How many K9 sets in a given area would be considered to many or overkill ? I've always heard the saying "if it's good enough for one set then it's good enough for two sets " and so on. Can you ever over set and area, by having sets spaced to close together in an area ? -Thanks

When I road trap and stop my truck to make a set I put a set of each condor of my truck that's two on each side of the road, all with a different bait and lures.

I started on a new property last year for coyote, so I was putting a set at each corner of field and woods. I don't have many properties to coyote trap so running out of traps wasn't an issue. My thoughts were to set up where I thought they were the best spots and see which ones worked. Then try and figure out what made that spot better than the others.

I always make at least two different sets at each location. Where I trap in the big woods, I set up every intersection, trails along grassy bogs and larger openings

That’s a loaded question with 1001 variables.

I trap smaller properties and didn't know if you over set with different sets it spooks them ,as to much "new" in the area or if the thinking is get as many sets out on sign to increase your odds of multiple catches.

Might not want to set them any closer than this

^^^^^^^^not me^^^ not my picture- found on Trapperman and thought it a good explanation of how close is too close.


Not much point in setting at all unless there is reason to believe the target will be there within a set time, so I wouldn't scatter out more than about one set location per 40-60A, on the other hand there may be only one trip through for a pack/group/family, so i would set 5 or more traps at each location. I don't use many different lures in the same area at the same time, ymmv
But, as Boone said there are ~1001 answers to this- for example new stuff does put coyotes off, but new stuff can also attract them; each situation can have different and separate answers/solutions, as you become more experienced you will learn what you are comfortable with or have confidence in. Set a trap each side of trail at one spot and set 5-12 at another spot and over time you will see what works best for you.
Personally, I don't trap with less than six traps nor more than four dozen out at a time, fewer aren't worth the effort and more can end up with too much skinning at once, again ymmv.

One would have to have an extremely high population to be putting in more than four sets at a spot. If you have at most, one pair of fox coming through per night, as is normal here, you quickly reach a point where you are wasting traps.

For those of you that put 2 or more out at one location do you always use different baits and lure or what?

I know whose picture that is

That's awesome

If fox are all you have, two traps per set is fine. And if fox are the primary target the set lo locations can be much closer to one another, given that fox use a smaller area than coyotes.

Using the term "canine" is ambiguous, just as using the term "predator set" is meaningless- all the animals we trap are predators with the exception of muskrat; yet setting for a least weasel and setting for a wolf , both predators, is far different.
Both wolves and swift fox are canines, but what works for one may be inadequate or over kill for the other.
We need to be more species specific in both questions and answers.

Am I correct in that there were 12 traps set and 11 coyotes caught?

Given the OP is from Indiana, I'm guessing he has coyotes and lots of them, so you're right, my comment probably does not apply at all.

So to be more clear, I'm setting for coyotes, red fox would be a bonus. Both areas I refer to are cut bean fields with 4 to 8 acre woods in typical open Midwest farmland. . I'm setting intersection , fence rows and corners, that all had sign . As an example, one corner of woods has a dirt hole set with a post set about 30 feet away, and a flat set 60 yds away where two fields meet, and another dirt hole set 200 yds away on a fence row. Same thing across the road. Another field/fence row has 4 sets all about 50 to 100 yds from each other.

That doesn't seem like over setting to me. Pretty much the same way I will do it. I also look to see if I can find the travel path onto property I have.

This is how I set a area. Also to set more then one trap in a area it also depends on how high there is of coyotes in the area also.Also I found that after you see what sets in that area produce ,you set the area next season and see if it keeps that way and if it dose you are set.I have a place just like that .

Just an opinion, but spreading traps out at 20-30-50 yards means that to me that all but one trap are off "the" location. Every habitat has one or two spots that are focal and should be the area of trap concentration.
I think that scattered sets allow each set to detract from the others, it divides the attention or distracts the target animals. After years of scattering my traps here and yon at "pretty good" spots, I have changed to putting them all (whether 2 or 10) about so far apart as have all the traps at a location within 10-12 yards, and making that location the only one within 500 yards. If the "focal" point is an intersection as most are any thing 30 yards away from the intersection is likely to be just a practice set, ime.

So when you go into an area for the first time how are you deciding the main focal point?