I bought a Duke foot trap for a coyote I have hanging around. It's got about a 6" chain, but what's the best place to secure that chain to? A longer chain secured to a tree?

If you stake solid keep the chain short,around 12 inches.
If you attach the trap to a clog or drag use a long chain,6 to 10 feet.

What does Va law say?
Did ya buy stakes to stake in place?
Use welded chain, never twisted dog chain or yotes can open it up.
In NC if our chain is over 8" we must have a shock spring.
hope this helps ya some.

I've PM'd cotton to look for this post, he is an old pro from VA.

Also, do you go to the vatrappers talk forum?

i am changing all my land traps to use the bullet stakes.
buying the ones that come with the chain on em and s-hooks welded, i put a crunch proof swivel at the end and hook to my trap chain.

thank you all for your replies. I see mention of buying stakes. Well, I just ordered some. I watched this video and at the end the trapper showed the stakes he uses. They look simple enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw1Ed8prkRc

I ordered some https://amzn.to/2YG7sTf

anyone use these?

not sure if I should invest in one of those trap poundage testers??

here is the coyote that I have hanging around. Camera also caught a smaller yote.

Berkshires work pretty good.

Just a little tip, never buy trapping supplies from amazon. If you have Prime, you might save a bit on shipping but most of the supplies there are sold by third party vendors. The third party vendors are charged a good percentage so if you check the seller's website you can save money.

You can make your own tester with a dowel rod and water filled peanut butter jars. The 16 oz jars are 1 lb of water, the 32 are 2lbs. Set the jars on the dowel rod, if the trap fires, its under that poundage. Put both jars on top of each other for 3lbs.

If you bought the same trap as seen in the video , then you will need to replace the chain and j- rivet .

Agree and I would also replace the Duke pan screw with a #10 brass one with washer.

Good luck in catching that coyote.
What size of that one duke foot trap did you buy? (Number will be stamped on the pan).
There are lots of good tips on this forum for anchoring, different sets you can make for coyotes, what attractors to use, baits, lures, bedding that trap, locations, etc. Just search the posts and archives.
Be patient too. One trap, to catch the one or two coyotes you've seen on your trail cam pics, should be a fun challenge. They are not like coons, coons spend their time sticking to a few trails and everything they do in tight range between den, food, water, and back to den. Coyotes cover bigger territory and travel more generally in that territory. Find a good location and set it up, then just Be patient.
Good rule of thumb is to stake more solidly than you think you will need. Coyotes can be hard on equipment and will test anchoring systems
Anchor for an elephant was what I was told when I first started out. Good advice.
Let us know how you do.
Jim

#3cs with rubber jaws

Trx can you post a close up picture of the chain and j rivet ?