Bait sites

[coxy95]

Hey guys just wondering what most of you do when you set up a new bait site for coyotes. Do you wait to put your sets up or do them the same time as the bait?

[drake]

Originally Posted by coxy95

Hey guys just wondering what most of you do when you set up a new bait site for coyotes. Do you wait to put your sets up or do them the same time as the bait?

I wait, the coyotes will tell you where to set

[Gboe8]

I put the bait and snares up same day. I put 25-40 snares a bait. Seems to work good for me. Usually have dogs with in 48 hours.

[HunterDave]

I just started two new bait sites today because two of the three sites that I have going now have gone cold. I scouted around a bit and chose two spots, put a road killed deer in one and two bags of scraps/bones in the other. I'll give them a week or so and then hang snares on trails. I left my snares at the old sites but I won't be adding more bait to them.

At the start of the season I pre-bait at least a couple of weeks and hang snares on the trails that appear. Now that there's snow it won't take as long to see the trails and with frozen bait, it should last longer without birds stealing it all.

[trigger7mm]

I put my bait out the week before I set my snares. Then put about 25 snares at a bait site.

[HunterDave]

For you fella's putting +25 snares per site.....how far back from the site are you going? Are you putting multiple snares on the same trail and/or layering them (ie. A circle of snares 25m out and then another layer 50m out)?

I just made another 100 snares and between bait sites and fence crossings I want to get them all up.

[coxy95]

Do you typically look for heavy cover for the actual bait and set back from there? I have only put sets on fence lines and creek bottoms so far so just looking for a little direction. Thanks for the advice so far

[Gboe8]

I try and find areas with tall grass. So you can see any areas that look like they would walk down. And I'll put three snares on a trail 30 yards apart. Caught two on the same trail today. But with in 30-40 yards of the bait I'll put snares between any pinch points. they seem to circle the bait before they come in and I catch lots in just random Spots. the spots you think you will never catch a dog on our always the ones that I catch them on.

[Gboe8]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

For you fella's putting +25 snares per site.....how far back from the site are you going? Are you putting multiple snares on the same trail and/or layering them (ie. A circle of snares 25m out and then another layer 50m out)?

I just made another 100 snares and between bait sites and fence crossings I want to get them all up.

I go as far as 150 yards back. That catches the ones that just circle and won't come in. But that's my experience which is very limited. The way I see it is if you have snares and time you mise we'll put them out there not going to catch anything sitting in the shed.

[nube]

You need a truckload of bait every week and a half. Hang snares 10-15 yards max for closeness to the bait. I prefer 20 yards. I dump bait on the edge of the bush. Walk around the bait and hang snares everywhere I figure a coyote will go in the next 2 months and will usually hang 25-35 snares within 70 yards of the bait. Add where I see they are slipping through them and hang them the same day you dump bait. Usually within 2 days you will have dead coyotes. After 15-20 coyotes there is a lot of scent and things slow down. Will take you another month to catch the last 10 coyotes on a bait. That is how things work for me. If you don't have 20+ crows on your bait all day then it will be slower and you need more bait

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Gboe8

I go as far as 150 yards back. That catches the ones that just circle and won't come in. But that's my experience which is very limited. The way I see it is if you have snares and time you mise we'll put them out there not going to catch anything sitting in the shed.

I caught one today that circled. I pulled up to the bait site that was about twenty feet in the bush and he had walked right past the bait site in the field, walked into the bush about 50m farther and got caught. Odd.

Last year was my first full season and I was advised to put out 10 or 15 snares per site, a number easy to remember, on the main trails closer to the bait site where all the smaller trails funneled into. That was probably a good point to start with but this year I'm doing things differently and I'm having better success with it. Ten snares might be okay in a tiny area but 30 snares farther out is better suited for larger areas. i like the idea of setting 150 to 200m back in patches of bush like what I'm trapping in. 150m is just inside the opposite side and are easier to check without traipsing around the bush.

