone or with another lure or bait. I have caught too many to say otherwise.

Overuse / too much of some formulated products can create caution, that is a fact also. Once the big push of odor backs off some they will come to find interest once again. Stay away for those sets, let them age.

I run two trap line dogs. They watch where I set each trap. They see coyotes caught and dispatched at those sets. Each dog has been cuffed once. Now they pass several sets each year without even acknowledging them. It's interesting to watch them run down a 2 track with sets on it. They will be running down the side with traps on it and 10 or plus yards before they get to where the set is they will switch lanes and just continue on by. That's even when the wind is blowing in the opposite direction. That's why I believe it is a learned trait.

I have one dog that has at least 6 years of the trapline behind her. Got a pup and started to let him come around a year old. He followed her lead and didn't show any interest in the sets as she did, even though he had never been exposed or trained to avoid the sets. He got caught once when I crowded the truck up close to the set and he was trying to skirt the edge of the truck. Other than that one time he has never made that mistake again.

So from my experience in the field, I have seen areas that coyotes just won't commit. I know they are there by the sign. Once you take out the lead (experienced) coyote you'll start catching the inexperienced fairly easily. Just my thoughts and observances.

When it comes to avoidance there is a laundry list of factors that could cause an issue.

It’s impossible to say with absolute certainty that this one thing caused the drive-by.

We can only draw a conclusion by what we see and experience.

I do believe that a majority of the avoidance here is caused by the catch circle being too hot.

My basis for that is what happens once the smell is allowed to dissipate just a bit.

For the most part, coyotes here balk at a fresh catch circle. Usually by day four or five the circle has cooled down enough to where I start seeing a few coyotes checking things out around the set.

I would bet that any quick remake catches are usually of some relation to the original caught coyote.

When you pick a set, look, and attractant for a remake, keep in mind the coyote is more than likely on point and just looking for the slightest reason to back out. I believe what you show him in that situation can make the difference between a worked set and a drive-by.

For sure, Tejas. It's a conclusion we make as individuals based on what we see and experience on our lines, nothing definite. So nobody is really right or wrong if it works for them. Even if a person does something that doesn't seem beneficial and gives that individual confidence then that's the right thing for him. For example, you talked about remakes and what you present to make a difference. I'm of the mind set not to use any urine or gland lure at a remake because it's already all there. Just a good food based attractant like a tasty little morsel was dropped for the opportunistic coyote to take advantage of. I will even grab a piece of scat left from the catch and set it a few inches away from food attractant just in case they can't help themselves from sniffing who was there. This works well for me and I have confidence in it working. But I know of another guy who mists the remake with urine and feels that his remake catches increase from doing it. It gives him confidence and works, so be it. I've tried it but I don't think it gives me a edge and like I said the area already wreaks of urine so why put more down. But as long as we're both successful in what we decide there's no really right or wrong way of doing it. So trappers, do what works best for you and gives you the most confidence.

Exactly!


Whether you have good or bad luck with remakes, think about what is in the circle and what is not.

What can you put inside the circle that will possibly make a coyote go against his better judgment and step in the danger zone?


i believe one of the best answers to that question is in Silky's post.

I'll share a remake story. A friend had a foothold set at farm that wasn't too far from my house and asked if I could check it for him. I didn't really think he would have a catch so I didn't put my trapping bag in the truck. When I got there an adult male was indeed caught. So I dispatched and put in the back of my truck. The trapper in me couldn't leave a unset trap. So I smoothed out the catch circle with my foot, grabbed some prairie grass and wadded it up to go under pan, and smoothed catch dirt back over trap with hand. Then I thought what am going to do to attract another animal. So I just grabbed two pieces of scat he left behind and spread each about 8" apart and the pan was in the middle of them about the same distance away. I thought at least it's a active set and he can change it to his liking on his next check. On his next check was another male coyote bouncing.

Be nice to sit around a fire with you guys.

This one time.
The top of a maple tree ended up into an alfalfa field after a big wind.
I requested it be left and I would remove it later.
Hole set at brush end and lure smear flat set at butt.
Raccoon hit the hole and made a heavy burn circle.
Few checks later I saw where yote worked the blood pool.
Policing the remake was mentioned earlier and that is what I then did,
scraping into the hole.
Quite a few checks later it snowed making the circle and everything invisible
Then bang yote double.

Visual or scent related? , Yes lol.

This series of photos used for illustration are from 2017

Up until a few years ago the double dirt hole was my top remake producer.

Like Silky mentioned, the catch circle has all the lure you could possibly need already added.

The set consists of two 1.5 punch holes four inches apart with the pan centered at eight inches out.

No backing or fencing is needed. Bait both holes and you are good to go.




I usually smooth out the sand and clean up the circle debris much more than what is shown in the photo.

Notice the trail in the background and the additional set on the right.




Here is the result.



I can’t help but wonder who was caught first.