My 2022-2023 Trapping Season

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Was debating on whether I was going to run this thread again this year but figured I might as well since I would be posting some anyway. Hopefully, I will encourage someone to consider adding trapping to their outdoor activities.

Season came in Nov.1 but it is prime deer season so I only put out a few traps targeting coyotes at the home farm. Empty traps the first couple checks but that changed last night. Had a spinner in the corn stubble this morning. 30lb. male with decent hair (hard to call it fur) for an early southern yote but at least it was the target specie. Scat was full of persimmon seeds.
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Foul hooked a Boone & Crocket possum in a pasture. Thought I was far enough from the edge to avoid the grinners but apparently not.
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And the same with a yellow neck raccoon in another pasture. This joker must have had some badger blood in him judging from the way he tore up the area.
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The good, the bad and the ugly! It is a start at least.
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
Thanks for the pics and story.
I really enjoy your trapping adventures and pics as I'm sure everyone else on the forum does.
Keep on posting and good luck!!
I can’t take all the credit. Well, can’t take any actually . This is QBD’s thread
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Trapping is a lot like real estate.....location, location. location. It does appear that I have one trap on location for the target specie. Another 30 lb.male in the remake where I caught the first one. With all the corn stalks and weeds in the original catch circle, I converted the set to a combo dirt hole/trash pile set and used the scat from the first catch for guiding and attractant. Sometimes they are hesitant to enter a catch circle but it did not bother this one. Solid full pad catch so it worked like a charm. I reset it again the same way. Also picked up another grinner in raccoon/fox remake.
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QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
These bright moonlit nights we have been having are not ideal for trapping and the results have proved it. Mostly checking empty traps except for one raccoon that got foul hooked on a set a few rows from the edge of a picked cornfield. Then, he proceeded to build a bed out of corn stalks to lay on.
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With some rain coming in tonight, it will not be so bright and the moisture will make the scent of the bait and lure work a little better also. And if all else fails, possums love to prowl around on a rainy night.
 

Dead Eye-NC

Eight Pointer
These bright moonlit nights we have been having are not ideal for trapping and the results have proved it. Mostly checking empty traps except for one raccoon that got foul hooked on a set a few rows from the edge of a picked cornfield. Then, he proceeded to build a bed out of corn stalks to lay on.
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With some rain coming in tonight, it will not be so bright and the moisture will make the scent of the bait and lure work a little better also. And if all else fails, possums love to prowl around on a rainy night.


Nothing in the leg traps for me this week either. DPs yielded 2 opossums
 
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QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Well, the dark and wet worked it's magic but along with the wet comes the muddy mess. But we do need the rain and so far, it is all soaking in and just wet on the surface so far. I got most everything checked between showers but did get a little wet doing the remake in the mud bowl.

I would have been surprised to not have a grinner in the wet even though I have my sets out away from edges to try to avoid them since my primary target is coyotes. But this one ventured out in the pasture last night anyway and true to form, it gave me a big old grin. Fortunately, they do not stir the ground up too bad but it was sticky on top.
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Now this female was a different story. I don't think she could have made a bigger mess. I do not know what time she got caught but she sure stirred up a mud pie of major proportions. About an inch and a half of the thick gooey stuff. Interesting coloration on this one and a fiesty one too. They usually try to stay as far away for me as they can but this one did not hesitate to come across the catch circle toward me with her teeth shining. She won an attitude adjustment and lets just say she will not be producing any pups with bad habits either.
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Looking forward to getting her dried out so I can see the color better. I caught a blonde a few years ago and a somewhat reddish one but not nearly as red as this one.
 

GobblinNC

Four Pointer
Love this thread! What is the trick to catching a wary coyote that is circling your set but staying 4-5' from the trap location?
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Set you a blind set in his tracks. No bait no lure just set the trap and make it look like nothing is there
Yep, blind sets do work. So do pee post sets near by a set that they ignore. It is their nature to investigate another canine presence in their territory. And the set they are ignoring today may catch them next week. Coyotes are not that smart but they sure can be finicky. Just have to keep trying until you find something that works. There is no magic bullet or one size fits all in the coyote world!
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Have some Tactacam Reveals out doing double duty, deer and coyote. Was checking on them last night while watching the snow bowl football game. Had a coyote stroll by a couple of sets a little after 9 but then disappeared. One of the sets there is on a pre-hooked 10' drag and I was not sure the exact spot of the set with reference to the edge of the field of view of the camera. So I kept checking back in case it was just out of sight. Turns out, it was not caught and came strolling through again at 9:51 close to the set. When the camera triggered again at 9:52, the coyote picture was a blur and the 10 second video that followed confirmed that the coyote was caught this time. It was in an out of camera view so I went ahead and took care of it in the dark and reset the trap. Another female that will not be making babies.

Here is the 10 second video link and the picture.
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QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Been a little slow but had to rework all my sets to keep them from freezing down. Dry dirt will not freeze solid but with the recent rains, the top layer is no longer dry and will crust up when it stays in the 20s for a few hours and definitely down in the low 20s like last night. I do not usually have to be concerned about freeze down until Jan. & Feb. and it is a pain to have rework sets.

But it payed off this morning with a feisty little red vixen that I had to release in my no fox trapping county. She was foul hooked and did her best badger impersonation moving dirt and she did not even seem grateful that I set her free. Glad to see a few reds surviving with the coyotes on the landscape and maybe she will add to the numbers.
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GobblinNC

Four Pointer
Yep, blind sets do work. So do pee post sets near by a set that they ignore. It is their nature to investigate another canine presence in their territory. And the set they are ignoring today may catch them next week. Coyotes are not that smart but they sure can be finicky. Just have to keep trying until you find something that works. There is no magic bullet or one size fits all in the coyote world!
I am far from an experienced trapper, besides using DP’s for coon and opossums. I tried the pee post set and had a major surprise. 28 lb. male.
 

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QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Been kinda slow and a pain dealing with the mud and freeze thaw already. With the wet followed by mid 20s for even one night, trap covering will crust over and either render it inoperative or even cause the trap to fire when it thaws. I did have the crust scratched off exposing the trap on one set that might have been a catch if not frozen. I expect this later in the season and use different bedding materials and techniques to minimize the effect of of more prolonged freezing temps. For one night a week, it is not worth redoing everything. I just fix what I need to and keep going.

I had another bouncer this morning. Another pup factory out of business. Makes all the aggravation worthwhile to see one of the critters you are after rattling the chain.
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They are usually jumping around as I approach them on the by side side but the last picture is more typical as I approach them on foot. Most of them try to stay as far away from me as they can.
 
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