Trapping in Combination with Thermal Hunting
I am a trapper, a hunter, and a lifelong student of the outdoors. For more than 20 years, I have been consistent in my pursuit of trapping—and I still have much to learn and even more to share. Along the way, I’ve expanded my knowledge as an outdoorsman: learning to raise a productive garden, caring for chickens and other livestock for food, harvesting furbearers to repurpose their natural resources—fur, meat, glands, and bones—and composting what I can to help feed my soil.
Working side by side with landowners over the years has led me down the path I’m on now. That path may seem controversial to some, but the intent is simple: to help landowners manage nuisance and predator issues effectively. That pursuit is thermal hunting for coyotes.
My bread and butter has always been trapping and managing my ground the best I can. The challenge, however, is access. Some farms are difficult to get to due to my work schedule, inefficient travel routes, a lack of connecting properties, weather restrictions during trapping season, or deer leases that limit access until late season—right when beaver season is in full swing. There are countless hurdles a part-time trapper faces when trying to maximize return on investment.
I could list more of the obstacles I encounter each season, or I could share what I’m doing to overcome them.
Most of you who follow along know that I take a few breaks from reality each year to chase coyotes. I typically take three to four weeks off to trap my home line and now travel out of state to target highly concentrated coyote populations. During that time, I focus on maximizing both my effort and my return on investment.
And I don’t just mean financial return—although that certainly helps. Return on investment can also mean hitting a personal goal, building new landowner relationships, implementing techniques you’ve learned, forming new friendships, or simply getting outside and experiencing things you’ll never see stuck in a 9–5 routine.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m trying to eliminate anything that doesn’t increase productivity. If that means writing off a few farms because they’re out of the way, then so be it. That’s a calculated decision. I have permissions across seven counties on my home line—not a flex, just perspective. There’s a lot of ground to manage. If I were a full-time trapper working the live market, I might approach it differently. But when it comes to the fur market, we all know how that’s been going.
So that brings us to the “aha” moment: what’s the solution?
The decision I made was to begin thermal hunting on the farms I had essentially written off for trapping. Maybe they lack vehicle access, are too far from my main line, or historically haven’t produced well for coyotes. Instead of abandoning those properties, I stayed in contact with my landowners and asked how they would feel about thermal hunting for predator control.
Because I’ve always treated their properties with respect, there were no issues with me hunting at night. From the beginning, thermal hunting has been both fascinating and productive. The success wasn’t luck—it was the result of years of studying coyotes and understanding their behavior.
Over the years, I’ve learned that thermal hunting requires quality gear—just like trapping does. You need access to plenty of ground if you’re targeting higher numbers. You must be proficient with a firearm. The sounds you use should be high quality and, when possible, unique. When everyone is running the same calls, having something different can give you an edge. High-quality sounds are just as important as high-quality bait and lure in trapping.
You can get by with mediocre equipment, but you’ll never maximize your potential. If you’re content with where you are in your outdoor pursuits, that’s great. But if you feel like something is missing, follow along. I’ll take you through the highs and lows of this new adventure.
Trapping and predator calling have become my focus. Becoming efficient, proficient, and consistent at both is a major goal moving forward. I’m extremely passionate about catching coyotes—whether with a foothold trap, a snare, or an electronic caller. I’m captivated by the challenge of pursuing these canids.
I’ll be the first to tell you that neither pursuit is easy. I’ve experienced both at a high level, and there’s nothing simple about either one. Each is intricate in its own way. But becoming proficient at trapping has strengthened my predator calling. And gaining experience with nighttime calling has opened my eyes to just how dense certain areas are with coyotes.
I still have a lot to learn, and I hope you continue following along on this journey.
To be continued…
Colt – Coyote Academy
P.S. Don’t try to educate coyotes—it happens. Unless you’re tournament hunting, I’d never recommend mag dumping… unless you’re mag dumping around your competition’s ground. I’m teasing…but it happens.