Coyote or Fisher?

[Josh45640]

OHBigmammaI am using soft jaw traps because other types are not legal. :​

Youre mistaken. There is no law in Ohio stating that only soft jaw traps are legal. Nothing wrong with using them, but there is no legal reason that you have to. Just an FYI. Before you set the foothold traps, i suggest that you either find an experienced trapper in your area to show you how or do a lot of research. There is a lot more to it than just setting them on the ground. If you dont do it right, youll cause more harm than good.

 

[OHmamma]

Thanks for your concern Josh, A friend of mine works for the county parks department. He is also an experienced hunter and is going to help me when I get them. He has also caught several predators on his own land in the past few years. He is using most of his traps right now around his own farm or I would have been able to borrow his.

I also figured this is more than one and that I will need to catch anywhere from one to three. We have also seen a vary unusual amount of foxes lately mostly dead on the road but still more than we normaly see. I just do not want to be stuck without something like them again. I have trapped before years ago with my father and grandfather we trapped fox,coon,muskrat,turtles and just about anything we could catch. Even though I do not hunt now I do have a little experience with traps and trap setting.

I also chose to use softjaw traps because I have feral cats and barn cats and if by chance I can not get them all put up I would rather not feel obligated to have to remove their mangled leg. I read on the Ohio hunting site that jaw traps with teeth were illegal. I didn't feel like wasting time looking into all the specifics and was told to go for the soft jaw. I didn't look around for traps I ordered some that were reccommended. Plus even if I would not mind shooting a neighbors dog my husband would never let me. So if I did happen to catch one it would have to be a soft trap.

archer I also orederd the swivels.

I set the big live trap up and camo-ed it on the inside with used straw from my hen house and covered it with pine branches, I am stuffing the bait box with some of my live meat chicks and using two young dead chicks in the cage itself.

I am also setting up the camera again tonight.....

 

[dragonlair]

Up here we have some large coyotes, the results of cross breeding with wolves and domestic dogs. They have little fear of humans. I have a fairly large pack living in the woods behind my house....up to 6 or 7 at a time, more when the cubs come out of the den and learn the fine art of being a coyote.

They have paraded between my house and garage, in a narrow walkway of 5 feet wide. They also used to sit in the horse pasture at night and howl. The pasture is my back yard, as I only own an acre.

My Malamutes keep them at bay now. The coyotes howl and are answered by my much larger Malamutes. As soon as the Mals howl in answer to the yotes, the yotes high tail it out of there.

Your idea of fencing around the chicken area with your goat fence and letting the dog guard the area is a good one. I am getting a Pyr pup soon and that is my plan. The new goat barn will be next to the chicken area. The goat pasture will be built with the chicken pens in the middle, so the dog will be able to protect the chickens and the goats at the same time.

 

[OHmamma]

Quote:
My Pyranese ALWAYS kept my animals safe. I believe that is why they are coming now. He has been confined to a smaller area while our pasture fence is getting replaced. I had two pyranese pups when we first came here, they grew up with my goat herd and my chickens. They were just so awesome to watch when they were working. Loki, the one I still have was the most agressive and he patrolled the perimeter while Yheti would herd the goats into the barn and keep them there behind him. Loki has even grabbed a redtail hawk for trying to get a chicken. He only got amouthful of feathers but after that he was always looking up too.

I want to get another pup soon for Loki to train. He is getting old for a Pyranese (7) and I know it is hard for him to do it on his own with such a large area.

I do have one rotten horse that chases stray animals from the field but he also chases chickens and ducks!

Nothing came last night. I think it must have its belly full for a while. Maybe tonight will be my night........

 

[llamas10]

I f I may add to this discussion of predator control especially against coyotes. Get a good guard llama. Coyotes will not go anywhere near where llamas are. Especially in conjunction with a good lgd. That is the best combo against predators.

 

[OHmamma]

Quote:
Well.....I would but I am afraid of Llama they creep me out. I don't know why, they just do. Aren't they also agressive with dogs? I thought I heard that once. I am getting away from the larger livestock anyway. That is why I sold all my dairy goats. The chickens are easier and less expensive. BUT Not if you are just feeding them to coyotes.....

I did sell enough chicks to pay for my new trap today. Wooo Hoooo! Money that was going to go towards more pens but I won't have anything to put in the pens if I don't stop this creature from eating all my breeding stock. We also had fence posts delivered so we can extend the goat/horse field around the chicken pens. Now if we can get the fence up fast enough.

 

[jmc]

I know with certainty that llamas and donkeys DO NOT always do their job. So be careful about seeking a cure-all.

Please keep us posted!!!

and best of luck in getting the monster.

 

[theFox]

Quote:
Yup. as always, a defense in depth is much better than a risk it all on one thing defense.