[nube]

Why only put 10 snares out? Makes no sense to me. Too easy for them to walk around and miss your snares. Also coyotes don't just use trails. Walk around a baitAnd see what I am saying. A coyote comes into a bait and spends the day walking in and out of the bush all day long. They go all over in the bush and will walk between trees all over the place. In a 2 month time frame you will have a coyote walk between almost every tree around a bait site. Yes there are more well traveled spots and sometimes a trail but you can catch them all over the bush. I tie a small ribbon on a branch. Not the tree trunk. A branch. This way you can see it from further away and on a branch it stands out more. I walk my snares on the same trail. Same footprints if possible. I look at the ribbon from as far off as I can and look under it to see if there is a coyote or if the area is disturbed. Every so often you have to go check to see if your cable is still up to par and the loop is still standing. Most of my snares %85 are within 50 yards of a bait.

[parfleche]

So placing that many sets in one area , I am curious as to how your sets are marked to remember in case of IE: snow storm , heavy frost , elapsed time
I personally use numbered clothes pins florescent orange , in packs of one to ten and on up in numbers , and keep a diary of where each went .Also use a piece of surveyor tape for backup . perhaps someone has a different system?

[nube]

ribbon for me.

[kingrat]

Every area is different in our area we do small baits and hang snares the same day we try for thick young poplar or thick pines with a small opening around here the coyotes seem to rush in when they see or hear birds hammer a bait then be gone we`ve tried pre baiting and it just didnt seem as effective I know it sounds stupid but its true. So we`ll bait, hang snares do 2-3, 4 day checks then pull cause there usually isnt much left for yotes, on average we catch 2-6 yotes per bait then they go dead until new ones move in which is usually about a month so instead of feeding birds we just keep jumping around picking off the fast and easy ones however we also have a big area so that helps.

[Gboe8]

Originally Posted by kingrat

Every area is different in our area we do small baits and hang snares the same day we try for thick young poplar or thick pines with a small opening around here the coyotes seem to rush in when they see or hear birds hammer a bait then be gone we`ve tried pre baiting and it just didnt seem as effective I know it sounds stupid but its true. So we`ll bait, hang snares do 2-3, 4 day checks then pull cause there usually isnt much left for yotes, on average we catch 2-6 yotes per bait then they go dead until new ones move in which is usually about a month so instead of feeding birds we just keep jumping around picking off the fast and easy ones however we also have a big area so that helps.

Really that's crazy only 2-6 dogs a site. I have one site I've caught 34 this year I find they come in bunches. I'll catch a bunch then it gos quiet for a few days then catch a bunch again. But I'm sure it depends on the country side your in.

[kingrat]

34 is unreal, we`re in solid forest, northern sask so its pretty much only little family groups id say, wow 34 thats insane do you have any deer lol.

[Gboe8]

Ya we have a few deer but they have been hit really hard the last three years. That is my best siteo ver looks like 4 sections of field and little bluffs.

[nube]

My best last year was 37 on one bait. Most of them will average between 18-27 depending on how long I snare for and how often I check. Garrett is right and they come in bunches. It might be a week after your last catch but then you get 2-3 in one day. Key is patience, keep scent down by trying to not walk around alot and keep the birds happy with lots of bait. I find the odd dash of skunk lure seems to help at times.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by nube

Why only put 10 snares out? Makes no sense to me.

Yes, I got away from doing that but in fairness, this was advice from very experienced snarers who have a ton of bait sites and put up hundreds of coyotes every season. They probably don't have the time to put up lots of snares or to check them all so they only put up on main trails with the highest chance of catching a yote.

I will say one thing though, I had a very high catch rate last year in relation to the number of snares that I put up (30 to 40 on 3 bait sites).....a little less than 1 coyote per day over the season. Maybe they figured that this was a good place for a first season trapper to start and thought that I'd figure things out as I gained more experience. I'm okay with the advice that I was given but now it's time to improve on that.

[Tfng]

My best bait was 29 last year. The others were around 18-22, some were less but I didn't stick around long if I wasn't catching coyotes.

I also should run more snares per bait.

