Trapping In Combination With Thermal Hunting
I am a trapper, I am a hunter, and I am a growing outdoorsman. I have been constant in my pursuit of trapping over the past 20 plus years, and I still have much to learn and much to share with you all. Expanding my knowledge as an outdoorsman and learning to raise a garden effectively, raising chickens and other livestock for food consumption, harvesting furbearers to repurpose their natural resources of fur, meat, glands, bones, and composting what I can to help feed my gardens. From working side by side with landowners over the years it has led me to the path I am on now. That path I am taking might seem controversial, but the intent is to help landowners eradicate their nuisance and predator issues. That pursuit is Thermal Hunting Coyotes.
My bread and butter will still consist of trapping, and managing my ground the best I can. The problem with this is some of my farms I cannot get on to them due to reasons such as my work schedule, how my route is planned out, not having any solid connecting farms to get on, weather restrictions during trapping season, not being able to get on certain places because it is being leased out for deer hunting and I am not able to get on them until late season, and that is when beaver season is in full swing… There are so many things that can limit a part time trapper when trying to maximize their overall return on investment. I could sit here and rattle off more hurdles I jump over during the season, or I can tell you what I am doing to get over those daily/weekly/seasonal hurdles.
Most of you who follow along with me know that I take a couple different breaks from reality to go chase after coyotes. I have been taking 3-4 weeks off each year to trap on my home line and now traveling out of state to trap coyotes in highly concentrated areas. So during those few weeks I am trying to maximize my time and my return on investment. Don’t look at the investment as a monetary gain, that always helps… But the return on your investment could be you hitting a personal goal, making new landowner connections, trying things you’ve learned and implementing them into your own line, making new friendships, getting outside with nature and seeing things you can’t see stuck in a 9-5.
Like I said early, I am trying to cut out anything that isn’t going to increase my productivity… If that comes down to me writing off a couple farms because they are out of the way, then so be it. That’s the decision I calculate, and make. I have a ton of ground for my home line in 7 counties… that is not a flex, but hopefully it puts things into perspective. I have a lot of properties. If I was a full time trapper who was being paid for the live market, I could possiblyswing it. When it comes to the fur market, well, we all know how that is going… SAD! Now that brings us to the “aha” moment of what to do?
The decision I decided to make was to start thermal hunting those farms that I have basically wrote off for trapping. Either the property doesn’t have good vehicle access, it is too far from my other trapping ground, or it historically hasn’t been a good location for trapping coyotes. So instead of writing those farms off… I decided to keep in contact with all of my landowners and see how they would feel about me thermal hunting the properties for predator control. I have always treated their properties with respect so there was no issue with me staying on the property to thermal hunt for coyotes. Thermal hunting has been very interesting from the jump, and there was immediate success. The success wasn’t dumb luck, rather something I have been gearing towards for many years now.
Some things I have picked up over the years of chasing coyotes and researching them is that you need quality gear when thermal hunting just like you do when trapping. You need plenty of ground if you are after larger numbers. You need to be able to shoot a gun, very well, if you plan on being successful. The sounds you use need to be some high quality and unique sounds. Sometimes everyone is using the same sounds, and it is good to have different sounds to keep that competitive edge over your competitors… High quality sounds are just as important as using high quality bait and lure, just like everything in our pursuits. You can squeak by with mediocre equipment, but you cannot maximize your potential… So if you are happy with where you are in your outdoor pursuit that’s great, but if you feel like something is missing… Follow along with me and I will take you through the highs and lows of this new adventure.
Colt
P.S. Don’t try to educate coyotes, it happens… Unless you are tournament hunting, I would never recommend mag dumping… Unless you mag dump around your competition’s ground.I’m teasing…..