Trapping 2023-2024

[CurtisWalker]

For hard-core deer managers or guys who simply want quality hunting, so critical. I love hearing this. It’s same thing as the guys who are killing the raccoons & possum and seeing tons more birds. 99% of average Joe’s have no clue what lack of trapping has done to coyote populations. Or coons, etc. “Epidemic” levels.
Couple myths I’ve looked into… “killing coyotes creates more coyotes”…. I read through that data…. It would take years for this to happen. Recalling some coyote population studies, About 80% of coyotes anyone traps or kills are “local” & 20% are “transients” (loose recollection here). If folks stay on “steady killing” u absolutely can reduce the populations.
Coyote populations in iowa are not like they were 25 years ago- there’s WAY MORE!!!! People say coyotes are “natural” & to some extent - clearly we can agree to that. But in some regions, their #’s have exploded & gone unchecked for a decade. A bit of trapping, some predator hunting but not enough to keep the #’s in check. In areas hit by EHD or aggressive doe killing- when the coyotes fill in, guys can quit shooting does & the population will stay low as the coyotes kill off any chance of an increase.
Anyways - sorry on the rant. These photos bring me joy and happiness!! . Keep em coming!!!

So there is actually a thing about the more coyote s you kill the more coyotes there will be.

As coyote competition dwindles the average litter size in coyotes increases thus the “more coyotes after killing coyotes” however coyotes are very territorial and you have transient coyotes and the territorial coyotes. Transients are always moving trying to find their own “territory”.. This dominant pair keeps those transients at bay. You kill them you have an empty territory thus an influx of coyotes that begin to establish it as their own.


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[Wildturkey 2]

Nice blondie Curtis!

If I was closer Wild Turkey I’d be all over it.


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If I was closer Wild Turkey I’d be all over it.


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Ok thanks i know you would

 

[Matthewfox_45]

Finished out on otters.

 

[Daver]

...
Coyote populations in iowa are not like they were 25 years ago- there’s WAY MORE!!!! People say coyotes are “natural” & to some extent - clearly we can agree to that. But in some regions, their #’s have exploded & gone unchecked for a decade. A bit of trapping, some predator hunting but not enough to keep the #’s in check. ...

Just an FWIW...I do not disagree that coyote populations have blossomed over the past 25'ish years or so...but, would you believe that I remember a time when Mr. Wil. E. Coyote was fairly rare on the eastern Iowa landscape? When I was a youngster we RARELY saw coyotes, foxes, yes, coyotes basically never. Were there some there? I am sure there were, but not at all like today.

My time frame of reference is 40-50 years ago. Yikes! What changed? I think the modern CRP program brought with it so, so many acres of largely brome based grass fields that the rodents and such like blew up...then there were coyotes everywhere all of a sudden it seemed.

Switching gears a little...my farm is in area where one could expect large numbers of coyotes, but over 20+ years now, I have never felt like they were out of control, etc. IMO, this is 90%+ due to very active coyote/dog groups in the area...and I know they get them, so they are effective too. I know some "deer guys" are dead set against the "coyote guys"...but I would submit that both groups can live in peace. Provided the dogs don't run the deer.

 

[Hawk32]

I don't understand how the coyote population is increasing so drastically the last 5 or so years with the amount of people killing them with thermals. I know trapping is way down and the amount of people running them with dogs is down vs years past but there is no way there isn't more being killed now with thermals. I know a lot of dang people that have them and call pretty regularly. Know of a few that kill over hundred a year themselves. I watched a video of a buddy killing 5 in one setting.

 

[Daver]

I don't understand how the coyote population is increasing so drastically the last 5 or so years with the amount of people killing them with thermals. I know trapping is way down and the amount of people running them with dogs is down vs years past but there is no way there isn't more being killed now with thermals. I know a lot of dang people that have them and call pretty regularly. Know of a few that kill over hundred a year themselves. I watched a video of a buddy killing 5 in one setting.

I am definitely of the opinion that the lack of trappers is why these beasts are blowing up. FWIW.

 

[Sligh1]

It is weird to see the popularity of thermals & question how their #’s go up. But, they are. It’s the same with bobcats….. dudes have started to get a bunch of them (trapping, shooting, etc. I don’t know what bag limit is but I think guys can shoot or trap more than 1 now???). More trapping & thermals & bobcats keep getting more prevalent. I dont think guys are keeping up. I’d say by me, 80% of farms - no hunting or trapping for predators. Just way too many areas they don’t get trapped/hunted. The dog guys cover more areas. By me there’s almost no guys running em with dogs. If they did it after season- wish more of it took place to be honest
I kinda think coyotes have continued to explode just like bobcats. Other odd things I notice…. 20-30 years ago I used to see fox & very few coyotes & bobcats. Now I see ZERO fox unless I get close to towns. The coyotes are in such high # they have out-competed & killed off the fox.

