Yote, I have not seen a buck or doe walk up to a fresh deer or pig carcass up to this point.

A hog will make an occasional drive-by, but that’s about it.

I hear folks mention all the non-targets a bait station will attract, but I have not encountered that problem here.

I’ve yet to see a single coon, fox, or badger working any bait site. A skunk will stroll by on occasion.

When coyotes are dominating a location, everything else steers clear of the area except for the Buzzard, Vulture, and Cara Cara.

Makes one wonder what controls the predatory/ scavenger birds you mentioned?
Here everything eats on a carcass/roadkill...from birds to rodents to the mammals.
The grab and pull bait systems really show merit on the carcass pics.... focus is on
what's in the mouth not so much where the paws are.

This far South weather controls the buzzards & vultures to some extent.

They migrate to Mexico for the winter just like the butterflies and hummingbirds do.

When the temps drop and the Northern wind picks up they head for the border.


The buzzard migration was constant up until October 29th.




By November 1st their numbers dropped off to nothing in just a couple of days.



All that is left now are the birds bringing up the tail end of the migration.

The Cara Cara and Harris's Hawk will remain here through the winter.

Good observation MC.

The grab and pull gets a good bit of play, but determining the angle of approach seems to be the X factor with that type of set.

It also illustrates where the front feet end up in relation to the nose when crawling up to the bait.

This was the main purpose of showing all of the crawl photos.

I usually crowd the attractant for all it is worth. In this instance setting the pan farther back looks like the ticket.



Figuring out what side they will sneak up on is a roll of the dice.

Opens tomorrow. He he he. 8 yards while I watched.

Hammer 'em Rob! I'm like a little kid tonight. Lunch already, made got my thermos ready for coffee in the am, truck is loaded. First time in 36 years I won't have to watch a clock.
Got some beaver to catch that will help pay gas weather looks nice for tomorrow but heard rain for the next day.

Coyotes and whitetails go hand in hand.


Here are a couple of fence jumpers caught in the act.

This big bobcat strolls by the bait on occasion.

He has put on some size since last fall.

Nice pics Tejas!

Thanks MC!

I need to get back to taking more deer photos along with the coyote stuff.



This shows you how warm temps can stay this far South.

Our last cold front pushed them into Mexico.



Deer and coyote activity should start to pick up from here on out.

Here is a question for the T-Man Coyote Crew.


What do you think are the key natural elements in determining coyote movement?

Is it just one primary factor, or the combination of several?

Is there one aspect that has more influence than all the others?


I would like to hear your thoughts and observations on the subject.

It would be a combination. The top three would be water, food, and a weather front.

Like any other critter, hunger or hormones would be the basis, followed by weather and/or past experience(s).

A lot of folks seem to put a good deal of stock in the moon phases when it comes to coyote activity

I haven’t noticed a lot of difference between new and full moon catch or bait station numbers.

Does anyone notice a significant increase in catch numbers during a new moon?

Here on the open plains you will notice a big difference. Catch rate drops off dramatically during a full moon.

I videoed my only catch of a coyote on a full moon just to remind myself it can be done. For the most part, coyotes come on dark night. Cats however, seem to come better on bright nights.
Again, while coyotes may be coyotes, I believe they all act different in different geographical areas. But that could lead back to density of the population.

I hve been seeing a lot of movement on my game camera the last couple of days. Moon is neither full nor dark.

Plan is to get some steel in the dirt this weekend and try and catch a few.

I think the cooler temps have the ones here using more calories and hustling to find more?

I bet visibility across the open plain on a moonlit night is a lot better than most other terrain.


What do you think causes your catch to decline?

Could it be because prey animals can see better so hunting conditions are not as good?

Maybe the added light makes the coyote more on edge, or perhaps he can see the ground better and is a little more cautious.

I agree BT.

Over the years I’ve noticed a definite trend here that supports what you’re saying.