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2009 Youth Coyote Hunt Photos
*Don't forget to patronize and thank those businesses that donate to our association. That goes a long ways. Here are a few that donated generously to the Youth Coyote Hunt:
Sportsmen's Warehouse in Salt Lake, Provo and St. George, Kings Outdoor World, Fox-Pro, Westside Shooting Sports in Tooele, Hunters Specialties, Daisy, Bringard Mill, Rare Earth Predator Calls, Laub Brothers Outdoor Wholesale, Sunrise Engineering,
Taylor Brian photos 2010
 
STORY by Theron Taylor
CONFIDENT
It was a late fall and winter hadn’t really hit the low desert of Utah where I planned to trap the elusive spotted ghosts called Lynx Rufus. As I turned off the pavement and followed the dusty two track trail to “No Tell Canyon”, the dust roiled up under the truck and into every crack and crevasse. I could hardly see the ATV trailer behind us.
As much as I love trapping in dry weather and as bad as I hate rain, snow, freeze & thaw, I found myself wishing for a little moisture to settle the dust. This area gets only 4 to 5 inches of precipitation a year. This lack of moisture would play a big part in how well I did on this trip.
I had two of the newest members of the UTA with me this trip. I promised them at last year’s fur sale that if they would pay their dues and join the association, I would show them some of my cat trapping methods. I’m not a pro or anything, so I have never charged more than $20 (membership dues) for trapping lessons. Besides, Bryson and Dan wouldn’t know if I didn’t offset my traps just so or have my dog pointed in exactly the right angle. Hey, I might even pass myself off as knowing what I’m doing.
Then we did the blood letting and signatures of promise never to tell anyone about “No Tell Canyon”.
As we entered the secret desert canyon, we were greeted with a cat track in the sandy bottom. There’s nothing like a smokin’ hot cat track to pump up a cat trapper. On up the trail a little ways there were some black tootsie rolls among a pile of white ones. I was excited and explained these good signs to my new buddies. I was CONFIDENT, (too darn confident), that I’d be skinnin’ and stretchin’ before the week is over.
Just to show the new kids that I’m a real trapper, I grabbed one of the black poops and broke it open and gave it a good sniff. It didn’t gross them out too much, so there is hope they will be trappers themselves some day.
The poop was mostly sheep’s wool. That seemed a little unusual. There wasn’t the ordinary hair and bones present. Yeah, that should have told me something but, did I say – I was CONFIDENT. I didn’t look around for the usual signs that I normally do. Signs like rabbit tracks, rabbit berries, rabbit trails, etc. I just took it for granted that I had a least one cat and he’d be mine without too much trouble.
I showed the newbies a basic toilet set and just used the pile that was there for a visual attractor and freshened it up with some urine. It was great setting in the dry sand, and under the sand was good solid earth to hold my 18” rebar stake. I set the trap out from the pile of poop about 8 inches and put a few guide rocks to help direct the cat’s foot onto the pan.
This year, I decided to try out some new style pan covers that my son, Ted uses out in Nevada. He and his partner Danny cut out rectangles from brown asphalt shingles and lay these on the pan. I still like to add a little fiberglass insulation under the pan to keep dirt (or sand in this case), from sifting in under the pan. Boy, those shingles really match up the color of the sand and blend in real good.
This short canyon is a cat paradise. There are ledges, caves, tight side draws, brush, everything for the perfect cat condo. Everything but Sizzler or Arby’s that is. There is no shortage of good places to set. In fact, that becomes the challenge; Where do I set to maximize my chances of making a catch when everything looks so good? It reminds me of a canyon that Vern Shepardson once showed me (down by Moab), that he trapped. Where do you set when everything looks so good?
I showed Bryson and Dan how to make a trail set (blind set) along a ledge, a couple of walk-throughs, a semi-cubby, a flat set and a good old dirt hole. I did hang a couple of my bear flags (teddi-bear skin) and a CD disk, but for the most part, I didn’t go all out because; Did I say I was CONFIDENT?