[kingrat]

wow guys thats unreal numbers for an area I could only wish.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by kingrat

So we`ll bait, hang snares do 2-3, 4 day checks then pull cause there usually isnt much left for yotes, on average we catch 2-6 yotes per bait then they go dead until new ones move in which is usually about a month so instead of feeding birds we just keep jumping around picking off the fast and easy ones however we also have a big area so that helps.

I've found the same issue here but have been catching 7 to 8 yotes and then the site goes cold. I start a new bait site in a new area but I pre-bait it, adding more bait daily. Once trails start showing, I move my snares there. I seem to be catching the local pack, first the adult males, then the adult females and finally the juvenile coyotes, then it goes cold. Anyone else notice that at their new bait sites?

[kingrat]

same thing here either that or it will be 2-3 pups first check then an adult but adult female is usually toughest to get which is ok with me leave her for stock.

[HunterDave]

[nube]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

I've found the same issue here but have been catching 7 to 8 yotes and then the site goes cold. I start a new bait site in a new area but I pre-bait it, adding more bait daily. Once trails start showing, I move my snares there. I seem to be catching the local pack, first the adult males, then the adult females and finally the juvenile coyotes, then it goes cold. Anyone else notice that at their new bait sites?

Not sure what to tell you Dave. You should be crawling with yotes. Your area is a great place to catch them. Lots around. Do you dump a truckload of bait off at a time? Do you make lots of tracks around and disturb the area? Are you hauling the bait into the bush? I am not a pro at it but there are certain things I find will help a guy catch more and it works for me.
The issue I am having right now is I am at that magic 15-20 per site now and still have some real smart ones that I can not catch. Tried footholds and everything. Even tried dumping bait 100 yards away and stringing new snares up. Got to figure out how to nab the last half dozen or just count them as my breeders for next year lol

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by nube

Not sure what to tell you Dave. You should be crawling with yotes. Your area is a great place to catch them. Lots around. Do you dump a truckload of bait off at a time? Do you make lots of tracks around and disturb the area? Are you hauling the bait into the bush? I am not a pro at it but there are certain things I find will help a guy catch more and it works for me.

Thanks, Nube. Don't get me wrong, I'm catching coyotes and averaging about one per day since I started, I'm just gathering more info/ideas. I put my bait about 20 feet into the bush and generally add to it everyday when I do my checks. I don't disturb too much but the coyotes around here don't seem to mind if I visit briefly every day anyway.

Here's something that I found interesting. Yesterday I pulled an intact roadkilled deer into the bush. I cut the hide off the chest and stomach on the exposed side to get the birds on it. That was at 3 pm and today there's hardly anything left....in less than 24 hours. This site is less than 300m from a bait site that went cold after catching 7 or 8 coyotes and a couple of fox. There are plenty of coyotes in the area but they just wouldn't go into the old bait site. I have another site that the same thing happened after 7 or 8 caught coyotes and I gave up on that one as well. I started a new bait site about 200m away in the same patch of bush and I caught 3 there so far.....still nothing going to the old bait site.
They just seem to figure out that the area is dangerous and stop going there. Smart dogs!

[bill9044]

Great thread.

I take Bair into the middle of bush. Pack it in drag it in put on sled. Bait where you want them to go. Last year I snared 39 off one site. It is an exceptional area. No hunting area that is about a section. Some cattle ranchers in the area. The area is over hunted for deer and yotes but this has educated the yotes. Where I bait the gates are locked so few folks are on that quarter. I have 30 to 40 snares a site but I don't limit amount of snares let the yotes tell you where to snare. And if you have a good hard trail. If it is good for one snare you might as well put 2 on there.

Just my 2 cents

[coxy95]

Awesome info guys thanks!

[nube]

Well here is an intersting thing since we have been talking about this. I have a bait that I have not caught a coyote off for 1.5 weeks now. Went there today and had 4. Patience works! One had mange so bad I didn't even move him it was so gross. Absolutely bald on half the body and the head. Had some fresh tracks there as well so it looks like a new pack moved in. Clean them up and then wait another 2 weeks for more I guess