This could very well be a large factor. I know that thermal hunting has become big in our state in general, and especially down in my area. Guys are hunting coyotes with thermals year round now

I have never tried burying big bait, however, several of the properties we trap, as well as our own mountain ground, have carcass piles where the animals congregate, and honestly, we have never had any luck setting near the carcass piles. Burying the carcasses may make a difference, or possibly even moving further away from it and setting the trails leading to it

Are y’all saying that thermal hunting is killing all the coyotes or driving them out of the area, county, State?
Or are you saying the human intrusion has somehow stopped them from being able to be caught in a trap for some reason?

No I’m not. There is a finite number of coyotes available to all types of harvest in a County, I’m talking specifically about my County, the County I’ve always trapped competing with other trappers and winter hound hunting. Trapping season is approximately 4 months long with only a couple months of sale-able fur quality. There is no season on houndsmen coyote hunting but need snow to hunt but aren’t concerned about fur but have a relatively short couple of months for good hunting conditions.

The addition and popularity of year-round thermal hunting as an added pressure on the coyote has just reduced the population further. Up until this last spring, thermal hunting was allowed year round so (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) with pups are killed quite easily in the relatively bare fields. Kill the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman), kill the pups, and exponentially reduce the number of coyotes available overall.

The thermal hunters really had an impact on the coyote population in the area I trapped for 20 years to the point I found it difficult to find sign to set on. In addition, several of the properties I tested lures & baits as well as trapped on for years pre-camera and with cameras, I can no longer find enough sign to test even if I wanted to!! I know several people who do thermal hunting and though top grade equipment is expensive, if you can shoot and have good calls, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel!!

It just boils down to the fewer pieces of the coyote pie available, t hope I’ve answered your question.

Well we are coming up on mating season and they only have a litter a year, so hopefully we’re reducing the amount of coyotes that will mate and then reduce those numbers even more as soon as they drop. Less coyotes means more deer/turkeys.
But still, transients and neighboring coyotes tend to move in to uninhabited territories to claim as their own. It’s a never ending battle unfortunately.

But this thread was about “committal at sets” and thermal hunting got thrown in the mix somehow, lol.

While everything seldom said I believe to be 100% true, I think the topic of thermal hunters does have a place in this thread, at least in my mind. By my way of thinking, when these dogs are called and shot at year round by humans, it could make them a bit more skittish working sets, especially if things are a bit "dirty" and the set contains more human scent due to excess time making the set, contaminated traps, etc. Like I said in the original post, I'm not a big believer in the "human scent" theory for canine trapping, but i do believe trying to reduce it to an extent can help.

I've also noticed the topic in this thread has turned mostly to coyotes. The same behaviors I'm seeing in the coyotes around here, I am also seeing in the red fox, which we have a higher population of. Ive never had much problem catching a few fox every year, but the last 2 or 3 it seems like it's been a struggle to catch 4-5 fox, and going by tracks in snow/mud/on the set, they are doing the same thing as the coyotes and rarely fully committing to and working the set

Did anyone mention weather… a good cold front will cause coyotes to work sets more aggressively

I’ve been saying for a couple years this thermal deal was gonna be bad news. And not because of all the coyotes they (claim to) kill!


People said I was crazy.

Now, even some of the thermal boys are starting to admit it!

They kill a few, and educate/screw up a pile! That night time pressure really changes their behavior, they get ultra paranoid.

Makes it a lot tougher.




Used to be the first big behavior change of the year came late January, February as they started pairing and breeding.

Now (here at least), that first big behavior change comes around Thanksgiving. Which up here, kind of kicks off “calling season” in earnest.

If you can’t see how the two might be connected…..

Here in Maine they kill alot more coyotes then the trappers can dream about.

Bruce how long have they been able to run thermals up there? And how many do you think the average guy up there kills? How many do u think the average trapper takes? Just asking out of curiosity.

T

Wanna be.. Quote

This thread was about “committal at sets” and thermal hunting got thrown in the mix somehow, lol. The effects explain some animal behavior.

In our area the last few years I have seen the population changes and have given it some serious thought as to the factors. More nocturnal behavior by humans into an area can have considerable effects on an already cautious demeanor and this adds touchy behavior.

In Kansas if I see an coyote 2-300 yards out in a flat harvested section area, he will take off like a bandit as soon as he sees me. Due to everyone taking pot shots and carrying a rifle and add the coyote wagons running dogs after them, they all want a head start if they can get one.

Things are always changing.

Very true! I call it a “pressured” behavior. Since I trapped several large acreage deer hunting properties for a dozen years it was painfully obvious every fall when the members would become more active, baiting up their blinds for bow season and bowhunting, the coyotes would make a “shift” in travel patterns due to the sudden increase in human presence but the shifts were predictable from observations so I learned to adjust and keep my catch numbers static.

I could see a similar thing occur when neighboring farms started allowing thermal night hunting. The hunters were killing additional coyote but with also their presence were applying a form of pressure on the resident coyote that was entirely new to their hunting & travel patterns. Most of the bold coyotes are removed quickly by me trapping and the night hunters but the remaining coyotes became very erratic in their travel patterns and how they reacted to anything new which included scents! Travel patterns became extended which made trapping the fewer coyotes even more time consuming and less cost effective.