As we got closer to the upper end of the canyon we found the cat’s dining place. Coyotes (or maybe the cat himself) had killed a sheep. It looked like everything in the country had been there for dinner. There wasn’t much left but wool and bones. Now, I knew why the poop had been mostly wool.
A herd of sheep had moved out of this area about a week before. We had stopped and talked to the herder at his camp down the road a few miles. I always stop and check with the herders. They usually know what is happening in the area. He had told us that coyotes were killing about 2 or 3 sheep a week. He said he is from Peru. I have never met a Peruvian sheep herder that wasn’t friendly and nice and fun to talk to.
Well, we went home with high expectations to say the least. After all I was CONFIDENT, right?
Trap check came way too slow. I couldn’t wait to go collect my $300. It would be as easy as Monopoly. All I had to do was go past GO and collect my money.
I met Bryson and Dan at dark thirty and we headed out. After breakfast at the twin arches, we headed straight to “No Tell Canyon”. They were as pumped as me - maybe more. They had never had the chance to see a bobcat wiggling on the end of a chain.
There had been a little moisture fall the night before and it had settled the dust a little. At least until we broke the crust. It was enough to freeze down my special toilet set. Out came the waxed dirt and buckwheat hulls.
The toilet set had drawn a blank, the trail sets drew blanks, the dirt hole sets drew blanks, etc. etc. I was scratching my head and trying to explain to my buddies how that happens sometimes and you just can’t give up. “Sometimes you get em – sometimes you don’t.” Right? Did I say CONFIDENT?
Well, the next two checks were the same - Zilch. I would add a set here and there and scratch my head. I was wondering if I would eventually have a trap under every rock and bush. I was pulling out all the stops. I started using my squeakers, my high dollar secret attractors, everything. Still no action. I stopped seeing fresh scat. I saw no more tracks in the sand. What the heck was happening?
Then we finally got some snow. Guess what… There weren’t any tracks. I mean, there weren’t any tracks of any kind. No cat tracks, no bunny tracks, not even a coyote track. Now, I knew why my traps kept coming up empty. When the dead sheep was gone (soon after I set up the canyon), the cat/s starved out and moved on.
What did I learn?
- Don’t forget the basics.
- Look at the big picture – all of the sign. Are there all of the elements a critter needs to survive? Food, habitat (shelter, protection).
- Don’t be over CONFIDENT. Give it your best shot right out of the chute. Tomorrow may be too late.
- Don’t let Bryson eat breakfast at Mickey Dee’s if you are going to ride in the same truck all day.
BUT, we had fun and that’s why I do this crazy thing called trapping.
OK, if I can write a story, so can you. Send them to tctaylor@wirelessbeehive.com
Interesting story here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/59566.html
That's funny, I don't care who you are...(Sent by Jerry Ferre)
Your new UTA Officers for 2009
Kevin Peacock - Pres. - phone 435-749-1953
Ronnie Hunt -VP. - phone 435-425-3287
Paul Jarvis - Sec. - phone 801-754-3739
Leroy Loftus - Treas. - phone 435-896-4866
Theron Taylor - PR. - phone 801-550-2765
*Don't forget to patronize and thank those businesses that donate to our association. That goes a long ways. Here are a few that donated generously to the Youth Coyote Hunt:
Sportsmen's Warehouse in Salt Lake, Provo and St. George, Kings Outdoor World, Fox-Pro, Westside Shooting Sports in Tooele, Hunters Specialties, Daisy, Bringard Mill, Rare Earth Predator Calls, Laub Brothers Outdoor Wholesale, Sunrise Engineering,
This is a nice "TOM" I caught in 2004.
If you will email your digital photos and a brief description, I'll post them here.
I also have a scanner and I can scan your photos so they can be posted here as well. Just send them to POBox 11, Stockton, Utah 84071 and I'll try very hard to get them sent back to you asap.
Theron
tctaylor@wirelessbeehive.com
If anyone needs a blank permission slip form. Just click on these links. Permission Slip1, Permission Slip2 (The one that the DWR has on their site is here:) Permission
History of UTA Awards
Here is a list of award recipients: (If you can fill in any of the blanks, please let us know. )
Hall of FAME:
1989-Golden L Steele (Far right below).
