I’ll start off that i’ve yet to catch anything more than some fox toes in a FH. I came close to catching a fox and some coyote but frost and a lack of knowledge/wax dirt kept those traps under a crust of frost. I have permission to trap some fields that have a county ditch running through it. The ditch is about 10ft high and the water is usually 2-4ft deep. There is not much for cover other than a 5yd buffer strip. I’m nervous to set along it because there is s large chunk of public land nearby that gets a lot of traffic and anyone paying attention could see my catch. I’m missing out by not setting there. I’ve been pondering about putting my trap on a slide down into the ditch. Will that work? I’m unsure of how a k9 would take going down the steep ditch and being in water. I’m open to any suggestions. Thank you.

Check your mail box

I have some spots just like above. following

Is it possible to check your sets right at first light or just before?

I would check early like stated above. Not sure on the slide for a coyote. I’ve never had to consider it. I’ll have to think about that one and get back with you. Good luck

I love to trap edges of weedy ditches before freeze up. If early I use sliders to slide the catch off the open ground above and down over the bank into the ditch to hide them. Put em in the water if necessary too. Coyotes, fox, coon, they all slide well just anchor for the coyote and that covers the other creatures just fine.
Later when this is freeze up solid around here coyote and foz often travel right on the ice down in the ditch itself, and then just find the narrow spots and start snaring them. Anchor them down low in the ditch and they stay down out of sight after caught.
PM me if questions too, happy to share what I am doing for this type of terrain which is common around here late season after harvest.
Jim

Some days yes but it’s pretty hard with work schedules.

I also use slides to get them into a ditch(water or not)

I’m at a point where I’m good going where the coyotes are. Lose a trap or two so be it. This was one from vacation last year that Matt caught.

Why not try setting your sets and using long chains and heavy drags. The coyotes or fox will bring them to where they feel safe. Maybe just out of site of anybody. The slides I would think would need to be made out of some pretty heavy cable to with stand the torture a coyote would put it through. Maybe adding more than one swivel to the chains attached to the slide might help. Just a thought.

guys use either wire or rods to slide them outa sight

I use #2 chain on my sliders. Works very well. No kinks no frays, no breakage. Rerod works well too.

Out here it’s almost impossible to hid sets from the road unless you wanna walk a quarter mile. I’ve never had one stolen, and only one ever shot, and I still got that one cause I showed up right after they shot it. I was still mad about the softball sized hole in its chest though.

How far can a coyote pull a drag? I know of guys that use em in heavy wooded country but what about in open ag land? Do they leave a decent trail?

Depends on the drag used and the terrain. In a cut wheat field a coyote could go a long way. He’d hang up in the first cover he got to. If the ground isn’t real hard they leave a trail that isn’t too difficult to follow

How long do you make your sliders? Seems like chain can get fairly expensive if you make them long and use a lot of them.