Here is another good buck that came in for a visit.

I call him flop because he hurt his left ear in a fight and it hangs down.

Since this photo was taken he has broken off most of his left side.

You know the old saying Swamp. They always look bigger gong away.

That is usually the case, especially when they are running away with someone shooting at them.

I think this particular buck is much more impressive head on. His weak side is facing the camera in the above photo and his head is down. His 2’s & 3’s also slant way forward so they look much shorter than they really are.

With the rut winding down the focus will soon turn to feed.

Hopefully that will give me the edge I need to get within camera range.

Here is something you might find interesting YG.


I have also noticed when coyotes are present in big numbers the resident cats keep a very low profile.

They are in no way afraid of Wile E. I think they just choose to avoid the dog pound when they are at full force.

Bob is there, he just limits his movements I believe.

Once the coyotes have been thinned out of the area, or there is a population shift, the cats start showing up on the cam.

I have noticed this trend year after year. Keep in mind this is recon on a bait station cam.

That is a very interesting observation Tejas. That could very well be the case here.
My experience with cats is just starting. Hardly a week goes by that I don’t get pics of dead yotes from the thermal guys I know. Then at the same time I’m getting game cam pics of cats
There are a lot of thermal hunters here and a ton of deer hunter game cameras out. Interesting how they intersect.

Rob how many of the thermal hunters do you think are using suppressors? Yeah, I know the rules ...just wondering because around here a loud boom typically alarms folks yet I don't see/hear any push back from folks and media???

None that I know of. There is so much thermal hunting here people are used to shooting at night.
That’s why my neighbor thought it was a good idea to poach deer with his thermal. He got busted. What an idiot. I’m sure more of this goes on than people know.

We are not allowed to use Thermal till February, I’m sure some of it still goes on year round though.

Killed ole three leg last night. The field around my bait is flooded with geese roosting on the water. Yote action usually picks up when that happens

Nice work Rob! Been catching a few here too....livestock guy that likes to keep them thinned out. Walking my tail off with this mud.

Bring this back front he grave yard for Tejas

Here's a question for the T-Man Coyote Trappers.

With the 2024-25 season just around the corner attention always turns to attractants.


When it comes to bait as an attractant for coyotes what have you learned on the line over the years?


I’m not necessarily referring to your top producers as much as other aspects associated with baits in general. That goes for the good, bad, and the ugly.

This could be anything from overall effectiveness, target response, set selection, holding power, fresh or taint, ground or chunk,
amount used, stand-alone vs. multiple attractant presentation, etc. The list goes on and on.


With all the folks that use baited sets for coyotes there should be some interesting insight and observations on the subject.

Welcome back Tejas!
Ok, my take and observations....summer time adc work on coyotes, droppings and urine or gland lure at flat sets is king! Fall /Winter trapping baits bobcat based slightly tainted work well alone or in combo with skunk lures. We can't use visible attractors like bones fur etc so artificial fur in a hole of pinned down at trash mounds work well. White pvc pipes lured with same bait work well too.

I use very little bait, SSO my observations are somewhat limited. But I have had very limited interest in fresh baits unless they are very large. . . As in whole carcasses or baitpile large. Very rotten, as in they want to roll in them rather than eat them baits have gotten better responses for me than fresh or lightly tainted baits, again unless they are very large.

Now that being said a lot of the commercial baits or bait solutions I consider more a lure than a bait because of all the added ingredients.

Thanks MC!
It’s good to be back!

Flats ARE King! (In my book) I couldn’t agree more.They have remained my go-to set regardless of the time of year.

I’ve had good luck with fresh bobcat meat down along the border. It has done very well on coyotes even though it has a light color and smell.
Fresh chunk with no taint stopped with SB has produced my biggest cats by far.

The visual aspect of a baited set, or any set for that matter, is a topic I would like to touch on at some point as well.
Its importance cannot be underestimated. I believe it can easily make or break any look offered to a coyote.

The more I trap the more I realize that predators can be caught on any number of different lures, baits and urines. As a stand alone or a multiple odor presentation. Large and small use amounts.

It all depends upon the nature and mood of the animal at the time of their encounter with that presentation.

Keeping in mind that animals are curious by nature, but some learn from a past experience and can carry that trait their entire life. Of course until their curiosity gets the best of them. It can then lead to their demise.

Tejas good to see you posting again . Always good insight.A couple things I have learned in my area when I started I used the commercial baits and lure and done good.Then about 2 years later I stared using Table scraps in a post hole and my results doubled especially in the month of May here . I believe that is due to whelping dates and coyotes out searching for food for pups.

Thank You SK!

That’s tough coyote trapping in South LA.

Wile E. is a quick study. I always try to keep them guessing throughout the season.

You threw them a curve ball with the new look and bait and they went for it. Good Stuff!

You Betcha !

That “past experience” is a tough one to get around at times depending on the hombre.

I've found that a little thinking outside the box paired with a good dose of persistence is usually the cure for a wise guy.

Those problem coyotes are the ones that make us all better trappers I believe.

Time might be a trappers worst enemy....putting a good set in and having to wait until THE TARGET hits it. Throw ck laws and fuel prices in the equation and it makes things tough.

MC, I think that trappers can be their own worst enemy more often than not.

I have little doubt that we all educate more coyotes than we could even imagine.

When looking for a cause I've noticed that most folks tend to point toward external factors.

I'd guess that repetition on the line is by far the primary source of education.

Even a young coyote can catch on very quickly if shown the same visual and olfactory often enough.