Here’s some anecdotal or interesting things I’ve noticed….
1) I remember back when guys said “shoot does with button bucks so button bucks stick around”. I watched a lot of guys do this in areas with high coyote #’s…. Quit doing it cause kept finding the fawns dead. They were stupid & the coyotes so high in #’s they got killed most the time. Heck, last week some older hunters shot doe on my place. Had one fawn. 2 days later I went to that blind cause I forgot my ramrod- that fawn was dead out there & no doubt what happened. I’m 99% sure it was from coyotes & was after shot the doe.

2) we shot like 250++ off farms in my area. In last year. There’s still coyotes. We need to get more guys doing it 3-5 miles away. MOST are NOT killing. So- we do have countless local coyotes that move right in. It’s like Vietnam war…. They just keep coming. That’s a lot of Frigin coyotes & to drive 5 miles away the next day after killing a pile & find there’s “a gazillion more over there”. Usually it’s a pile of absentee land owners that don’t allow any coyote killing or even think about it. I am convinced we need to continue shooting & trapping but we need way more folks on board. Regional problem. Wish we had coyote killing like SE iowa does!!!

 

[Matthewfox_45]

I agree Skip. Unfortunately, with Iowa coyotes selling for a crisp $5 bill it’s hard to justify it as a trapper, especially with high gas prices. I’ll drive to catch some $20 beavers, but I’m a WAY more effective beaver trapper, and they’re generally easy to catch.

 

[203ntyp]

There are quite few articles on killing too many may have a reverse affect. Not sure what to think of that?

 

[Daver]

There are quite few articles on killing too many may have a reverse affect. Not sure what to think of that?

My opinion...those types of articles are misleading at best. Probably written by the same people that tried to tell us for several years that possums would eat all of the ticks. Now then, can I believe that "nature" would try to fill a gap? (I have seen literature that suggests that if you drop the population down low then future breeding cycles will essentially compensate by producing bigger litters.) Sure, but even then there are actual coyotes not living on the landscape in the time it takes for "more" to be born and raised up.

Taking coyotes off the land helps everything that coyotes eat...it's really that simple. Yes, it isn't a one time gig, you have stay on them. But to me, it is articles like this that cause me to doubt the "experts".

 

[Hawk32]

I've not read up that by the so called experts but I have heard that same thing as more of an old wise tail for both coon and coyotes. Increase in litter size is one thing I've always heard.

 

[CurtisWalker]

My opinion...those types of articles are misleading at best. Probably written by the same people that tried to tell us for several years that possums would eat all of the ticks. Now then, can I believe that "nature" would try to fill a gap? (I have seen literature that suggests that if you drop the population down low then future breeding cycles will essentially compensate by producing bigger litters.) Sure, but even then there are actual coyotes not living on the landscape in the time it takes for "more" to be born and raised up.

Taking coyotes off the land helps everything that coyotes eat...it's really that simple. Yes, it isn't a one time gig, you have stay on them. But to me, it is articles like this that cause me to doubt the "experts".

I kind of discussed this in my post above. You literally have to hunt them constantly to make a difference. Year round, probably quite literally weekly. Yeah litter size increases when competition dwindles. But that’s future coyotes on the landscape as you said. I won’t argue that.
The dynamics you have to look are the transient coyotes vs territorial coyotes. Transients are always traveling while the territorial hold their home range. You open up that territory by killing the two territorial coyotes, the transients that are just passing by now have a shot at their own territory. Thus filling the gap you created.

Gotta look at it kinda like musical chairs but instead of a chair getting pulled every round another person is added. You have a bunch of people running in circles waiting for a spot to open and as soon as a chair holder is removed and the empty chair shows everyone dives in to try to make it theirs.

I’m not saying don’t shoot coyotes or that there are good and bad coyotes. Studies also show hunting coyotes during fawning season is your best bet at increasing your fawning success rate while killing coyotes January through March has no impact on fawning success. Why is this? That void you created killing those coyotes was filled quickly by the transient coyotes.


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[Sligh1]

Check out the trapping segments on here. Holy cow!!!!! THIS is an example of why I don’t think the “hunting coyotes” alone keep up with them.
Dunno what state but I’d bet a nickel it’s KS or surrounding - highest coyote density in country.

