My First Year with Wisconsin Cable Restraints

Ordering from www.snareshop.com is really great for the beginner
because they already have the cables set up for Wisconsin regulations.

This year, I went through some "winter blues", so instead of laying around the house depressed, I marched my butt off into the deep snow and explored the world of snaring.  While most people are confined to their houses because of the negative temperatures and feet of deep snow outside, my son, Jackson, and I are have a blast on our “trapline”, targeting fox and coyotes with live snares, or in Wisconsin, “Cable Restraints”.  Cable restraints work much like those Chinese Finger Traps that tightened when you pull on them, but loosen when relaxed.  For the sake of ease, most trappers refer to cable restraints as snares.  When a fox or coyote walks through the snare, they push through it much like walking through brush or vines, and it closes just behind their ears, under their chin, ideally.  As they struggle to break free, the locking mechanism tightens much like a dog’s “choke collar”.  When they finally relax and stop fighting it, the relaxing lock loosens and holds the animal in place until you check your line and quickly dispatch the animal.  Wisconsin law requires a trapper check their sets atleast once a day, but in these negative temperatures, it’s good practice to check twice a day.

Coyote missed my snares that are set to the left;
only interested in urinating on this bait site rather than eating.

Fox, again, only interested in breeding instead of eating.

            I have not had the best of luck, as I set up my trapline two weeks ago near bait sites of deer scraps from the November gun season.  As luck would have it, breeding season for coyotes started and much like rutting bucks that pay no attention to mineral sites, the coyotes have not touched the bait areas in weeks.  

Of course, the fox are just coming into their breeding season too, so activity is at its lowest point.  I have seen evidence of this, as there have been a few lone male coyotes cruising the trails right next to my bait sites, but not detouring in the slightest.  

Last week on my way home from work, I had a pair of gray fox run right across the road, a big male chasing a little female, so “the rut is on” for furbearers.  I’m not worried though, because after canines get bred, they’ll be back to scavenging and trying to consume energy they lost during the breeding stage.  February 15^th is the deadline for snares in Wisconsin.  I’ve added some skunky call lure to my snare trails in hopes of enticing their curiosity just enough to make them utilize the trails that have been blazed through this deep snow where my snares are set.  A good friend recommended Blackie's Blend Magnum call lure, and I'm hooked.

Fisher consuming deer carcass in daylight; that tells you how desperate for food they are!

Fisher tracks "loping" right under my snare set.

The only activity I continue to have is a prime-sized fisher that frequents one of my sites nightly.  Unfortunately, I did not draw a fisher tag this year, so he is safe for now.  He uses up my camera batteries, trips the snares in the area, and eats up my deer scraps, but he sure is good looking!  

I am conflicted because the fox were using the same trails as the fisher for the path of least resistance, but I am confident that I will not catch the fisher because they tend to “duck” under obstacles instead of pushing through like canines, and the snares are set at 10 inches above the surface, so his mink-like body can slip underneath easily.  Fisher pelts are currently anywhere from $65-$100, so if he’s around next year, I’ll be sure to try for him.  I’ve seen him the last 2 years in this area, so I’m sure he’s not leaving anytime soon.  It’s nice having him around though, because there were hardly any squirrels to bother me during bow season, as the stand I used to shoot my buck from this fall was only 125 yards from his “home tree”.

  








  

Trap checking buddy!

Jackson is starting to get bored with checking snares every day and not catching anything.  I’m a single mom so I have no choice but to bring him with me to check the line before I go to work in the morning.  I’ve found that pulling him on a sled is best in this deep snow, and he thinks it’s a fun time!

Below are some examples of my snare sets.  It seemed like each day we were getting 4-6 inches of snow, so every morning I needed to adjust the height of my snares to keep them legal following Wisconsin regulations.

Set up for travelers coming up from the river bank in the background.

Looking back on this set up, I can see that I should have concealed and center the cable better.

Example of a set up where the fox chose to go around the snare to the right.

Blackie's Blend Magnum Call Lure smeared on the branch above a snare on the river.
http://www.blackiesblend.com/

Calling Wisconsin Coyotes (featured on Mossy Oak)

One of my favorite animals to pursue in the long winter months of Wisconsin is coyotes.  Winter coyotes are much more intelligent than the new pups in August, and require more work.  The numbers in Wisconsin are not as populated as Ohio or Indiana, but there are still plenty of coyotes that need to be kept in check to balance the turkeys and fawns.  Many hunters run hounds on coyotes which can be very beneficial in large areas of land.  Another common technique for calling coyotes is the use of e-callers like FoxPro.  My article will strictly cover mouth calls and setups without the use of dogs.

