Been Trapping for the last 5 years for canines. Just a hobby trapper and have permission on 3 farms, caught a decent number of fox and a few yotes,and feel pretty confident in my sets. I also feel like a struggle to find "the spot" to set a trap. I can find a good general location but i do think you can be a few feet off and have very different results. Any advice, I'm sure this was probably beat to death already, just nice to be able to ask questions. Thanks

I'm right there with ya, in my 3rd season on canines. Caught a lot my 1st year, since then not much luck. It's a lot of trial and error so far.... very humbling hobby, but enjoy it. still have a lot to learn

Both of you guys check your PM boxs

Hey mousetrap trapper I am in the same boat send me a pm

Experience is the teacher .
Paying attention to tracks and things after the initial setting to refine it .
Hard to give an answer without seeing the situation .

I'm right in there with you guys.

I'm 2 weeks into my first season. I'll be paying close attention to this.

Hey mousey trapper I would like a pm also if you can help me. THANK YOU

I figure if I'm within 10 feet or so of were I think the coyotes will be traveling and they can smell my lure or bait and they can get to my set without any trouble I'm good enough. What I think is more important is finding good natural blocking and guiding for a set.

Look it over good and put in 2 or 3 sets in the area if you feel led. You’ll either have multiple catches at times or learn the preferences of target critters. I have found it to be worth the time if you have the equipment.

Snow is one of the very best teachers of location, tracks .

That's what I've been doing and kind of know my spots on the farms I been Trapping now but I want to get away from setting say 20 traps and maybe get down to 10 with the same results. Thanks for your input.

Yea I agree, but I don't want to wait for snow at a new spot I want to be able to look a spot over and know almost every fox is coming to this spot. Just always hear location,location,location but nobody elaborates more than general location. Hard to explain but thanks for your input

Snow is a great teacher. There is no way to hide from it. Another great teacher is technology. With today's trail cameras and a little scouting there is no reason you can't keep track of animals year round if you wanted. I had a spot before snow that had 3 sets. The middle set caught most of the fox there with a straggler in the outer traps a couple times. The sets we're only 30 yards space. I set cameras to see what was going on. I highly recommend setting cameras before setting traps. If you don't get them on camera you won't get them in traps and you don't have to check the cameras daily. This is my experience. I am sure not everyone has cameras laying around but I do and I use them. They are relatively inexpensive now days.

Mousey trapper doesn't want to share secrets with the public....lol

I have a hard time explaining thing on line.

No such thing as a shortcut when it comes to location ! It’s been touched upon many times here in these pages,but I will elaborate for you just a little. Your looking for the spot with the highest concentration of tracks ! You may think I’m being a smart arse but I’m serious as a heart attack ! You want to find that spot with new tracks , old tracks, tracks going both directions and we can’t tell you where to find them on your ground. Boots on the ground is the only sure way to know ! You can look at maps to help narrow your search, maybe find a few natural funnels. But it comes down to you doing the work , leg work that is.
When you do find those SWEET spots set them up with enough traps to cover your most consistent wind direction and then your most common wind change. I like to use a different smell at each set and some guys like multiple smells at each set. Do it your way or try someone else’s method but getting started with the right location IS the key !

I can't tell you how many times I've been with a trapper. We hop out of the truck, I say "You pick first." And he picks a great spot but in the predominantly wrong wind direction.

Wind changes often, but if it doesn't, you want that wind to take the smell to where the target will be.

Also, remember that as it gets colder at night, smell goes down with the air currents. Look at your set and determine where "down" is.

I think we can also reverse engineer good spots by looking st bad spots. There are also great locations that lack sign. A spot that screams for a trap or three. But there is no sign. Zero. Nada. Try to take that location and use it to teach you why there isn't sign there.

Just the opposite of finding a great spot and figuring why it's a great spot.

Sometimes we find funnels or obstructions that either encourage or discourage use of a particular area.

Lack of sign because they ain’t no coyotes there John ,lol ! Walked right into that one !

But to quit being a smart arse and help the OP I would advise when you look at a spot that should be outstanding and it’s not , look around. Maybe something has happened to change a coyotes travel. A field that’s always been grass or alfalfa just got plowed under ( happened to me this year ) an over grown ditch or rail road R.O.W. that the farmer cleared off ( happened to me last year) or any number of things could have happened to change the land scape .