 

[203ntyp]

Wow, never could have imagined that many caught in one small area, crazy!!!

 

[JBAGS]

Check out the trapping segments on here. Holy cow!!!!! THIS is an example of why I don’t think the “hunting coyotes” alone keep up with them.
Dunno what state but I’d bet a nickel it’s KS or surrounding - highest coyote density in country.

Wow, that's awesome!

 

[Daver]

...

I’m not saying don’t shoot coyotes or that there are good and bad coyotes. Studies also show hunting coyotes during fawning season is your best bet at increasing your fawning success rate while killing coyotes January through March has no impact on fawning success. Why is this? That void you created killing those coyotes was filled quickly by the transient coyotes.

Yes, but the "void" created by killing coyotes is going to get filled faster, or more slowly, depending on how many adjacent coyotes there are. If the region is heavily populated, yes, backfill will occur much more quickly. But, like what is found in my region, there aren't zillions of coyotes just outside the territory looking for a new home. So coyotes killed in the January thru March time frame DO help fawning success. It's not perfect, but there is a noticeable impact in my experience.

I believe this is due to multiple, active dog groups not just in my section, but in many surrounding sections. I am pretty certain that we have many fewer coyotes in our area than what there otherwise would be. The years that I see more coyotes, and more fawn skeletons, are the years where there was snow cover, which really reduces the hound hunters success. If there is snow, say even 3 or 4 times...they get them and it takes many months for anything significant to reappear.

Huge, huge variable related to the overall population in the region, IMO. If one guy hammers them on his 160, but no one else around him does, yes, they will flow right back in just about as fast as you can remove them. But if there are relatively few for several square miles and they take the pop down, it takes longer for them to rebuild, Meanwhile, everything preyed upon coyotes has a far better chance. The "void fill rate" is not a constant.

 

[CurtisWalker]

Huge, huge variable related to the overall population in the region, IMO. If one guy hammers them on his 160, but no one else around him does, yes, they will flow right back in just about as fast as you can remove them. But if there are relatively few for several square miles and they take the pop down, it takes longer for them to rebuild, Meanwhile, everything preyed upon coyotes has a far better chance. The "void fill rate" is not a constant.

Gotta be a huge neighborhood effort if you think you will slow them down that much to notice a difference. IMO.. I’ll try to find the studies for the Midwest but check out these home range sizes for coyotes in the SE United States. States with more cover to hold coyotes.

Now say for some reason they travel half that distance in Iowa those transient coyotes will be traveling a 10 mile by 10 mile area a month roughly. Not gonna take them that long to find the empty spots. Your residents would be traveling a 2 mile by 2 mile area as well.

Guy I know trapped 32 in a week off an 80 acre piece that has a tiny creek with a small buffer strip along both sides. The rest was ag. He pulled his traps because he hadn’t caught anything for a couple days. Two weeks later we were calling coyotes in on that piece.

 

[kelcher]

Finally caught a coyote this weekend. They have been sniffing out my traps until now. 16 coon, 9 possum and finally a coyote

 

[Wildturkey 2]

Finally caught a coyote this weekend. They have been sniffing out my traps until now. 16 coon, 9 possum and finally a coyote

Congratulations I’ve seen three coyotes in less than a week must be dogging now. I need to get rid of some coyotes around here also & coon .

 

[Snail3496]

After finding several coyote killed fawns this past '23 spring, it became my goal to learn how to put a bigger hurt on the local coyote population. My brother and I have always called/hunted them, but it seems like you only get one crack at those dogs, then their buddies who get away are smart to the calls forever. SO - bought a few duke 550's and decided to start this spring. Read that now through April/May is the time that you have a chance at actually making a difference for the deer. I understand new dogs fill the voids quick, but the timing of the coyote breeding and fawn drop mentioned made sense in my head so that is the plan.

After becoming a new YouTube expert, i dyed, waxed, and set my first 4 dirt hole sets this past Friday. Used sheep wool with a big glob of a commercial bait, I think it's called "yodel dog", and bedded with peat I'd been air drying inside for a few months. I am in IL so it's still freezing. Saturday comes around and to my total shock, two suicidal sheep wool addicts stepped in the wrong spot. Honestly couldnt believe my eyes walking up on them. One male, one female. I've shot dozens of them over the years but being a few feet from a fully alive one snarling at you is WILD. I'm completely hooked now.

Needless to say I have 8 Duke's now and another time consuming hobby I didn't need. Hopefully have more updates to post soon!