I always setup with the wind on my face.  High winds can be difficult to get the sound out there, but scent is the most important thing and a coyote’s nose is a make or break versus its hearing.  Anticipate that coyotes will work downwind to catch the scent of prey or whatever is causing the animal to be in distress.  When calling for territorial purposes, wind is not so much of a factor because coyotes aren’t worried about winding another coyote and more concerned with defending their territory in a timely manner. Try to set up on higher elevated landmarks that offer a camouflaging backdrop for farther vantage point; field edges or bluffs can offer a longer range for spotting coyotes coming in.

Deep snow means your sits need to be longer.

 I tend to avoid areas that snowmobile trails run through, and scout in advance for fresh car kills or scrap bait piles from deer hunters in the fall.  If it’s been a harsh winter, such as this season in Wisconsin so far, it’s difficult for all animals to find a food source and they expel a lot of energy traveling through the deep snow and negative temperatures.  In these scenarios, it’s important to call near cover, so locate thick pines, swamps, or wherever the deer are yarding up for the winter.  Deep snow is an important factor, so during setups where I am calling more than 300 yards from where I believe the coyotes are, I tend to sit for more than 30 minutes to give them time to get moving and navigate through the deep snow.

My calling sequences are pretty consistent between sits.  The only variations I use are the time of year.  November through December, animals are in predator mode and looking to consume as much food as possible.  My standard sequence is to start off with a rabbit or bird distress on any standard distress call, open or closed reed, even mouth diaphragms, such as a turkey call work well.  Many hunters might experience calling in coyotes in the spring months while turkey hunting for this very reason.  I keep a fluid rhythm: calling for 5 minutes straight, then resting quietly for 10 minutes, then repeating the sequence for 30 minutes maximum.  If anything were in the area, it would have hear the calls and been into the vicinity by now if interested.

Winter months and the breeding season vary from region to region for every species of game.  The coyote breeding season in Wisconsin runs from the end of January to early March.  Coyotes are paired up and become eager to defend their territory by fighting off any intruder.  Much like a rutting buck, coyotes can be difficult to call in with the usual distress calls because they are focused on mating.  My breeding season calling sequence usually looks like this.  I begin with a few female estrus barks, which are short, high-pitch howls that end abruptly.  I do 3-5 of those howls in a row.   These are the invitation calls that tell males in the area that the female wants to get bred.  Sometimes males will come to this call, and sometimes another female in the area will come in to fight the new female away from her males and her territory.  Often I will simply do these estrus howls for several minutes, then just sit back and relax for 10 minutes or so.  To set the scene of a breeding event, often times I will call back with a deeper, male return bark.  After several minutes, making whimpers or high-pitched distress barks on the Primos Sound Dome mouth diaphragm simulate two coyotes mating, which often involves biting and aggressive behavior.

Sometimes I wonder how many coyotes I miss coming in at a distance because I'm lost in these types of sunsets.

At the end of every sit, I always do one long, locating howl and wait several minutes for a response.  Coyotes are sociable and just like using an owl locator in the spring for turkey gobbles, coyotes will return long howls to let the first howler know where they are.  Sometimes letting out a long, friendly howl after a series of prey distress calls will tell wandering coyotes that you just killed a meal and are willing to share, so come join. If coyotes are located by sound but not seen, and they bark or howl in response to your calls, call back and mimic whatever calls they are throwing at you.  Because they are so sociable and territorial, letting them know you are another coyotes will spark their curiosity and any alarming behavior will subside.

When a coyote is spotted to be coming into your calls, stop calling.  If the coyote crosses your wind, you must take the shot when it begins to look nervous or turns.  If a coyote hangs up within sound distance, but has yet to wind you or look concerned, utilize the mouse squeaker: short, barely audible squeaks will entice the coyote to come in closer.  These squeaks also work well for calling in shyer furbearers like fox.

