I have been reading a good bit about how everyone is setting dirt holes and flat sets. The more i trap and read the more my questions get deeper into the details. Lately it has been brought up about setting traps in particular direction from the bait for wind. I am curious to get into this detail. Lets say for example i have a wind directly out of the west and I have the option to set my trap in any direction off from a bait location be it a dirt hole or flat set. What is the opinion of you all as to which side to set the trap. I am assuming there are varied answers and i wouldn't mind hearing them all. There are facts in differing opinions from both sides a lot of times.

Well If your setting a 2 track that runs east and west and the wind Is blowing from the north you want your trap on the north side of the road. So the critter will be down wind of your set.

Got ya on the set on which side of a trail i was thinking more along the lines of open field no other parameter than bait and trap. Do you set the trap on the lee ward or windward side? Or on north or south side of bait for a wind out of the west and why?

It is likely useless knowledge for my area as i have ranges directly North and south of me and daily my wind will change from easterly to westerly just from temp changes but I am always looking at tidbits of knowledge.

When I'm making a set in open area where the wind is changing directions, I put in 3 traps equally spaced around my set, so I'm set for whatever direction the animal comes in to my set from.

Try and set down wind. Critters don't move as In close order drill. If they smell an odor they may be interested In they will wander around until they find the source. And the only way they can do this Is to be down wind of the odor.
Just because the wind Is out of the west doesn't mean critter Is going to come In on bee line to that spot.
You talk about open areas this Is where eye appeal at your set comes Into play.

Then there are times when you should elevate your call lure. A lure down on the ground or In a hole isn't going to be dispersed as well as a elevated scent. If you elevate that lure It makes no difference where the critter Is they will smell It. That will get them Into range of your lured set and they can hone In on It. But you got to get em close to begin with.

I set based on our predominantly E/NE wind which blows probably 80% of the time.
On a 2 track running N/S I generally set everything on the East side.
On a 2 track running E/W I generally set everything on the NE side.
I want my scents blowing with the predominant wind to where I think the critters have the best chance of smelling it.
On dirt holes I want them most visible from the direction I believe the critter is coming from.
Pipe sets are set just where the critter can smell the best.
I try and set the middle of the 2 tracks when possible. I’ll use a pipe dream set and have traps set on both sides of the pipe. Rather “waste” a trap than set one and critters work it from the opposite side.
And with all that said, I’m still learning and following this.

In my own personal experimentation I have four separate sets that I have call lure raised in the air. Two are lured 30 feet away and two are 5 feet away. Two are on the west side of sets and two on the east side of sets. Beav i just started doing this as i noticed my call lure would lose its appeal as soon as it got covered in snow even a dusting. So i think I am on the page you are talking. This would be a great experiment if I was getting activity though. Everything went cold tracks and all about two weeks ago. Christmas day i moved half of my line to a new area with new sign to try and get back on them. So far it is stone cold. But an experiment none the less. I just really think there is something to this. I have noticed that no matter if a trail exists at all or not that animals trail into a set from a specific direction. The one coyote i have caught so far this year came into my set from the north two nights in a row even though my trail into the set was established from the south and the main traffic two track was also to the south of the set. He came in from a trail 100 yards north. The coyotes on the south trail never flinched a step when strolling by. Wind was out of the south both of those nights. Trap was set on the south side of the bait as i assumed the animal was coming in on my trail. Just observation from that one set. Most of my sets were set in location out of eye appeal to what i thought was a great location and not to scent or smell first which i now think is fundamentally wrong with my viewpoint. I think good trappers either think of smell first or instinct has brought them to this.

Reggie White was once asked in practice to demonstrate step by step how he performed his swim technique. He went through the motions and said well i just do this and get by the guy. It had been 20 years since he had ever even thought about why or how it just worked and not having to think about it made him a step ahead. I truly believe a lot of great trappers do this a lot and don't even know until asked in detail why. That is why I like the conversations like this one.

There's ways to ask the coyotes what they think if your looking for good answers. On the internet you will have to assume the answers you get are just opinion or theory till you prove it yourself on the animals.
Start by making some sets for a dog and see how the work a dirt hole with different alignments to the wind.

Dogs do not work a set like a coyote

Coyotes dont work a set like normal when they know a camera is there either, as in the Locklear videos.

Trapping coyotes, I use 2 sets, one up wind and 1 down wind. As air cools at night it moves in different directions. Coyote often run in pairs and I want both. When 1 is caught it becomes an attractor for others.

Ive made enough test sets with coyotes responding I have a far idea how they work a dirt hole. My not going to argue with anyone because it only matter what the coyotes do and and anyone that really wants to know can put in the work and find out for themselves. It will make you question a lot of what you read and see from "trappers".

The wind Is like a women you will never be able to tell what's It going to do.

The wind normally lays down at night but not always. A bump In the ground or a different elevation can get the wind to change direction or raise or lower.

To catch coyotes In numbers you have to be on LOCATION the coyotes will be there no matter how the wind blows.

Know your prevailing winds and make a few extra sets to cover the ever present minor wind changes.
I am a huge fan of gang setting for all species.

You always make at least 3 sets at most locations. But the location Is still the key.

Here's a few of my observations for my area. I never waste my time setting for a storm wind, which is the from the NE here. I used to but just doesn't produce enough to waste my energy doing so. You will hardly see any coyote movement the day of storm front here. Most hunting is done a day or two ahead of the front. All of my sets are set for the predominant wind for the winter season which is NW, W for my area. I always use a backing whether it be a cow chip, grass tuft, weed, or bush in a flat area with at least one smell (gland lure, urine, curiosity lure) outside of the hole if it's a dirt hole set to catch the air currents.

I did have a set this year that I set in front of a knoll about 3 feet high instead of in a flat area. I believe the air currents would make the scent swirl and the coyotes worked it from behind every time. I've had fox work the back side of set a lot when the wind was from the opposite direction but if the wind is moving in the right direction they'll be waiting for you. Folks, animals don't know or reason the front from the back. So the direction the air is moving the scent definitely has an affect on their approach. There was a study done showing that 9 out of 10 canines will approach a set from the down wind side. So yes, there are some that will for what ever reason approach from the back but it's best use the air in your favor. Some may say well the wind comes from all directions during the day. True, but know what direction the wind blows during night. The breeze will generally reduce during the night and be consistent. The heavier cool air will also keep the smell lower.

Notice I said approach from the down wind side. A very seasoned trapper and tester of scents notes that most of the time they approach from the down wind side, take a whiff of the smell and then proceed to step around to the back side. So if you missed on the approach this may explain why the back side is dug out if the animal is interested enough in the smell. It may just simply move on as well.

I was taught to ALWAYS set 2 traps on upwind side of trail and 1 set downwind, in case it changes.
You want the odors of your lure/bait to waft across their line of travel.