you got it K9
Nelly I have never trapped in Vermont or near there in summer time, but suspect that gland lure and urine are probably your best bets for summer time trapping, as they have lots of baby animals from mice to mouse to feed upon and they do eat a more varied diet in summer with lots of fresh vegetations of different types in different areas, so bait in the heat is usually not as appealing as when weather cools and young animals are closer to full grown.

Slim I've noticed the same things about the vocalization of the coyotes in my area vs other more open areas.

The area around here is more timber and mountainous. These yotes don't shut up. Constantly "talking". Now you go a little west of me. It is still a lot of timber, but less mountainous. Those coyotes "talk" a little less.

Move out into the farm country and those coyotes hardly "talk" at all.

It seems around here when one lets loose, they all let loose. They go at it for a bit, then you do not hear them again.

probably depends on what he's "saying". only once have i seen another coyote come in while one was howling in a trap. i haven't ever seen one in the same field as one that i had trapped. i don't think they hang around long waiting for the other one to "come on".

This is for Slim.

I have no idea if you get TRAPPER'S WORLD, if so, a few years back I had an article about the THE BEAN-STUBBLE SET my dad showed me in December, 1962. In the article, I show a coyote at one of those sets.

This coyote was a female and she lunged at me when I tried to shoot her. She lunged and tried to get my hand that held the psitol I was using. The only thing that saved my butt was the chain held. I use number 2 straight coil on all fox traps. The trap was a Montgomery 1 1/2 coil.

She kept howling and I could hear coyotes in the woods behind her howl back.

Now my question. Was she the ALPHA female?

I had never had a coyote lunge at me when I tried to shoot it. And she was super aggresive! This happened in late November.

like he said earlier ... they dont stay in packs ... im guessin an adult female and the pups were in the background .... as far as lungin at ya .... keep catchin em and ya will see it happen more ... i see it happen alot more during adverse weather conditions ...as in RAIN

Last year on my farm you could hear coyotes every night on my farm all spring and summer, later on in the fall the just talkin.South western pa farm country small wood lots and fields.I think that the huntin pressure shut them up, I dont know.

K9 - "Feel free to change the thread Slim. That sounds fascinating I just do not have the calling experience to add to it."

well, sheriff........you and I tried to go calling once with Slim in Iowa, but you kept yapping on that cell phone and screwed it up.......or maybe you'd have some of that calling experience!

That's one of the days you tried to kill us. I remember it well.

I'm not Slim but it has always been interesting to me the various personalities of trapped coyotes. Some meet you atthe end of the chain, some slink back or crouch, some bark at you. I am sure these personalities carry over and are indicative of dominance/pecking order.

Steven G Trosper

Do I get Trappers World magazine???? I wrote an article for the very first issue of that magazine several years ago already!

Coyotes are like all animals of higher intlligence in that each one becomes an individual, much the same as dogs, horses, and yes even people---some are timid, some are aggressive, some are all the levels in between.

However, I keep waiting for someone else to bring this up but none have as yet---pay attention to those that bark and howl a lot in traps---THEY ARE ALWAYS FEMALES, not aggresive old males. I have had an old male woof at me once or twice, but never bark or howl.

I honestly think the females are warning others in the area too when they make all that commotion, as I have noticed that the set and immediate area around the set will go dead for quite awhile after one howls and barks that much in a trap.

And k9 if I remember correctly there was lot of cell phone talking that day, but think it was the accuser doing the talking on cell phone, as well as waving arms and moving from one place to another while we were attempting to call. lol

"pay attention to those that bark and howl a lot in traps---THEY ARE ALWAYS FEMALES,"

Another fact that carries over from coyotes to humans. The ones yapping are always the females!

Yes I remember. Arm flailing and coyote calling just do not go hand in hand!

I thought it was just me.I've also noticed if you catch a female or females in an area,there's usually more coyotes to catch in that area or on the location I guess I would say.It seems if you set a location and only catch a male,it seems that spot doesn't produce much more than him.I hope I'm explaining this so it can be understood.I also had a few times witnessed where I've made sets on certain areas,and had coyotes visit my sets but not catch anything,then afetr some time,catch an old bristle brush furred female coyote caught then,a few days later it seemed like someone opened the flood gate and started catching coyotes and a few fox.It wasn't like she wasn't in the area because I would see her in the fields there a few times checking the sets.To me it seemed like this old female was keeping everything at bay while she was there,like guarding the area.I've had this happen a couple times.Any thoughts on this.

I have always said if you luck out and catch the old female first, you will probably catch most of the others in the area, but if you happen to catch the old male and one pup, the area will go dead. Much like humans, the female rules the family, and if she feels her family is threatened she will move the whole group to a new area.

Trapped an area in S.Indiana one year...hadn't been trapped in a number of years and then just for fox/coon..low fur prices.
Caught 5 males..never caught a female. First male I caught just about popped out of the stock #2 Monty sq jaw dogless that held him. Legit 42 lb.s..weighed him. Barked growled and howled his head off! Afterwards, the only other canine I caught that season was feral dogs. These feral dogs barked howled and carried on the entire time I was....remaking sets. Got a little scarey at time.
Time of the year was late December into early January.

the female rules the family huh?

well, in THAT area we're not like coyotes, at least in MY house!!!!!!!!

Steven Prosper.....check the last issue of Trappers World and the one that is coming out in a couple weeks.......Slim has an article in both issues......I know, he made me proof read 'em! LOL!

Coyotes really started populating here about 96,cuaght a few here and there before that while trapping fox over the previous 10 or so years,but now they seem to be every where,the last ten years have been a blast learning and trapping and callin'them,and I'm sure I've got alot more learning to put under my belt with coyotes,can't get enough of it.

Steve,had the same thing happen a couple years ago.As I pulled up to a large male that was snared I got off the ATV an I could hear a pack across the field barking an howling.This yote was very aggressive growling and lunging. I was snaring for live market, with a 6' snare an a 10' fight circle an a 4' catch pole you can imagin how this was going. I finally drove the 4 wheeler in the circle with him he just hid under it like a dog. I just got him secured an look fifty yards away an theres a large female caught an im thinkin I don,t need much more of this but she was just the opisit, never moved a muscle as I secured her. The ones barking in the back ground finally shut up but they did cause me to look over my shoulder a couple of times. Probaly caught the alpha,s an that caused all the noise. Only time I ever had this happen.

Yah, normally when you see several coyotes together it is the mated pair and spring pups, and the pups usually disperse in the fall and winter before mating season.

But in some parts of the country and for various reasons coyotes will pack up in groups beyond the pair and spring pups. There are lots of interesting studies out there on the subject done by biologists, but I suppose it really does not affect the techniques of trapping them. Just gang-set snares or traps and clean up!

A family group of coyotes ALMOST ALWAYS consists of more than just a pair of old coyotes with pups, and normally consists of one or two yearling coyotes assisting with the care and feeding of the pups.

and Yes I did attend the session put on at the Northwest Regional by biologist Bob Chambers, a very smart and nice man. Would be interesting to ask him about family units of cross bred coyote wolves to see what he has to say about social order and pack mixes of the cross bred animals.

We never know all we think we know when it comes to coyotes, and while doing predator control work in Montana I have shot from the airplane five adult males in one group one time, and four adult females in another group one time. Homosexuals? who knows about coyotes sometimes! There is no everytime or always when talking about them, it is always sometime or usually but not always or everytime.

I believe the proper term would be "Canidsexuals" Slim. Lets not give them more human traits then they deserve.LOL