Summer Predator Control

I’m in Central Texas. I keep snares working September 1 through June 1. I use foothold traps October - March.

Usually things settle down in summer. Predator kills decrease as predator diets change for summer. But this year local ranchers are still getting hit hard by predation.

I’ve had my footholds in the barn for over a month. But I’ve brought them back out for a few control jobs.

I have many, many trapping books. I subscribe to all the trapping magazines. I’ve never seen a summer coyote control book. At best, a chapter will be devoted to digging out coyote dens, etc.

I’m looking for summer coyote control trapping tips and tricks.

Here is what I’m doing so far…

- focusing on trying to find sigh around water sources
- diluting/not using bait and using tiny amounts of lure at sets
- going with very subtle flat sets
- snaring any slide big enough to squeeze a softball through

Thanks!

Look for and read SteelTraps posts on here.....

I’ve been reading SteelTrap’s thread. I’ll search the forum for his earlier threads. Thanks for the info.

Even though we are having summertime temperatures it has been a late spring as far as welping pups go. I don’t look for the coyotes to settle down or back off there killing until after they have weaned pups. Some pups are still being born now!

Sounds like your taking the right approach by keeping fences snared and keep watching the waters. Try blind sets everywhere that applicable around the waters. Also on your flat sets don’t be afraid to set more then one trap, try to catch that coyote on there first visit to your sets

Do you have any veteran adc trappers that might offer tips lessons or instructions? Might be worth your time and money.
Have you tried predator calling/ howling? It is just another tool as well as M-44s...need licensing for that.

I’m always asking questions to local trappers. Most around here quit for the summer though. Conventional wisdom here is to keep snares working and hope for the best. Few set footholds or M44s in the summer.

I hope to get certified to use M44 guns in the fall. Classes are few and far between.

I set some subtle flat sets this morning in a pasture adjacent to the 100 acre trap where we have all our Dorper sheep. I used Lucero lure JL#1 and Derrick’s single male urine.

I ran my fence line snares. I had three coyotes in snares today. My snare line is 35 miles long just in our ranch. We have lots of cross fences.

I’ll try to take some photos of my sets when I check them.

Thanks for everyone who has reached out to me to help me. I really appreciate it.

If you’re setting traps for “early whelping/denning” season coyotes, and you don’t see the coyote run off when you get out to make a set, you’re not on location yet.

Obviously a bit of an exaggeration, but helps paint the picture of how many miles coyotes travel at that time of year. Their world can get awful small for a spell.

As the pups grow, and wean, that frees them up to travel out further.

I wouldn’t shy from bait. Remember, they may be feeding a lactating female or weaning a bunch of hungry little mouths. They can’t afford to turn their nose up to any potential morsel.

Ok. I’ll add bait into some of my sets. I’ll also set some blind sets.

I’m surprised that I have still been snaring so many coyotes. I thought they would have stopped moving far. But I also thought they’d stop killing for a while too. I guess it is an odd year. I’m learning that most years are odd.

If the snares in the right place they don't have to move far. Around here they kill more sheep, goats and chickens when they are feeding pups than other times of year.

What are you snaring? YOY? Dry, unattached adults?

Coyotes that aren’t paired up and rearing young will still travel some, depending on food and water conditions.

But coyotes with young kind of have an anchor on them right now.

Try putting in some bait sights. I use dog food and used cooking oil I drill a hole and pour some in. You still need to put them on sign and spread them out over your area. This has been working for me this last month. When the hole gets active the go set it. Yes you will get hits from coons but they need to be caught too.

I find that using any bait or lure in the summer months brings the " Bears " in and that's not or ever been on my list of fun things to try . Snares are out do too the high numbers of other wildlife that run the trails . I wish i could trap in the summer !

We have not had another lamb kill in over a week. I have seen no more fresh sign. I set a dozen traps with no luck. I may have bumped the killer coyote with all my activity and sets. We will see.

We gathered and cut out 45 lambs this morning. I took them to the sale barn. Then we moved the remaining sheep to the pasture where I had most of my sets. So I pulled my sets in that pasture. I reset in two adjacent pastures where we have no stock.

