I believe coyote are seeing my cable restraints. The tracks will be like 5 to 10 feet from the cable and then just turn off the trail. Most of these trails are branching off from a 4 wheeler path and the cables are set 15-20 feet off the 4 wheeler path. All of my cables have been boiled in baking soda. Is there anything I can do or do I just have some smart coyotes?

You have regular intelligent of coyote. Hide the cable as good as you can, keep track to a minimum entering from side not on trail, put them on a downhill part of trail if possible. Just a few things to try.

How many do you have out and how big is the area? Are you sure they are seeing it? What about their sniffers?

Are you walking right up to the snare when checking and then turning around, if so you need to step over and continue past it for 10 yards or so then turn back.

Make sure you're walking through your sets or setting from the side, when CR's were first legal in Wisconsin, I had refusals when I stopped to make the set and then exited on the same path I walked in on. Typically, I make a path in prairie grasses with the ATV first and I set right in the tire tracks, staggering sets about 30 yards apart, you can use the grass to slightly break the outline if desired.

I believe it’s just part of the game, I don’t think they see the snare so much as just know something is different. I find it effective if you can backtrack the trail and set 1 or more additional snares. I spend a lot of time in the cat tails and sometimes it seems you can chase them and chase them but certain individual animals just will not walk through a snare. . I never walk on the trail, in my experience it reduces your chances immensely. I also believe the longer you stay away from the location after they are set the better luck you will have .

I set everything standing on the trail. All of these have been set sense dec 26th and I check every from the 4 wheeler so I don’t think they are smelling anything but I could be wrong.

After I posted I see restraints are used and not kill snares so I suppose you have to check them quite often .

I also have jump sticks on these. I kinda think they me be seeing the random stick on the trail and then picking the rest out from there.

Yes walking on the trail for most snaremen seems to be the norm. Don’t know why it makes such a big difference in different areas. I always set my in and out trail when in cattails and catch the odd one on my trail but it always takes time. When I get up a lot of avoidance, just staying away from the location completely seems to increase my catch . In your situation I don’t think my comments are much help .

This^^^

Stay out of the trail, do you think yotes are stupid? if you were traveling through the area and walking a trail, it wouldn't send up a red flag, but trappers don't do that. they get on a trail, set a snare, walk a few yards and do it again. Like was said, set from the sid, minimum disturbance, and brush out tracks in the snow. I'll say it again, stay off the trails!

Another thing is the moonlight. Especially with larger cable. Here lately with the full moon, they can see everything....and notice everything. Snaring during the full moon, always slows down, except on dark cloudy nights. Stay in or on your vehickle to check, and use binoculars and check from as far as it takes to be able to see the loop. The vehicle tracks don't put yotes on alert like someone out farting arouund in their territory that they know like you know your own house! Good luck!

^^^^^^^^ This

Listen to what Lee said It's spot on and there Is no reason to walk In the trail.

Hang some flagging close to the cable. When checking stay as far away as possible. If the flagging Is down the you have made a catch. Go In every 4 days or so to see if you have had a knock down. Several snares In a trail will give you more options If you do have a knock down on one snare.

I agree with janzman it being part of fhe game. I don't think they're seeing smelling anything. I think they just know when there's another presence there and they can tell something isn't right.

Forget the jump sticks. IMO that's your main problem.

Yep, I think the coyotes are picking out the jump sticks. They don't like to walk under anything if they don't have to so they often go around it.

I’m going to pull the jump sticks and see if that helps. Also do you like to neck down the trail as much a possible or leave it more open and how it naturally was?

Agree.Probably a big part of it.

Leave it as natural as possible. Blocking or fencing IMHO is a no/no unless very subtle like blade of grass or a small twig or branch that appears to have fallen in place.

Lee I dont do very much snaring but have a question on coyote avoidance in general. If a coyote's "warning system" is alerted to an area where a snare was hung either from the small amount of human odor left when setting the snare or by noticing something not right visually do you think the average coyote will have his alert on guard enough that it would be hard to catch that individual at that set say in the next two weeks?