For the people that live in the states that allow it ,what effects have you seen on your trapping coyotes and bobcats ? I seen where Tennessee is going to start it on private grounds coming this fall . From my understanding they have been fighting against it for sometime now and finally caved in ,shotgun only for now .

No effects at all.

The govt shoots them from airplane around here as well as calling them. I heard one guy shot 17 in one day from calling, that was just a few days ago. Locals show me pics of them stacked in piles from successful night hunts. Kill as many as possible if you care about the antelope and mule deer populations

We’ve had it in Virginia for years. No effect that can tell. I’m in SE VA and you’re hard pressed to find big blocks of private land anymore (+500 acres). Most all of the big stuff is private paper companies growing pines. I guess my point is that having open public land just doesn’t exist. The best you could do is get a multitude of permissions, but you’d still be skipping over tons of land as there are so many individual owners of 5-50 acres.

Nothing but bad. It’s negatively effecting them greatly and long term. They’re on egg shells 24/7. Daytime calling/denning suffers tremendously, they quit working trap sets, if they’ve been hunted over bait they quit working baits.

The number the shooters kill doesn’t amount to a hill of beans but they sure educate and ding up a pile!


I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, if just half the shooters out there killed just half of what they claim they do, there wouldn’t hardly be a coyote left out there.

Even shot at they still come back to the baits.My brother shot 9 adult female coyotes at night on the family farm this year.There will be more moving into the area.Trapping season my brother will be catching more.

I can trap and shoot them at night and see a difference…for about 2 months. After that, it’s start all over again. Been trying to exterminate them for years and ain’t happened yet. There’s always a fresh crop every year, even shooting females during denning season doesn’t seem to help. Different areas (terrain) and populations can have different results.
What I’ve seen is if I can’t catch them, call and shoot them. Then again, if I can’t call them in, then trap them.

Please provide something besides your opinion that shows coyotes quit working traps when hunted at night? I understand you have a strong opinion on it, but if there is some sound scientific basis for what you are saying, I think we'd all be interested. To the Op, I dont think youll see much difference, we hunt them hard with hounds, callers and thermals in my area....and the trappers continue to get their share. I will say, youll know when you start getting the coyote numbers back in check because youll have red fox showing up in numbers again....and thats not a bad thing..!

I agree with Boone. Thermal boys educate and brag. As a trapper there a royal pain. Alot of trappers will lie to rancher to not let him know how many coyotes they actually took. Just cause trappers are secretive by nature. The thermal boys are the opposite. They brag big numbers but kill very few. I was talking to John Graham one day and he made this statement. Covid changed people. Thermal hunting has changed coyotes. Period! Just the way it is. The coyote have adapted and we as trappers have to as well. I'm not against guys thermal hunting but the average thermal guy comes from a far different background than the average trapper. Just the way it is! On another side note with my fur business I absolutely love thermal hunters. They have money to spend and it's nothing for them to drop a grand in cash. Overall there very nice guys that just found a new cool thing. Not sure how long it will last but it has definitely changed coyote behavior.

When you get paid to kill things it’s another tool. Doesn’t matter if it’s trapped or shot, as long as it’s dead.

Shooting them on one property....trapping them on the next.......properties in between have neither hunting or trapping...they're gonna keep coming.

Lots of calling pressure in my area plus the use of thermal scopes and suppressors some callers say they are harder to call now. The States at war with coyotes but they still persevere year after year. Seen 2 pales the other day when I was turkey hunting not a dark spot on either of them.

When you work the same exact property for 9-12 months out of the year on an ADC job you can see the evidence of coyotes working traps differently after they have been messed with. Down to where you may be running a pile of
Equipment trying to kill one specific coyote. The thermal guys around here sit in their pickup, set their lucky duck on the roof of the cab, pup distress on max volume and if nothing shows up they drive to the next slough and try it again. They kill the stupid one and educate the other 5. They tell me stories of doing that exact setup.

SoDaker, not doubting they are harvesting the stupid ones, just doubting that it is greatly affecting coyote trapping (other than there may not be as many coyote alive to get caught in your traps). Maybe things are different in the western open range country, but as you can see by the other responses, most folks arent seeing any negative affects. There is heavy pressure in my area feom everything...hounds, calls and thermals....and the coyote trappers are still getting their share. Again, maybe a geography difference.

Wolf Killed in Calhoun county Michigan by night hunters in January.
The next county East of the Kalamazoo Convention site.
I hear rumors of pressing charges.
Interesting story if you want to google it.
I say good riddance and leave the thermal hunters alone .
They are doing sportsman of all types a much needed service.
Never tried it but It looks like a great time to me.
Looks expensive and properties are hard to get permission.

At least this post tells me who the killers are and those that arent

Y’all do realize people have been shooting coyotes off bait piles long before the public ever knew about thermals or NV? I don’t see how shooting coyotes makes them trap shy.
Maybe trapping the same place 9-12 months out of the year has made coyotes trap shy. In one scenario you’re using sound to draw them in. In the other scenario you’re using their travel patterns and scent. One has nothing to do with the other.

Seems the night hunting pressure has improved the day hunting response here. The night hunting could negatively effect trapping simply by hunters being in the predators hunting areas at night and bumping them out repeatedly.

Sometimes shoot them back to back nights in the same places I trap, the ones that don't come to the call and rifle / shotgun seem to end up in the traps.... non issue for me

Bologna.

Don’t underestimate a coyotes ability to associate one with the other. Selection pressure is NOT exclusive to a single means.

Both are forms of human intrusion. Scent, sight, and sound.

At some point, ANY form of human intrusion is taken as a negative.

Human intrusion at night, normally a safe time, so much more so.