Food shortages during the pandemic helped create an abundance of backyard farms across Arkansas.
Eggs were a hot commodity during the lockdowns. Today fresh eggs can be located all across the state.
Backyard chicken farms are like a lighthouse on the ocean for Arkansas’ most abundant predator — the Coyote.
No folks, Wylie Coyote on Looney Tunes is not a good representation of a wild Coyote. A Coyote is a deadly predator. An opportunistic animal maybe, but stupid he is not. He isn't lurking around strictly for a chicken. He will catch your cat, puppy, calves, goats, sheep whatever he can catch.
When he pays your family or flock a visit, he may leave you wondering what just happened.
There are a few things that I want to tell you folks about. One, a Coyote or pack of them, are in every patch of woods, on the edge of fields, even in your neighborhood in your hometown.
In fact, Coyote, bobcat, raccoon, fox and other wild animals are a constantly growing threat to other wild animal populations. A pack of Coyotes will catch and kill every whitetail fawn they can find and every turkey poult that hatches. If he can chase it down, its on the menu.
When pioneers were settling our nation throughout the 1800s, trapping wild animals was a huge portion of the economy.
Today it is the reverse.
Fur markets are weak due to political agendas. Big money influences changed the opinions of generations when it comes to trapping.
Trapping has become a tainted tradition.
The question I ask you: What will happen when your favorite cat or dog falls victim to a wild predator like a Coyote? Are you prepared to have your calves killed at birth or your favorite Rhode Island Red hen taken from your backyard? It does happen, and it happens often.
If you are anything like me, you will protect your family and livestock. I even have a soft spot for a baby deer I'll never see or a turkey poult that will never reach maturity.
I do my part, legally and ethically, to help control the predator population around home. I have even helped folks save their livestock from predators. It's the right thing to do if you're a guy like me.
Today I decided to add in a few more traps in key locations here at home. Deer season is coming to an end, and it's a perfect time to get out there and catch a few predators. Year after year I catch Coyotes in the same old traps in the same old locations.
When you're out scouting, pay attention to game trails and look for tracks. Game trails are natures interstates. Every animal including predators are using the. It will help you increase your odds of being successful in trapping. Remember, I told you this, if you catch one in a spot, you'll always catch them there.
Another thing to remember, set your traps and leave them alone. Once I put them in the ground I visually check them daily from a distance. A properly bedded and baited trap is good for weeks. Just leave them alone. Trust me.
Remember, check with your local fish and wildlife service to ensure you are following the many rules and regulations involved in any hunting or trapping activities. Before you start trapping, understand that whatever you catch is going to be there waiting on you. Be prepared.
So what do you do after you catch a predator?
I'll let you use your imagination on the ways to humanely dispatch your catch. I relocate them alive, and to do that, you will need a catch pole. Many catch poles are available commercially from trapping supply companies as well as do-it-yourself models, which ideas can be sourced from YouTube.
If you made it through that video, you now have seen me demonstrate one way to catch a predator — a dirt hole set. Just like the sun comes up and sets in the evening, dirt holes are dependable.
Another way to increase your catch ratio is to bring something new into the area like a big ol’ rock. Watch the video underneath the photi to see what I'm talking about. It works.
Trapping any wild animal comes with risk. They are dangerous and should be respected as any life. Remember to always be ethical and confident in your own ability. You owe it to the critter you are after to see it through.
I remind myself daily that I'm removing one animal to lower the pressure on others.
Balancing the ecosystem, which humans have disrupted for centuries, is not for the faint of heart, but it is necessary.
