Coyote Trapping
A Few Tips On Coyote Trapping
There are two types of coyote trapping. One is meant to get rid of a specific coyote who may be attacking livestock, and the other is done by trappers who sell animals skins to make a profit. One of the first things that needs to be done in either instance is to select the right trap.
Selecting a trap that is either not large enough or not strong enough is going to cause unnecessary suffering to the animal and/or frustration to the trapper when the animal is not held correctly in the trap. Fish and game experts recommend a No. 3 coil-spring trap with a jaw spread of six inches. The trap needs to be large enough to get a higher grip and to have smooth jaws so that it does not break the animal’s skin. In coyote trapping, it is better to use traps that have four coil springs than those with only two springs.
Coyote trapping should involve the use of traps with a central swivel and a heavily re-enforced base. Trappers often modify existing traps by widening jaws with a process known as laminating, where an existing jaw can be doubled in size. A laminated jaw or a rubber jaw on a trap is going to be more humane to the coyote plus it will help trappers by allowing fewer coyotes to escape.
If your goal is to trap a coyote that may be preying on livestock, one of the considerations in coyote trapping is to try and catch the coyote who is actually doing the damage and not every other coyote in the pack. For instance, it would be incredibly unusual for an old coyote or a very young coyote to pursue livestock. Coyote research by fish and game experts indicates that most often it is the dominant male in a pack who is causing the problems.
That means that if you have lost a calf, pig, goat or sheep to a coyote, you should learn to judge the age of a trapped coyote before killing him or her. If the coyote’s teeth are worn down or not fully developed with round lobes, chances are pretty good that coyote you have caught is not the one doing the harm, and can be safely released. Coyotes are dominant and most aggressive if they are between the ages of three and five years.
Trapping coyotes means following all of the rules and regulations for trapping in the state in which you live. In most states there are rules for traps, such as that they must have smooth or rubber jaws, that they must be labeled with the owner’s contact information, they must be checked every day, and traps are never allowed to be set up on a path or trail that is used by people or domestic animals.
It is always necessary to get the permission of the landowner before setting up traps on private land. It is also the responsibility to let all of the neighbors know where traps are located and to ask them to be extra careful to keep their pets out of these areas. Trappers should check for coyote tracks in the area they place their traps and be as careful as possible not to set traps where a pet is as apt to get caught as a coyote.