What length are you guys running for coyote. I am new to trapping this year and I am doing my prep work. I had some that were about 12" and did the pull test. They held good but I could pull them by hand. Made some 20" and I could not pull them out by hand. What lengths for coyote do you use? SW Minnesota black dirt, not normally rocky

That really depends on your soil. Take mine rocks galore. You're never sure if a piece of rebar will sync all the way. Vs using a wolf Fang I can run it 12 in and never even wonder if it's going to pull out it's stuck. But say you're in soft sand or soft soil of any kind. You may end up running 24 in or more.

I trap a lot of sandy areas here in Michigan and I make all my mine 18 to 20" long and the only 2 that did not stay in the ground were dug up by badgers.

ok, thanks. My 20" should be good then. Do you guys dip/dye/wax the anchors and cable also to help protect?

Being in Minnesota, I'd imagine that your trapping conditions might be similar to ND in regards to weather, soil, etc. A lot depends on when you are trapping. In the dead of winter you aren't going to be able to get a berkshire in to the ground in most spots so length is kind of irrelevant, unless you drill a pilot hole (which is a lot of abuse on equipment and you need to power it in sub zero weather).

However, early in the year before the ground turns to concrete you will likely need close to those 20 inches as your testing has revealed. But later in the year, you could easily use only a foot where the ground is froze up solid. There are times I might only get a wolf fang in as little as 6 inches and there's not a chance that anchor is ever coming out until the ground thaws, but make sure to watch out for a warm spell. It would take a whole lot of energy and wasted time to sit and beat on my driver until I got the thing in any further and it wouldn't make a difference.

As far as dipping and dying the anchor. I would highly recommend that you not dye the cable as I believe it will cause the cable to dry out faster and result in cracking, which you don't want. There is some oil in the cable, and that is your friend. Could you dip it in wax? Sure, but not necessary.

15 inches for land, and i go 30 inches for water trapping.

Been running mine at 16"-18" but have a few that are longer for sandy soil. Our soils vary so much that it is difficult to say one size fits all but when in doubt, go longer. Am trying a few chains this year as you don't have to deal with the cable ends sticking up if you don't have to drive them as deep.