Tejas—is it normal for your new arrival coyotes to have already experienced trapping pressure in their travels? Here I assume the vast majority of travelers during later fall/winter/early spring have seen or smelled a set. Even if they haven’t and they come with a disadvantage of not knowing the specifics of location, they still enter the area with high level of caution from overabundance of callers.

We don’t trap summers here so no experience with those conditions but that would be the time I likely wouldn’t want to try catching them. Be lots of dumb pups but accessing them would be exceptionally tough

If you’re truly trapping for management purposes, you trap all year.
If you’re trapping for notoriety and management you let them build and trap prior to fawning season.
If you’re trapping for fur, then only when the coyotes are prime.
I hit all my properties at least twice a year except one. I stay on it most all year. I don’t want numbers building and then start catching them. It would make me look good, but not good for the overall management of the property. I’m protecting deer, turkeys, and quail from birthing/hatching all the way to adulthood.
My job is to eliminate every predator on the place. Will I ever accomplish it? Nope, but I’ll do my best to keep them as low as possible. All my landowners run a multitude of cameras…my efforts or lack thereof are always noticeable, lol.
Trapping Spring/Summer can eliminate an entire family group sometimes before they even get started. If you’re into calling coyotes, June is when you have your highest coyote numbers all year just because pups will be out of the den and starting to tag along on hunts. It’s a prime time to remove potential problems down the road.
You also have to remember, habitat plays a huge roll for predators as well. Improve your habitat and increase your game numbers.

Thanks for setting the record straight WB.

I was under the impression our pre and post season aerial surveys gave us a pretty accurate assessment.

With a fawn crop over 100% and no MIA/ post-rut causalities reported I thought we were holding or own on predator control.

I guess we will have to step up our game!!

You bring up several good points BBB !

I get a good number old coyotes with a lot of game this time of year.
Some adult females in their prime can be a real nightmare as well.

I can’t stress how much gang setting can save the day in these situations.
Using single sets against this class of coyotes is a losing battle.
In the past few weeks I’ve dealt with some tough hombres.
Most of those coyotes would have walked had there been just a single set waiting for them.


This super old male from this morning’s double is a prime example of that.

You bet those transient coyotes can be spooky. Not just human interaction but other coyotes as well as the new surroundings as you mentioned..
Several really dominant coyotes will rule this area until they are taken out. I’ve even had a big male killed in a trap
This is a prime area with good resources and the locals do not hesitate to defend it.
Many coyotes pop in and out of here looking for a snack or a date hoping they don’t get caught I the wrong place at the wrong time.


Have you ever seen the way a lost dog in a unfamiliar neighborhood acts? He runs from place to place scared of everything.

I think a lot of coyotes new to the area will act the same way.

That is one old old coyote!!

Good deal there Tejas. That's one ole dog.The only time I see there teeth is when I'm putting a catch pole around there neck. I do t get to many close ups

I think he was looking for a nice retirement community to live out his golden years.

He picked the wrong neighborhood..

I've trapped coyotes at all times of the year and for the most part the same places year after year. I'll just share some of my experiences.

June - August would be what I consider the slower months. It's hot, they don't seem cover as much territory, and a lot of available food sources. The best solution is to get right in the area they frequent and then just wait them out. Not hard to catch them but just have to be patient. A good liquid mouse bait, coyote urine, or gland lure is what seems to work best for me during the warmer months.

Adult females don't seem to be any harder to catch than any of the other coyotes. I feel like 90% of the coyotes come fairly easy, the other 10 whether they be adult male or female can pose a few challenges. Adult females that are bred, like this time of the year, can be easily trapped with a good, baited set. I think it's because their hormones have kicked in and they need to prepare their bodies to provide nutrients they need for the pups to develop.

As far as coyotes being wary to new things that's their nature. But after passing a set a time or two and nothing has happened then they feel comfortable working it the next time around. I'll have a couple of sets in a section of pasture that takes 3 or 4 coyotes and then the others are on to it and avoid working the sets or the area all together. The solution - I just find another area they are traveling by tracks or droppings and then set it up.

Keeping in mind the time of the year also helps in choosing the bait or lures to use. During breeding season, I use a good bait with a good gland lure. That'll take a lot of your adult coyotes, whether they be male or female. Sometimes for the educated ones just use a fresh dropping or urine on a weed.

So, these are just some of the things I have observed. It's good to discuss and find technical aspects to apply, but for the most part just get out there and trap. With experience, time, and patient's coyotes will become easier to trap.