…. It’s why I set where I did… they wanted him killed… happened to catch a female first night and he was in it on the second

They are resilient creatures no doubt.

Wish I could have seen this gal crawling around in the prairie, got her in a fence snare coming into some sheep.

I had to change this post. When I reread it I thought it sounded like I was saying KS doesnt have a lot of coyotes. Added in the word people.

It did sound like that, I thought you were just trying to keep others out, lol.

Spot on 😀

If tore up dirt scares them, then a fresh harrowed field should. I would think it’s the smell, but others use dirt from a catch circle and are successful.
Could a coyote release some type of scent when stressed? You know like they say a deer does when it stomps its foot it releases something from a gland that warns of danger. But if that was the case, we wouldn’t have success at all.
I have one property where a catch circle is an almost guarantee. Best catch numbers there was a coyote, a fox, another coyote, and then a cat. It went dead after that. That was in a two week period and also the very first time on that property. Since then no more than 2 per catch circle and then it dries up. Could very well have to do with numbers as well.
Could it be a trapped coyote seen by another coyote and then associate that spot with danger? I know I’ve found tracks (multiple sets) before and made a catch on a drag. No catch circle and was able to rebed in the same exact spot with nothing tore up and didn’t make another catch or see another set of tracks in a months time before I pulled. And I’m about 95% positive there were multiple coyotes using that road.

do you think the female catch helped?

… possibly

You really like to reach in your examples to try to be contrary don’t you?

Now we’re comparing a catch circle to a worked field???

One is a tiny island of churned up earth in a sea of “virgin” soil, full of smells, blood, hair, human odor, etc, the other is acres and acres in size with none of the extra stuff going on that makes a catch circle unique.

To quote the “big guy”, c‘mom man!

Around here they have learned to hunt hay meadows right after they are mowed. Dead fawns, exposed rodents etc. See hawks often gliding around behind the mower too.

none of that has anything to do with a coyotes spooky nature

Yes Danny,I have some friends that cut hay this time of the year and they will call me or send me a video of a coyotes come my out in the field while they are cutting.

Same here... when we had our highest populations of coyotes in the 90's - early 2000's it was common to see a coyote or three in the same fields that the tractors were in cutting hay.
There is too much inconsistency for my way of thinking....for the neophobia theory...some coyotes will hunt freshly cut hay/straw fields, some coyotes won't. Some coyotes will avoid a freshly plowed field edge... others won't. Some coyotes will not work a NEW backing placed for a set...while others are caught on the first night. Like mentioned before and by guys like Slim P. "never say never and never say always"
A good plan would be to use both systems on your properties and just learn from it. I do agree that natural is better. But if you are planning to get ahold backing in place do it a couple months before the season IF possible.
Just my thoughts...

You mentioned something I haven’t thought of…blood.
I’m curious if those with refusals have blood in their catch circles?
Could be the reason catch circles work for others, no blood.
I don’t have blood in my catch circles. Only time there’s blood is with the smaller critters. Big critters such as coyotes/cats/fox there isn’t any by design.

As far as my questions, they’re just for conversation and to get the mind churning. Nothing is meant to start an argument. As far as a catch circle, I’m sure it was on this site that I’ve read of someone raking out a catch circle prior to setting, using it as a visual and I believe they said they’d use dirt from a previous catch.

To me that inconsistency is in part the individual personality of them. Coyotes are just canines. Take a litter of domestic dog pups—— there are bold rambunctious ones that try crawling over gate to greet everyone and there are shy ones that hide in back corner of their crate avoiding socialization. And everything in between. Those bold coyotes run straight to everything we throw at them and make you think coyotes aren’t too bright. And if there’s a decent number of pups , you plug along without noticing the shy female that seldom comes out to play where others do. Put pressure on a litter of coyote pups and watch the personalities they show you especially if mom was that shy or educated one

Eventhough I grew up trapping I spent more time behind the rifle chasing those new arrivals in 90s and early 2000s than hammering steel in. And most of my chasing was in 2-3 states bordering the south of here in the early period as they hadn’t fully migrated into here. My “in hindsight” theory is those arriving travelers likely had a lot of boldness to them. Trapping them wasn’t any different than the years of reds prior. And the calling responses were fairly consistent. There was a point of big numbers here too, though a few years later than yours at least in my observation, but those personalities aren’t what we have now

Bold, aggressive coyotes are the first to die, and rarely get a chance to pass on that trait.

Well, now my mind is churning…what do y’all do with the coyote after dispatch? Is it left inside the circle or outside while resetting? Could that have something to do with it as well. I’ve noticed on camera, that after a catch the next critter through will always smell the area I’d lay the caught critter. Since that time, as soon as I dispatch it’s in the truck. Again, just asking to see why it works for some and not others. I like to “troubleshoot” things that aren’t consistent.

**Disclaimer: Don’t ask about women…gave up on that years ago!!!**

I agree with you on the different personalities and was just thinking about that last night. And as I stated before add past experiences to the list and it's possible that the coyote doesn't even know how it's going to respond until that moment. We all know that if you ask 12 trappers the same question, your going to get at least 24 different answers so why would critters be any different?

I'd never catch a coyote around Marion, Kansas or in South Dakota.

Those seem to be the wariest and smartest coyotes I've ever heard tell of.

Just kidding YesSir and Boone...lol

Any coyotes that are messed with by trappers tend to be more spooky than those that have not or are around people such as farmers, loggers, etc on a near daily basis.

We have dumb ones swamp wolf or I'd be in trouble. Lol I like observing and trying to learn from the cautious ones but haven't mastered catching them which keeps my intrest going.

We have so many easier ones it's hard to put in the effort and have the patience to go after the smarter ones. Snares and blinds sets have opened my eyes some but they are slower producing