Tejas, are any of those females' bred? 9 out of 10 coyotes I take will be females this time of year. I'd like to hear other thoughts on why this is. I have made my own conclusions, but not sure that my thinking is correct.

That is a good observation SPC.
I have noticed the same here along with another trend.
I have an idea why as well, but it is little more than a guess.

Eight out of my last eleven coyotes were female.
Seven out of eight were on the young side of life.
(I jot down an age estimate as of late.)

1—Yearling, possibly two year old.
3—Two year olds.
3—Three year olds.
1—Four/Five year old

None of The younger females were showing.


The older female looked to be expecting.
She was caught yesterday, 4-14-25.
This coyote was as mean as a female gets.



She was preceded by a big nasty male that was as ill-tempered as she was.

I would also like to hear if others have noticed this trend as well.

And if so what is your explanation for a one-sided catch ratio at this time of year?

And in my case, why are the vast majority of females being caught younger?

Here's my thoughts. Most coyotes are denned up now. The adult male and female will remain very close to the denning site. The younger females are part of the family from the litter the previous year. They haven't yet paired up with a male coyote. So, they remain with mom and pop to help out. They seem to be the ones that put on the miles to bring food back, therefore more of them caught.

As far as the bred females. In the early stages they need food for nutrition to build up their bodies and to support the ones growing inside. They can be easily caught at baited sets. It seems that a lot of females that are in the early stages put on the miles and are caught in March here. In the later stages, if caught before they give birth, you are probably fairly close to the denning site. I don't believe they cover a lot of area in the late stages.

Just my thoughts and guesses put together after hearing and discussing this with other trappers. Nothing scientific.

My thought on an influx of females being caught this time of year is most likely due to being heavy with pups. I guess these females are out trying to pack as much food in as they can before being tied down after whelping. In the month of may here my female catches will go up.

Funny yall say that. I’ve caught 3-4 males on a property this last week or two. No females to be found. Mine must have all shipped out to your locales. Seems like my male catches pick up this time of year pretty consistently

When you start doing a good job of thinning out the coyotes. There will be more females to populate future generations.

You make a really good point there SPC.

That extended travel you mention can certainly take on a much wider scope when conditions are as tough as they are here right now.
That would certainly put any yearling nanny in harm's way. Then again, that would apply to any hungry coyote having to work for a living.


I just can’t account for the influx of 2 & 3 year old females.

Do you think that perhaps these single gals without a cause just run the roads looking for a place to happen?


From the sign I see on the roads and trails it’s like they are wandering aimlessly looking for a new place to call home.
These are almost exclusively singles traveling. There is rarely a pair in tandem. They also exhibit no set travel pattern as well.
The absence of tracks on the road followed by a sudden increase in coyote traffic leads me to believe these coyotes just hit the scene.


Perhaps hunger is the driving force behind this steady trickle down traffic, and there are just fewer males in that 2-3 year age class to go around.

Your females become sexually mature about 1, but I think most don't actually start breeding until 2. Possibly those 2-year-olds aren't paired up yet or their mates have been taken. Then you have a certain percentage of coyotes that are transient, if not part of the family group, they'll be forced away from areas due to the highly protected denning areas. Might be why they seem to be wandering aimlessly.

What you are saying makes perfect sense SPC.

I think that for the most part the vast majority of coyotes caught here now are new arrivals.

I wonder if a mating pair would set up shop here this late in the game just because of the void created in the area?

Around here most pairs would already have a denning area set up. Most denning sites are in isolated and tough to get to areas. Usually, they only change a denning area is if they feel it has been compromised from human activity. So, if there isn't already a den in your area, more than likely not, unless they feel a need to move from another spot and it's safe enough from human disturbance.

This pair I caught a few days back has me scratching my head.


It might sound odd, but I am pretty confident the breeding pair I picked up on the 13th & 14th just arrived on the scene.

They suddenly made their presence known within a quarter mile of sets that have caught dozens of coyotes in recent weeks.
They lit up on multiple days just before dark in the same location right before they were caught.
Road recon with the hound prior to their vocalizations turned up no evidence of their presence.
Mrs. Wile E's vocalizations became extremely aggressive after her significant other was caught.
Both of them turned up the Nasty volume to 10+ once they were detained.
These two were as aggressive and vocal as any coyotes I've come across in a good while.


I don’t suppose it really matters in the end. I guess I should just be content that they both stepped on the pan.

I ran across one of the locals yesterday.

This is a South Texas Tortoise. They are protected.

I never pass up a chance to snap a few photos when I see one,

These tough little reptiles are outfitted with a lift kit and skid plate like a 4WD.

Good job on the coyotes and the photography James

I have read and been told like most that during the denning time that coyotes will not tolerate intrusion from other coyote in their area.last May in two nights I caught 8 on a small loop rd. They ranged from young male and female to wet females.On this journey of coyote trapping you never say never.Texas what type of set up is you latch on those 2 with.I have a pair for sure I am dealing with now.

I think there were a host factors that led to their demise SK.

My Catahoula marking up the place, the smell of recently caught coyotes, & the remnants of an old bone yard with a bit of olfactory attraction left.
The male being caught was probably the biggest attractant of all. Good old flat sets with poop and urine did the rest.
They were caught in sets just a few feet apart.


I bet your area and situation will require a little different approach as far as attractants and looks go.

Keeping it simple is the ticket at this stage I believe.

Like SPC said, they are trying to bulk up for the upcoming litter.

Give them what they're looking for.

I ran across these two little time capsules in my lure fridge a few days back.
They were collected and fresh frozen during the 16-17 season.
In February 2017 I ground them up and added SB to the mix immediately.
This batch was rinsed off as soon as they were removed so they are really clean.
The glands have been under refrigeration for over eight years, and the jars have never been opened.



As you can see the top layer turned brown, but the glands still have their original color underneath.
I am assuming the discoloration is from contact with the little bit of air that is trapped in the jar.



I’m on the fence as to what I should do with this stuff.

I could mix up the contents, skim off the top layer and use it, or add a little bit of something else to the glands.
Something tells me I might be better off using it as a stand-alone.

What would the T-Man crew do with this Coyote Goodness?

You got two great possibilities there...You could just add quality coyote urine to a jar, shake and use it. Gland lure
Or get fancy and make a small batches of concoctions up with other ingredients like asafetida, valerian, etc and use it.
Whatever you decide be sure to write down the recipes to the T.

I'd add some good coyote urine and glycerin and use as is. Yes, I'd just stir the browner top into the rest of it.

Thanks MC & BC2 !

I figured the less I tinkered with the glands the better off I was going to be.
I don’t guess I should commit a whole jar to one certain concoction.
I'll spoon out a little in a few one ounce bottles and try it with my top urines.

I was hoping Mr. Jameson might see this and chime in too.