Everyone,
While I seem to have little trouble catching coyotes in every other type of set, I have trouble with a post set. I never use an actual post, tuff of grass, couple little twigs, or a bail of hay. I set the trap out about 8" from where I put the urine and sometimes another smell on the backer. I miss more than I catch. Never had an issue with foxes at 6" out from backer. Advice please. Thanks.

Hmmm this is one of our more productive sets, especially right after rifle deer season. Seems like the territorial angle on pee posts really works well this time of year here. Lots of gut piles around to eat, but they are definitely interested in knowing what other coyotes moved in area to work their food claims.

Posts dont have to be big, so what you mention you are using should be just fine. 8 to 10 is about all I set back from the post, too.

Location of course matters. Put post sets right where they travel and where they would normally mark too.

Then I think only other important piece I learned was from Charlie dobbins land trapping book. Use dry bedding material and remove the fresh dug bed dirt and either fling that away or make a small mound a few places nearby with that fresh dirt. He reasoned coyotes and foxes dont dig where they mark they just mark. Fresh dirt usually is associated with food like a dirthole, mouse or gopher digging, etc. So he bedded with dry material and moved that fresh dirt away or nake a small mound with it nearby. He called the mound something of a way to short change their nose. Blend in the trap well too. A the focus should be on your post and not the trap or bed.

Also, you have to look ar what is easiest side of the post for a coyote to pee on. They could work the backside of a grass clump and not side with a trap. Shove a few weed stems on backside...subtle only but enough to make the trap side the best side to step up and hike a rear leg to mark over your post.

I dont do as well here on coyotes if I use coyote pee. No clue why. But fox, bobcat, mink pee all work great for me. Maybe my coyotes are weird here, who knows. Same with gland lure. Fox, bobcat, or mink work better for me than coyote gland for some reason. I checked a lot of empty post sets before I started trying different attractors. Found what works for me now. I also love a smear of beaver castor on post sets. That stuff works well even way out so far from creeks that no beaver in it's right mind would be that far out...but it works for me.

Keep trying some combos...hopefully you will find something that works for you.

Solid advice.

Mac

Thanks for the tips

6-8 inches out, six -8" to the side, turd on spring lever for foot guide

This is what my mentor did and he was awfully good at catching them. The offset was important to him, never straight out front.

Osky

never had any luck with post set either. Your caster or gland lure at the base of post or up a little off the ground.

Lure, and gland lure go off, back from one end of the trap, the turd goes on the other, a weed stick 4-5" long or small stone can be used on opposite side of trap, outside to guide foot also, a 3-4" deep trench on lure end will guide foot to pan too

I caught 2/3+ of my foot hold catches this year in territorial flats sets, which are about the same as pee post sets, others were in dirt hole sets

Having good luck with just a corn cob sticking up with some gland lure and a turd for a jaw guide.

I tried corncobs for lure holders here but they were to attractive to crows here.

Interesting have not had that problem in SD. More problems with Turkeys being attracted to fresh dirt when setting after a snow.

Oops

Showing my ignorance here, but “post set” doesn’t necessarily have to be a post does it? We burn every Spring and I’ll gather up old charred logs or odd stumps and use them as backing and call that a “post set”...or is that something completely different.
And while reading this, something finally clicked. I had a set where my trap was dead center on one side with small limbs on the back side to keep the approach to the front. I never made a catch until I moved the log farther away which would put my trap way off center, like almost towards the end of the log but not right next to it. Ended up with a cat, then a coyote. After the cat, I had reset in exact spot, but moved the log to the edge of the catch circle.

Thanks guys. I will offset after this and use a coyote turd on spring lever. We'll see how that works, I'm sure better.

I have found that urine posts are more productive when coyotes are more competitive, which can mean they had productive litters, or you're on a transition locale. If they are working, sometimes it may be set construction, but when I used to do more on "your" line instruction, I'd be standing in a farm field thinking... "We're not on good location right here."

When coyotes are transitioning, they are usually more apt to put their noses on smells, and thus all your sets connect better.

I use a good squirt of red fox P often (Michigan, IL, Iowa, IN, WI), coyote P in some areas where my notes tell me it outproduces (Nebraska and Oklahoma as an example) and Bobcat P (Texas) in some regions. I then add 4-6 drops of Smokey Post to where I want them to stick their nose, which helps me line up the trap pan positioning.

Some years and some locations, they're deadly. Some years and some locations I can't catch a cold on them. I start with a few and see how it goes.

Good trapping!
Mark

Has anybody ever added used smoking chips to urine. I know about using the charcoal as a holder but what about adding some to the urine for added smells? And if so which flavor? Hickory, mesquite, cherry, apple

One thing that works good for me, take yellow snow from a catch, wet pee dirt and use that as your urine at post, there's times I got another local one that way

I wonder if corn cobs not being common here has something to do with it? I wasn't using them any where near a corn field.

That will give your jerky a unique flavour,no doubt.