Coyote decoys, lifelike or cardboard, if placed at the right angle and used with appropriate calling techniques, are proven to be effective.  Just like the Whirling Bird or Quiver Critter, motion decoys will take attention off the caller and focus the coyote on the movement.  It’s important to remember that coyotes will always circle downwind of the decoy or where they suspect the distress call is coming from, so remember this when placing decoys on your sets.  A rule of thumb is that you want the coyote looking past you when his eyes are locked into a decoy.  Keep track of the number of sets you complete in relation to coyote called in to get a good ratio of how often you should be calling in coyotes, and remember that every time you call in a coyote and miss the shot, that coyote is educated on calling in the future.

Both of these pups came in to the Primos Double Whammy.

Sometimes it's not about the hunt itself...

Calling from the highest point of the area gives you a great vantage point as well as helps your sound carry out.

Cousin Adam setting up the FoxPro e-caller.

One of my favorite spots.

Originally posted on Mossy Oak.

Understanding Scrapes

            When bowhunting the fall, it is important to be observant about deer sign in the woods and what it means.  A scrape, in short, is a buck’s way of establishing his breeding territory. Somewhere around 85% of scrapes are made by mature bucks (3.5+). Every scrape has a few main characteristics: overhanging branch, moist soil, and are made in high-traffic areas (intersection of trails, edge of cornfield, etc.)  Most scrapes are made at night when patterns are mainly nocturnal.  Initially, the buck will urinate on the scrape, but not directly; rather he will mix it with his tarsal glands on the inside of his knees and let it trickle down, creating a strong odor.

Notice the fresh hoof prints in the middle of the scrape, as well as the overhanging lick branch.

When a buck makes a scrape, he is basically making a "checkpoint" for any doe in the area that is ready to be bred to come by and put her scent there. When she does, she'll put her hoof print in the center of the scrape, both marking her track and also releasing scent from glands in between the split of her hoof. The doe will also urinate in the middle of the scrape to leave her estrus for the buck to pick up on.

            If you ever come across a scrape that looks wet, like a doe might have just been there, there’s a good chance that the buck will be bedded close by downwind, so find a spot within the traveled area and get ready, because a buck will be by shortly. Also don’t linger in the area too long or make much noise, because the doe that just freshened the scrape will be bedded close by also, waiting her turn to get bred.  

Once checked, the buck will scrape the area again to make a fresh canvas so he can keep track of active does.  During the peak of the rut, bucks check their scrapes 5-6 times a day hoping to catch that doe as she marks it. This is the time that hunters sometimes take bucks at noon or 3 in the afternoon.  

Very fresh scrape on Sept. 22.

The buck also chews, rubs, and breaks the branch that hangs over the scrape so he can add his saliva to it.  He has scent glands in his cheeks and the corners of his eyes that help mark his territory.  This tells other bucks that come along and check out his scrape that those are HIS does and they need to move on. When a new buck doesn’t move on, that’s when fighting and sparring occurs.  Hunting a scrape line is a great time to use grunt calls and rattling horns for this very reason.

            Though rain is not a bowhunter’s friend for tracking, rain can be a good thing when it comes to hunting over a scrape line.  Bucks know that after a rain, they need to go freshen their scrapes so as to mark their territory again before another buck moves in, or before the does lose interest and leave the area.  It is a good rule of thumb to hunt over a scrape line during a rain and wait it out because a buck will be by within a couple hours afterwards.

            Whether hunting over your own mock scrapes or a natural scrape line created by a buck, one of the keys is keeping the scent constant and heavy.  Using a combination of doe estrus, buck urine, and tarsal gland scent will keep the does frequenting the scrape line as well as cause the bucks to stick around to defend their territory.  

Freshening the scrape line leading up to my bow stand.

Bittersweet.

This is the most memorable day of 2013 for me. It's filled with happiness, a little jealousy, respect, and most of all, honor. It's the buck that I have been chasing all fall. It's the biggest buck I've ever had in front of me alive. It's the buck I had underneath my stand at pitch dark the month before and had to listen to him rubbing trees for a half hour. 

Will shot this smasher after coming home for a break from Alaska! This old buck weighed 210 pounds DRESSED.  I am so incredibly honored that I got to help him drag it out, and that I was able to see him up close, and even sneak a picture with him! Bittersweet. This man is an incredible hunter and a huge inspiration to me!  

Will guides hunters throughout the Midwest following the snow goose migration each year with Northern Skies Outfitters.  

Click here to book your snow goose hunt and request Will Wiese!