Also far left is Scott Steele (1999 Hall of Fame, Next is "Richard Noggins" 1991 Hall of Fame, and Dell Steele (holding plague) 1989 Hall of Fame
1989-Robert Stoker, (below)
1989- Dell Steele, (see photo above, second from right, holding plaque)
1989-Hyrum Deleu,
1989-Tony Kabonic, (below)
1989- John Oster, (Trapper John) below
1990- Arnold J Smith, (below)
1990- Cloy "Chum" Steele,
1991- George Butterfield, (below)
1991- Dick Steele
1991 -Larry Cheatham, (below)
1992-Louis Perry Oveson, (below)
1992- Orsen Carter, (below)
1992- Carl Poulsen, (below)
1993- Grant Merrell, (below)
1993- Charles Garlett, (below)
1994- Vance Taylor, (below)
1994-Maynard Lambert,
1995 -Roland Hansen, (below)
1995- Amon Barker,
1996- John Penny, (below)
1996- Ervin Brande, (below)
1997- Jeff Yates,
1997 Bob Oppenheimer,
1998-Jay Larsen, (below)
1998- Duane Hunt, (below)
1999- Terry Montgomery,
1999- Scott Steele, (see photo above)
2000- Rex McAurther, (below left), & MD (Drew) Robinson, (below right)
2001-Dennis Mayer,
2001- Herb Carter, (below)
2002- Lafair Hall (below)
2003- Mike Stone, (below)
2004- Theron Taylor, (below)
2005 Bill Brerton, (below)
2005 Gary Slot,
2006 - Janetta Steele
2007 - Mont Yates, Glen Steveson,
Wendall (Red) Kirk - (2 photos below)
2008-2009 - Lou Dunyon
Lavon Ross Jr.
Dee Throcktmorton
TRAPPER OF THE YEAR:
1987 - Dick Steele,
1988 - Dee Throckmorton,
1989 - Al Robb,
1990 - ?
1991 - Ken Madsen,
1991 - Lane Abraham,
1992 - Paul Snider,
1993 - Gary Steele,
1994 - Theron Taylor,
1995 - Bill Brerton,
1995 - Ammon Barker,
1996 - Herb Carter,
1997 - Tony Martineau,
1998 - Brian Smith,
1999 - Ronnie Hunt,
1999 - Kevin Peacock,
2000 - Stan Bassett,
2001 - Ron Utley,
2002 - Leroy Loftus,
2003 - Nolan Gardner,
2004 - Mike Pay,
2005 - Tony Kelly
2006 - Kent Butler & Chopper Miller
2007 - Stan Bassett
2009 - Cris Dew
JR TRAPPER OF THE YEAR:
1987- Cole Steele,
1988- Cassie Carter,
1989-Pat Jacobsen,
1990- Jeremy Taylor,
1991-Candice Soeffker,
1992- ?
1993- Gunner Steele,
1994- Stacy Madsen,
1995- Jason Jarrett,
1996- Josh Martineau,
1997 Jessica Clegg,
1998- Rob Madsen,
1999- Klay Steele,
2000- Christie Lund,
2001- Trevor Walh,
2002- Thad Pay,
2003- Rowdy Steele,
2004- Amber Bassett,
2005-Chandler Street,
2005-Brian Smith Jr.,
2006 - Bowdy Steele
2007 Brodie Jarvis, Cody Bassett
2009 - Laticia Hunt
LADY TRAPPER OF THE YEAR:
2005- Jannetta Steele,
2005- Debbie Carter,
2005- Sandre Bassett
2006 - Teresa Smith, Shirley Kabonic
2007 - Amy Beal (Best Supporting Member)
2009 Convention Photos
Vendors and NTA Booth
Vendors
BB Gun shoot
Demo
BB Gun shoot Winners. No better prize than Mulla
Ladies being crafty
Officers presiding at membership meeting.
UTA receiving award from NTA
UTA Scholarship bucket raffle
Trap Setting Contest photos
Live Auction - President Kevin as auctioneer.
Scholarship Award
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