About 2 weeks ago I lost a couple of chickens. I followed the trail of feathers and found the spot in the fence where the coyotes were coming through. Put up a game cam and sure enough 2 came through about the same time for 2 nights in a row.

I made a couple of cable snares and put one in the gap in the fence. The first couple of nights they walked right through it and didn't trip it.

Then I did a little rearranging and put it a little higher.

I snared one last night.

Couple questions:

According to the game came, it took over 45 minutes for the coyote to die once the snare was around it's neck. I'll kill 1000 yotes, but I don't want to see any animal suffer when it doesn't have to.

Is my snare design flawed, or is that normal?


Also, since I snared one there, will the others avoid that spot for a while?

You say you 'made' some snares but we don't know what you used to make them or if you employed any type of lock?

I prefer using 'Cam Locks'.

http://www.snareshop.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SLCAM

They are non-relaxing and will choke down anything that pulls it tight withing a few minutes.

Lots of folks use a 'Berkshire lock' which is fine for coon, fox, coyote...but not strong enough for hogs.

You can just buy a dozen cheap enough.

http://www.snareshop.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SNARE304

No matter what you choose, learn how to 'pre-load' your snare loop and how to set it.

Yep, you have to have a quick, smooth locking snare, the quicker the better for everybody.

I would put another (proper one if those were not) snare back in the same hole, if it goes dry for a week, pull it and wait for a couple weeks. Might try and find another entry/exit point they are using. If after a few weeks they are using the hole again, then replace the snare, I have used this "formula" on some holes that produced good for many years as new yotes came around. I think some yotes are quicker learners than others, but believe if they saw the action, they are aware, once they use it again without trouble, they generally will just go through expecting the same thing, nothing..Has been my experience anyway.

Snare shop makes great snare and pre-loaded, I have caught quite a few with their snares since I gave my crimping tool away.
Congrats BTW on the catch

This is the design I used:




I got it from here:

Home Made Snares

The only difference is that I used 3/32" cable instead of 1/16"



I guess I need to educate myself further on the subject. Nothing is ever as simple as you think it will be!

Thanks fellas. I'm gonna buy some proper equipment. This seems to be a pretty good way of taking care of my coyote problem.

And maybe I'll catch a bobcat!

Smart, prudent way to approach it sir. Set the loop about a 9" circle, an inch or two off the the deck. Good catch around the neck, with a good snare is usually fairly quick. This size will probably be a bit large for a cat, but nothing is worse than finding one wrapped around a leg/chest type deal, sad way to go, even for a yote.

A 'bent washer' snare is O.K., better than a berkshire, not as good as a cam lock.

You need make a 90° bend in the end of the cable where your stop is. That will provide a better angle for the lock to slide and also lets you make a nice round loop when setting it.

Pre-Loading is VERY important. Easy to do:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAf1XPbX5AI

One thing I would add...that isn't mentioned in the video...is that an assembled cable has a 'lay' (a grain if you will). When you put your 'bend' in the cable...be certain you don't twist it and that the bend goes with the lay of the cable (parallel to the direction the lock wants to run).

In your case... placing the snare at the entry point of the enclosure makes sense, but recognize it represents a 'terminal point' (an end place). And as such....the animal has slowed it's approach (maybe stopped altogether) and is wary.

Snares are best utilized along trails prior to reaching a 'terminal point' (a terminal point can be a feeding place, a watering source, an attack position). Better to set a snare before that... for the simple reason....the animal will be traveling. They commonly encounter vines, twigs, etc...and will push right through them on their 'way' to a destination, a snare feels no different to them. The faster an animal is traveling, the better your snare will work. Most predators travel quickly under the cover of darkness, use that to your advantage.

Also, you need to know how big a loop to make for each animal you intend to catch and how far off the ground to place it.

Lastly, when you set the snare, the dead end of the cable (a foot or so back from the loop) should be wired/tied off to something that offers enough resistance to cause the loop to pull tightly around the neck (hopefully the neck) of the animal, but then break away to allow the animal to take up the remaining slack. Of course...you'll have the end of the cable firmly anchored to something.

The loop itself should drop away from its suspension point fairly easily. I use a piece of bailing wire about an 1" long, bent over in a 'U' shape, then squeeze the end together just enough to support the loop and a little extra.

If all goes well, you will be rid of your Yotes in short order and they will be dispatched as quickly and humanely as is possible using a snare.

If all does NOT go well, you will find a coyote that has 'stepped' though the loop and has both neck and a leg in it. Usually very much alive and not too happy.

Remember, snares are non-selective....so when not in use take them down and make every effort to set it such that your 'target' animal is the only thing caught.

Good luck.

Flint.

Go to the Texas Trappers and Fur Hunters Fall rendevous in October. You can learn a lot. Ask questions! They also have a website. Even if you have to drive a good ways, it will be time well spent. Last I heard it's going to be in either Brownwood or Junction this October. Very good demos and folks.

Congrats on your first yote!

Congrats on your first coyote, you will find them easier to snare than to catch with a foothold trap.

put a 'deer-stop' on there too so you don't accidentally get a deer (leg) stuck in there (if you have deer around) !

Congrats! I caught my first coyotes last year. And thanks for the info guys!

Way to go.! I can appreciate your not want the animal to suffer.

We typically catch coyotes, foxes, coons and bobcats around their middle. Their rear legs are much larger and will not make it through the snare loop, so they are usually alive when we get to them. Snaring one around the neck is kind of rare for us.
Good info from Flintknapper