With 14" on the ground for the opening day of cable restraint season, my question is, how will this affect coyote travel throughout the winter. Last year, we had very little snow and the coyotes ran all over the place and covered a lot of ground. I'm hoping to start setting this week. It will be interesting to see what happens this year!!!

I am hopping on this string as well to ask basically the same thing except I am just setting traps. Been watching sign for two months through pheasant season and the day pheasant season was up i got a foot of snow lol. I am thinking well hoping anywyas that the wandering sets of tracks will kind of calm down and the main traffic ways will become more used. For example mostly traveling two tracks and not just wandering through the snow in the middle of nothing as much. That is what i think is going to happen but i am curious as to what folks a lot more in tune would think. I set a dozen on my initial thought and am thinking i am doing the right thing.

Here in the U.P.of Michigan I find a lot of aimless wandering.Big baits can do wonders this time of year.

I agree with the big baits. Coyotes have a tendency to trail up a little better with more snow. Just keep your fingers crossed we don't get a good crust on it. That would change everything.

Coyotes, much like humans, are lazy. They will always take the easiest path unless there’s something they really want.

14 inches........Quit whinning
you need 4 feet deep for a little action

In my opinion for what it is worth, wandering means hunting, there are always trails they use to get to and from or through bad areas. Find and set those with cables. A lot of these are places a trap won't work well for one reason or another.

Coyotes will follow the food. The food moves into cover where the snow is lesser. So into the pine thickets, swamps, etc

Make tracks and use it to your advantage... All animals will take a path if it is available, unless they have good reason to avoid it. Sled, snowshoes, whatever works to get through the snow and pack it down a little will invite everything to follow your path. So lead them along places that would work well for cables, from cover to cover and to likely food sources of bait and take advantage of the possibilities.

Thicker cover and tall weeds . Old sunflowers ' pigweed , kisha, ditch weed are all good spots for snares . They like hunting in them and trails are very easy to find with snow on the ground.

How are you guys clearing areas for your sets? For example I have a foot plus of snow and a dozen dirt holes and flat sets mixed. I cleared just the set area and not much more at all just leaving my tracks in and out. curious if folks clear a 5 foot radius or something like that. Snow has a crust on it now so drifting back full is less likely. Usually i just pull traps in the snow like this and set snares but i have zero snares right now and my itch to continue trapping will not allow me to just watch.

Can you drive to your locations? If so back up to some cover with your truck and do a burn out . Know make your sets at the back end of that burn out.
If It were me I'd put away the foot holds and start hanging cable.

I am driving my rhino or truck to them yeah. I ordered some snares and plan on setting some out. Just curious on what the guys still setting are doing. I know historically i would have pulled everything already.