I didn’t have anything in my snares today either. Very few knock downs. Just not a lot of activity anywhere. I’ll keep y’all updated.

Summer is a grind for sure. What lures and baits are you using ?

Lucera #1 and June’s Coyote Frenzy lures
Derricks SMU urine
June’s Widowmaker bait
Homemade mild bait

trapping stock killing coyotes in the summer in western KS has shown me the value of snares-- blind foothold sets and FRESH bait deep hole sets. In my 105 degree world paste bait goes bad fast, gland type lures ineffective mostly and urine so so. My experience, my world----- been doing this for 54 yrs. Completely different world in summer. All the baits and lures etc you listed are good, but not for me in HOT WEATHER

By fresh bait do you mean fresh preserved bait, or just fresh meat?

I would think fresh meat isn’t gonna be “fresh” long at 105 degrees!

Not that that’s necessarily a problem.

Fresh, natural, regular old meat is a standby for me when dealing with tough coyotes any time of the year though. Let it age in the hole, smells a little different every time they check it out.

I caught a young female this morning adjacent to the sheep pasture. My guess is that she is the babysitter for an old female. One of the ranch hands saw another coyote in the same pasture at daylight.

I still have work to do, but I’m making progress. And every day we don’t have a kill is a small win.

The set was a t-bone set with the t-bone set deep inside a small bush. Windowmaker bait, single male urine and Lucero #1. The set was four feet from a scat in the road.

None of my other sets in that pasture were touched.

just fresh meat and yes it deteriorates fast. Blind sets have probably taken alot of stock killers, I know it has for me. Those coyotes will just keep coming unless you use guard dogs in conjunction with trapping. I tie up young guard dogs so they learn not to fight a snare and I use 2# duke square jaws laminated and offset that wont tear up my dogs when I catch one of them. Take out the coyotes and use guard dogs to occupy the territory. works for me. Running 400 head of sheep along with a bunch of cows on my home ranch in conjunction with ADC work elsewhere.

I caught an adult female in a snare yesterday. I think she may be the real killer. I’m going to keep running my snares and foot traps, I think I can breathe a little. Thanks for all the help on line and off.

Good deal

I always think the next one I catch is the problem one until I have more problems. Lol

I’m with you Yes Sir. That is why I’m still going to keep running the traps and snares like I’d never caught that last female. Better safe than sorry.

Who knows, another killer can move right in too. So I’ll stay at it.

I would think every coyote would be a problem with lambs but ive never been around sheep.
This last season I was after a digger and I caught 5 after I started trying to target it. Each one I thought was it until I got dug again. By the tracks I figured it was a big male. Last one I caught was a big male. Two days after I caught him I went to pull my sets and had a trap dug...... maybe I had more than one. I'm thinking more snares next year as I'm kind of taking it personal now. Lol Ran cameras in that area testing formulations and had at least 5 different coyotes that I could ID as different ones in that area after taking 13 total within 1/2 of that area. Don't know if more moved in that quick or we just have that many coyotes. Maybe both.

Nice Work CT!

It sounds like you’ve kept constant pressure applied on the perimeter and interior.

I bet it you'll get a well-deserved lull before the void is filled in.

Snagging the nanny the night before probably got that adult female to move around just a little more than she normally would have.

Update….

No more kills since I caught those females. I still have my foot traps and snares out. If I don’t have anything in the foot traps or new sign tomorrow, I’m going to pull the traps. I’m going to keep the snare line working through the summer.

Side note…

This forum is such a great resource for a trapper. The posts contain decades of experience. And the trappers who reach out to help are incredible too. I’m just thankful we have this resource for trappers to learn and apply all this knowledge.

Re : snares through and under fence lines.

Amazing how small a fox and even a coyote can get through

Yep, I've watched a grey running full speed and never slow down as it went thru the fence. 6"X8" squares in fence.

A coyote will go through a 6x8 hole

I watched a red fox run right through the center of a 10” snare loop that was set for coyotes through my thermal scope. Really amazing that he never even disturbed it.

Or a deer...