Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote

Here we are starting into July again . It's been hot for a lot of the United States . The coyote have had their pups and gotten them out of the den by now they are pretty much camping out near where they will be feeding if lamb or or other young animals are their main course . This is the time of the year when I like to let them tell me where they are without trying to get them to talk . I give the calls a break starting mid June and the siren hasn't worked reliably to locate them since early April but will start working again with the pups soon . They tend to scatter from it now , and will do the same thing with the pup destress calls now , so you have a hard time getting them gathered and taken care of but will talk from it's use . You will get a few to come to pup destress calls but so many of them are timid and they tend to want to run and hide . Like all of the things that we do to locate them they will get used to them and experience burn out then stop responding and we will be scratching our heads asking why don't they respond to my best efforts , after all they are just another dumb animal right ? This is when I normally would stop calling much and use snares more for control . They haven't learned how to not make tracks or leave sign of their being around , so finding where to snare them is a matter of reading the sign they leave for you to find . As with every thing else you should think about the other animals around and how to avoid them being caught . It's a learning thing again and you can figure out where to and not to set snares so you can avoid unwanted catches . Often newer guys will see fur in the fence wire and think that it's from a coyote or fox but other animals have fur under their guard hairs so you should use caution with that aspect of sign to make sure of what really left it there . In August and September here the pups will be starting to get out on short hunts by them selves and you will see some of them starting to respond to animal destress calls but if you want fur it won't really be prime for a few more months . Fox prime first , then coyote and cats last here and I'm pretty sure it's much the same other places too .
 
We that live here in the United States celebrate the Fourth of July as our independence from Great Britten . I'm kind of set in my ways and feel that if you want to celebrate another countries independence day you might want to move to that country . If you think it's bad here and you are being abused and that things are better else where go and see for your self , you are allowed to here but in some countries you aren't . I have been to other parts of the world and am proud to live where I do as I haven't personally seen any other place I want to call my home . Yes we have our faults here as does any other country . Almost every person I met and talked with in other parts of the world wanted the same things , food , clothing , shelter and to be able to raise their family with health care and safety . So I'm going to celebrate my countries freedoms this weekend and hope that you all do as well if this is where you live . Have a safe and healthy 4th . I'm off my soap box now ! This is the ramblings part .
 
We that live here in the United States celebrate the Fourth of July as our independence from Great Britten . I'm kind of set in my ways and feel that if you want to celebrate another countries independence day you might want to move to that country . If you think it's bad here and you are being abused and that things are better else where go and see for your self , you are allowed to here but in some countries you aren't . I have been to other parts of the world and am proud to live where I do as I haven't personally seen any other place I want to call my home . Yes we have our faults here as does any other country . Almost every person I met and talked with in other parts of the world wanted the same things , food , clothing , shelter and to be able to raise their family with health care and safety . So I'm going to celebrate my countries freedoms this weekend and hope that you all do as well if this is where you live . Have a safe and healthy 4th . I'm off my soap box now ! This is the ramblings part .
And never forget our freedom has came at a great cost and sacrifice by many. We are truly blessed.

HBD America!
 
Over the years you will notice that things tend to be brought back into the eyes of the coyote hunter over and over again . Some one will read an old book and find something that somebody did in the past and want to try it again . So often the reason it wasn't still being used is because it didn't really work the way it was meant to the first time . Take the use of snares as an example . Years ago we had the Thompson snares they were made of stiff cable like were used for brake cables in the old autos had a good lock on them that he had figured out and a tree attachment you could rely on . Then as snaring became real popular people started to explore other ways you had people use smaller cable and differing types of cable . Some people used 1/16 and 5/64th inch 7x7 air craft cables trying to come up with a different lock like bent washers ect. . It wasn't long before the snare was shorter and lighter with a lock called a micro lock . In that time frame I killed lots of coyote wearing new collars and having swollen heads . I killed some that had gotten through the snare and had it around their mid section cutting through their skin . the lighter snare faze went out but then in a few years came back again . I learned for me to use 3/32 7x7 galvanized air craft cable and to not make snares shorter then 8 feet for years I used a Patterson knot for a lock till my state outlawed them because they didn't have a breakaway device , to allow deer, cows , antelope ect. to break out of them . New guys and not knowing how to avoid unintended catches as well as a lack of training in the use of snares caused problems with this . The next was the cam-lock and they work well fast closing quiet and lock up well so you don't get water heads . You want them to close fast and easily so that you get them around the neck not the body . For me I want the snare to lock up fast and tight on a cable that is thick enough to not be chewed through by a coyote . Long enough that the animal can get off the ground and tangled up for a fast kill . I will simmer my snares in baking soda to take the shine off of the cable . All of my snares are coiled by them selves into a small loop of about 5 inch's then I put 12 on a wire that I can set them into a s.s. stock pot as well as take them out again for the next dozen to be put in and simmered , not a hard rolling boil so as not to mess up the temper of the cable . They will sometimes have a set put in the loop by running them over a pipe to give them a predetermined curve but mostly not . They are then hung and let age . They will be grey and still slick not rough so they will still close fast . I have tried the waxing of them but for me found that it wasn't any better for the effort as we don't often have a lot of frost that clings to them and slows them down . Getting the shine off of them and keeping them clean and odor free was the biggest help . Books have been written as well as videos made that have some good info on them . O Gorman and Gregerson both have excellent info on the use of snares . Both of these guys are from Reemty's country .
 
Reemty I don't know about that . We all have areas that we excel at or that we are really interested in and work at learning as much as we can about them . I wouldn't know much about some of the things that you do .
 
Dave I am gonna lay it all out and going to make you temporarily speechless, I am speaking for all the people that have been following this thread since YOU started it, you have-educated us all more than we could imagine, your knowledge and experience with coyotes is beyond compare. I personally have learned more from you than any time in my 38 years pursuing the most evasive critter I know. Dave, I am guessing in a manly way, most all of these people following this thread……..all just love the heck out of all the things you do for our Ed- gee- K- shun!!! You sure are something and a credit to your bloodline you ol Why-Dam -O- Ming potlicker 🤝🤝🤝🤝☝️☝️☝️👍👍👍👍🤝🤝🤝🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 I know quality people when I see em!!
 
^^^^^Ditto. Dave, I was thinking about coming over again for John Graham's vote days this year again in August. And I was anticipating the opportunity to possibly spend a little more time with you than last year. However, I don't think I am going to be able to make it this year. Even thought it might be fun to maybe sneak over in October and get you out of the house for a day or so of calling. Would be fun just riding around telling stories. Don't slow down. Keep this thread alive.
 
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