That right there is a serious bit of good info.
Good hearing from you, nooksack.

So would you say in that situation don't put in anything to narrow it down? Just let it hang out in the open?

I've had some success snaring coyotes and bobcats back in MN. But the trails they use are smaller and more brushy. And, I have had some success guiding them with a stick or two. To be honest, I'm setting snares on wolf sign - usually places where they have been more than once - but I am having trouble just leaving that big loop there plain as can be. Something in me wants to guide them a bit, narrow the opening, or camouflage them a bit. Perhaps this is all wrong.

So do I just leave them out in the open? Or look for narrower spots and only trap there?

Just me: a coyote seems to notice the smallest change. Wolves, I don't know. Coyotes are ALWAYS suspicious. I trapped them hard when I was young, in central Oregon. After a couple of years defeating myself, I got better.
With canines, they know you are there, period. It's when they know you are up to no good that the challenges arise

Yes don't add anything so obvious. Subtle small branches or a small twigs etc. Look at the ground and see where a K9 will put his feet then center the loop above that. If you are snaring a bait a lot of the snares are just filling the gaps and will catch if animals are frantic as one of the leaders is caught so those don't need to be perfect.

I had a really enjoyable day on the line yesterday. Went early, stayed late. I worked so intensely that I completely forgot to take photos to add, as I know they make the journal so much more interesting.

Essentially, I followed advice given by those who trap wolves on here. I had snares that were too close to the bait. I pulled 17 of them, and moved them further back. Most on trails 100 yards away or more. I had a half dozen other snares that I hung.

I also put in a half dozen foot hold traps. Two of them went in as "blind sets" in the thick spruce forest, on an open trail that the wolves have been using regularly when they come through. I put them in a place where they step over a log and keep putting their foot in the same place. I chopped out the frozen ground to make a trap bed, filled in with moss and dry leaves, and sprinkled in snow. I think it looked pretty good. Another one went in the open - in a spot where the wolves have been jumping over a small creek from the bank, to a big log, to the other side. There is a place where they put their feet regularly to "launch" themselves to the log. This one was tricky, and will be most susceptible to freeze up. The other three, I put in small creeks with running fresh water, with bait. These are in spots where thick spruce trees have fallen across, and I can force them a bit, naturally.

Two of the footholds are MB 750. I see mixed reviews on them. Some say they are a favorite. Others say the springs are not strong enough and they don't hold. I've never used them before - so I am testing. I got trap setters with mine, and they work great, but not on other brands. I also got two of the "NO BS" wolf traps based on recommendation from Alaska Viking. I had to set them the old fashioned way. And, I got two of the Alaska #9 from our old buddy JR. He has a video on his journal where he jumps up and lands on the trap to set it in his garage. I got a kick out of that. I do the same thing - except I get a run at it. Not really, but if I can get on some kind of a hump and be next to a good sized tree to steady myself, that definitely helps. Alaska #9 seems to have the most powerful springs as it was the hardest to set the first go around. That tells me something. Like anything, I will get better with practice. When I get the springs rotated, it helps to be able to shuffle my feet onto the jaws themselves, so that I can bend over and set the thing.

I don't think I've ever caught a canine in a foothold (I am more of a snare man), but I am ready to learn. So it will be fun when I do. Notice I said "when."

Other than that, I baited things up good. And, I adjusted all of the snares that I had out. Mostly for height, and I took out all of the blocking and forcing that I had done previously, and left them out in the open (even though it went against my instincts) - and simply centered them up above the wolf tracks and hopefully they take care of the rest!

Thanks to all for the tips and the PM's. Since my line is strictly in one spot now, and since I spent so much time there yesterday - I am going to let it soak now for awhile. Send some good vibes to "my wolves" - that they come through before my next check, and that I can score before March is done!

Just a thought..........not sure how you are doing this but I have ALWAYS found that canines where I have trapped are very skittish if you walk in their trail. I always set my snares from the side.

I am doing that as much as I can - but sometimes, the trail is not so obvious because the snow has melted. Also, I am canvasing an area the size of three or four football fields, so hard to see how I can go in and do that without some impact. Everything I do is on foot. There is no people trail to work from. No ATV or snowmobile.

Hopefully the scent decreases with time, and better yet, we get a little snow to cover things up a bit. If I can just hook one, I think the rest will mill around. But there is one lone wolf that is hanging around the most - and he is the one I am really hoping to get. I spent a ton of time tracking him yesterday, trying to figure out what he does, and where.

I guess I did take one photo yesterday. This is an example of what he does, and where. One set of tracks. I set on some of these, but I tried to actually set where he had been two or three times. I have several of them that I am pretty excited about.

This was him going through once, in a spot about 200 yards from the bait. Seemed like a good natural spot for a snare. If he uses that trail again, he's toast (I hope)!

Just to be clear, I have zero experience with the NO BS wolf traps. Just the canine extremes, for wolverine, and am a big fan.
For wolf traps, I defer to others.

From my experience the #9 is king. The Koro wolf trap is second. My third choice is SC 4.5 which I use primarily in sets that will have salt water on them.
Size does matter as does,spring strength. The #9 is more resistant to freezing down than the Koro. Without having handled a No BS Wolf trap I can only compare them to the K9 Extreme. Every dogless trap seems to be more prone to being frozen down than a trap using a pan and dog.

How high is the bottom of your loop there? From that picture, using the alder sprigs as a gauge, it looks to be 4-8” off of the snow.

WH. Um,..... re:do. Wolves=knee-high to the BOTTON of the loop.
Some places just can't be set, perfectly.
If you can't do it perfect for canines, din't do it.
I suffer this situation.

Relax guys. It's higher than it looks. In the photo, I am looking down on it. I'm setting them knee high. Sometimes slightly less depending on where they are putting their feet.

There's no way I would put one 4-8 inches off the ground! I don't even do that for coyote or bobcat.

Good luck

See photo of MB750. I was slumming one of them at a set, when I pulled some stuff yesterday it was frozen down hard. You can see the trigger and jaw "arms" disengaged and the trap not firing. Took a bit of a jolt to fire it. Would have been a definite miss on a wolf. When they work they are great, plenty strong to hold a wolf and more gentle than a 9. But when they don't work they really irritate you.

I'm giving them a test! I have one in the spruce forest and one in the open snow. I didn't bury either in snow so they should work if given the chance. Its a big-(This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) trap!

What is SC?

I have two of these. They are in the water where I know they will stay working. Its an experiment...

Sleep Creek traps. They seem like good beefy traps.

Never heard of. Will have to check that out. Thanks.

Ok. I'm letting traps soak. I've got the day off mostly. Bored and need something to do.

All this talk of gun control has me feeling rebellious. Kind of a "shove it" moment, actually. Think I will team up with Family Trapper and go buy a gun!!!

I can think of a few I NEED. A multitude that I WANT. I'm gonna go and see how it shakes out....

We will see how "purchase friendly" Alaska is. I've never purchased here before.