Choosing the right Coyote Bait

Introduction: Coyotes and Traps

A canid native to North America, the coyote often proves to be quite the menace for humans due to its largely aggressive and intrusive nature. They are known to scavenge through human garbage for food, or even attack and kill domestic animals such as dogs or livestock. If they are of large enough numbers, they could quickly evolve to be quite dangerous and they will almost certainly disrupt the peace and quiet of your homestead.

Choosing the right Coyote Bait

In response, humans have developed a significant amount of different coyote traps, to capture alive or outright kill the pestering intruders. A large part of the process, however, is finding the right bait – coyotes are very cunning animals and catching them can be very tricky otherwise.

Coyote trapping tips

In order to avoid any unnecessary complications when resolving to trap a coyote, one should do all that can be done to plan ahead and keep the following tips in mind:

Step number one would definitely be to look up and follow the hunting rules and regulations of your State. For example, more likely than not, setting up traps on pathways regularly used by people or domestic animals will be prohibited. After you made sure you’re within the allowed parameters, make sure to target the right coyote – the usual culprits are male, between the ages of three to five, something that can easily be determined by the coyote’s incisor teeth.

Set your trap and bait in problem areas, places where the coyote has already been to, as they are known to frequently return to the same areas. Obviously, you should restrain children, and domestic animals from roaming around before setting the trap as they might spring it by accident.

Finally but not least importantly, should you trap the coyote alive, make sure to keep in mind that they become extremely dangerous and aggressive when trapped. Always wear thick clothing and protective gloves and don’t hesitate to contact a professional or the local governmental wildlife or department.

How to choose the right coyote bait

Choosing the right coyote bait is no easy task, as there is a great variety on the market. Moreover, if you were to ask ten old trappers what their best bait would be, you would more than likely get many different answers. Luckily enough, most commercial baits seem to work well enough. Before we get into specifics, let’s first present you with some general coyote baiting tips:

  • Choose to place your baits at night, as coyotes do most of their hunting under the cover of darkness.
  • Make sure the bait is big enough to avoid it getting consumed totally, as the animal is a fast-eater. To make it look as natural as possible, sprinkling some blood on it is a sound idea.
  • Choose such a position, so that you will remain concealed from the coyote and any wind blowing your scent towards it.

As for choosing specific bait, you need to keep in mind that a coyote has a pretty wide diet range – its diet is adaptive to whatever is presented for the most part. Thus, its choices are different per season. There are certain meats, however, which it is partial to in all seasons. These include bird, rabbits, rodents, turkey and deer. Whether you decide to make your own bait or opt for a commercially-prepared option is up to you.

Another great alternative would be utilizing cheap dog food. Coyotes love it, and they are prone to stealing it from food bowls. You should make certain, however, that any dogs in the immediate vicinity are restricted and won’t take the coyote bait themselves.

Conclusion: The verdict on Coyote Baits

All in all, finding the right bait for coyote can be daunting if people do not take the time to properly educate themselves on what the little canid devils preferences are. In truth, there are many viable options for you to pick from, both commercial products and hand-made. Perhaps the best choice available is dog food, particularly in urban areas, due to its wide availability and relatively cheap cost.

Whatever kind of bait you end up going with, however, you should always keep in mind that a wild coyote can be dangerous. If you make sure to take all the necessary precautions, protecting clothing and gloves being chief amongst them,  your coyote trapping will prove to be probably uneventful and easy. If you have any doubts about the process, remember that knowledge is key: Don’t hesitate to conduct further study on the subject or contact a professional for help