﻿TRAPPING 
  COYOTES. 
  19 
  

  

  it. 
  That 
  night 
  the 
  coyote 
  dug 
  up 
  the 
  pigskin 
  and 
  ate 
  it, 
  falling 
  a 
  

   victim 
  to 
  its 
  deadly 
  contents. 
  Since 
  then 
  the 
  farmer 
  says 
  he 
  has 
  

   never 
  failed 
  to 
  poison 
  coyotes 
  when 
  he 
  buries 
  the 
  bait. 
  

  

  Another 
  method 
  of 
  poisoning 
  coyotes 
  is 
  to 
  insert 
  the 
  strychnine 
  

   in 
  small 
  chunks 
  of 
  meat 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  swallowed. 
  Success 
  by 
  

   this 
  method 
  depends 
  largely 
  upon 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  as 
  

   regards 
  hunger, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  helped 
  by 
  making 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  

   ' 
  drag 
  ' 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  the 
  bait. 
  A 
  small 
  animal 
  — 
  a 
  bleeding 
  

   dead 
  rabbit 
  is 
  good 
  — 
  is 
  dragged 
  over 
  the 
  prairie 
  and 
  the 
  morsels 
  of 
  

   bait 
  left 
  at 
  intervals 
  along 
  the 
  ' 
  drag.' 
  Two 
  days 
  previous 
  to 
  a 
  

   general 
  coyote 
  hunt 
  in 
  Oklahoma 
  a 
  steer 
  badly 
  affected 
  by 
  ' 
  lumpy 
  

   jaw 
  ' 
  was 
  killed, 
  opened, 
  and 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  to 
  be 
  

   hunted. 
  During 
  the 
  first 
  night 
  coyotes 
  howled 
  all 
  night 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  carcass, 
  but 
  failed 
  to 
  touch 
  it. 
  The 
  second 
  day 
  a 
  

   hind 
  quarter 
  was 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  carcass 
  and 
  dragged 
  in 
  a 
  cir- 
  

   cuit 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  two, 
  the 
  drag 
  coming 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  carcass. 
  Dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  following 
  night 
  the 
  coyotes 
  picked 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  carcass 
  

   bare. 
  Thus 
  gorged 
  with 
  beef, 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  a 
  condition 
  favorable 
  

   for 
  their 
  slaughter 
  in 
  the 
  drive 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  day. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  strychnine 
  for 
  wolves, 
  the 
  dry 
  crystals 
  of 
  strychnia 
  

   sulphate 
  are 
  generally 
  preferred. 
  They 
  should 
  be 
  inserted 
  in 
  the 
  bait 
  

   with 
  a 
  knife 
  blade, 
  and 
  the 
  meat 
  should 
  be 
  handled 
  as 
  little 
  as 
  pos- 
  

   sible. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  if 
  precautions 
  are 
  not 
  taken 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  greater 
  probability 
  of 
  killing 
  dogs 
  than 
  wolves. 
  The 
  

   entire 
  neighborhood 
  should 
  know 
  of 
  the 
  intended 
  attempt, 
  and 
  all 
  

   valuable 
  dogs 
  should 
  be 
  confined 
  until 
  the 
  operation 
  is 
  finished 
  and 
  

   uneaten 
  baits 
  disposed 
  of. 
  

  

  TRAPPING. 
  

  

  Coyotes 
  are 
  not 
  easily 
  trapped. 
  Some 
  skill 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  their 
  habits 
  are 
  requisites 
  for 
  success. 
  They 
  travel 
  in 
  rather 
  well- 
  

   defined 
  paths 
  and 
  usually 
  hunt 
  against 
  the 
  wind. 
  Having 
  a 
  keen 
  

   sense 
  of 
  smell, 
  they 
  easily 
  detect 
  the 
  tracks 
  of 
  man, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  have 
  

   had 
  previous 
  experience 
  of 
  traps 
  or 
  guns 
  they 
  are 
  suspicious 
  of 
  

   danger. 
  In 
  the 
  wildest 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  remote 
  from 
  settlement 
  

   they 
  are 
  more 
  readily 
  trapped. 
  The 
  chances 
  for 
  successful 
  trapping 
  

   decrease 
  with 
  their 
  familiarity 
  with 
  man, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  proba- 
  

   bility 
  that 
  the 
  process 
  will 
  ever 
  have 
  much 
  effect 
  on 
  their 
  numbers. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  knows 
  a 
  Kansas 
  trapper 
  who 
  is 
  quite 
  successful 
  in 
  

   capturing 
  coyotes 
  in 
  a 
  rather 
  thickly 
  settled 
  part 
  of 
  that 
  State. 
  He 
  

   uses 
  steel 
  traps 
  and 
  sets 
  them 
  along 
  hedges 
  in 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  are 
  accustomed 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  openings. 
  No 
  bait 
  is 
  used 
  and 
  

   the 
  trap 
  is 
  partly 
  concealed 
  by 
  dead 
  leaves 
  or 
  grasses. 
  He 
  claims 
  

   that 
  both 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  as 
  it 
  approaches 
  

   the 
  opening 
  have 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  chance 
  for 
  success. 
  

  

  