I’m new here so I’ll say hello, i want to start by providing a bit of background. I have been trapping for 4 years. Well taking it seriously for 4 years and I want to discuss issues I’m having on my coyote line. I run fully modified victor #3 soft catches and mb 650 rubber jaw traps. Mostly a dirt hole set with screen pan covers and wax dirt bedded with the dog to the hole. (Over the jaw I believe it’s called). I’ve used every bait and lure that is available and used home made taint out of various critters. I’m in New England and we have to use padded traps for ground sets and only get 2 months to catch. I’ve had all the problems everyone else has and more I’m sure but there are a few things that I can’t seem to overcome. First problem is issue number 1 : avoidance. With a short season starting in December I usually start to run my line mid November, making dirt holes and filling them with bait but not placing the trap yet. Those holes will get destroyed almost highly by all kinds of coyote cats and fox. Most times I even put a scoop of wax dirt right where the traps going to go just to get them more comfortable. As soon as I bed a trap I get avoidance. They might come back and check it out but nowhere near the level of commitment they showed just days before. Going off advice from an old timer who says my traps were dirty I have since cleaned them, again. Boiled out in logwood dried and then waxed. Still same issue. After Sometime I’ll get mild interest and even a few catches. 6 catches so far this year. Which is horrible for my own standard. So over thinking everything as I normally do, I have asked my only fellow coyote trapper I know for some help. He uses a leaf for a pan cover and peat moss with the trap bedded levers to the hole. (Through the jaws). And he has caught 27 coyotes this season. I’ve tried his method of placing a trap through the jaws with wax dirt and screen pan covers and though I still have issue #1 avoidance, whenever that set does go off the coyote has pulled out leaving only a small bit of fur in the jaws. I’m not sure if anyone can tell me about their sets or similar problems but overall I guess I’d like some advice on how they are detecting my trap. I’m looking for honest advice and have thick skin so please give it to me strait. Thanks for reading

Catch from yesterday

Welcome to Trapperman!

I can’t help with your problem but if you hit the space bar every once in a while, your post will be much easier to read! The way it is now, it all sort of blurs together, especially for older eyes.

Thanks

# 1 thing I had to learn was NOT to check out my sets walking up to them every day. Check them from as far as you can. You need to learn more set types. Most of mine are flat sets with a good lure.

The hair in a trap sounds like the trap may not have been bedded solid or not enough pan tension. Was the hair long or short? If long that can happen from rolling on the set and would be from the side or the back. The books of Charles Dobbins are great starter books and cheap as well. Land Sets and Trapping Techniques is only $12 and I think includes shipping. It would be money well spent.

quit pre baiting. your changing a location a coyote likes to visit with fresh dug dirt, trap smell and human smell. new stuff spooks coyotes. they are not coons. when your ready to catch coyotes go in and make a set. dont dawdle , dont walk all over, make your set and leave. fresh dirt, a hole, some interesting smell in the hole, some GOOD pee in the backing. your catch WILL go up. coyote finds something interesting, not scary.

if you want to prebait drag a road kill deer in or make a pile of beaver carcasses or shoot an old horse you can get cheap. when they start hitting the bait you can snare them back away from the bait pile. you need a lot of bait. they gorge themselves then run off to dig a hole and puke in it, 3-4 coyotes can clean up a deer in a couple days.

Thank you guys very much for your input. I’d like the info to keep comin so with that said, I only pre bait at a few spots and the avoidance issues seem to be on my whole line. If I pick up a new spot to trap during season I’ll set it and literally nothing for goin on 10 days now. Keeping in mind I trap Connecticut, spots are very small and high likely hood others try to catch these same canines, I do stay away from my sets as far as possible and most I check from the truck. I keep thinkin it’s some contaminate on my traps or the wax dirt is making them shy cuz my buddy ( who is a very seasoned and accomplished land trapper) uses peat moss and speed dip with Coleman white gas. No wax. I could possibly be over doing the dirt hole aswell, putting bait, lure and urine down almost every hole.

The pull out problem is what I believe to be , when the trap is set so the animal travels over the jaw, the trap will hold the pad preventing pull out. If it catches on the side of the leg, through the jaws then he can fight his way lose. I dispatched one yesterday and after I pulled as hard as I could and she wasn’t goin anywhere. I then reset the trap on the ground and stuck her other front foot in it going through the jaws and I was able to pull her out first tug.

I guess what my question would be is, my friend sets that way to avoid the lose jaw lifting the foot out of the trap if the animal short steps and just hits the pan with his toes. But how does it hold a coyote? Does anyone else use this method or train of thought when making placement? Thank you again for any and all responses.

no more prebait i think you made them sick what did youuse for bait ,they not digging out your trap so i think your traps are clean, i use victor#3 i bead it good them i use a trapper cap,then blend in and pack dirt good i use deer meat or beaver for coyotes i use carmens pro choice good for coyote,fox bobcat fisherect.good luck .

Sounding like you are making the set over loaded with smells. Keep in mind the difference between human and canine sense of smell. If you are on target with location it don't take much for them to work a set. When I do a flat set using lure I dip a small twig into the lure and what sticks to the twig is ALL I use. If using a bait in a dirthole no more then a teaspoon down the hole and make sure you don't get any above ground as that causes rolling at times.

Too much bait or lure and they can tell from a distance what is down the hole. No need to get close or work the set. I blend in 90% of my sets the other 10% are either big dirtholes or trench sets.

Highball; I think you are overthinking the foot between the jaws vs over the jaws issue. You are going to have trappers completely divided on this issue that are each very successful doing the trap placement both ways. Watch any number of coyote videos and you will see what I mean. I believe a coyote's foot will turn a bit between the jaws with all its lunging and jerking so that a between the jaws catch may end up looking like it has come in over the jaws; I have set both ways and they always seem to look like that at dispatch. I also believe a padded jaw trap or how your chain is attached to the trap; ie on the end of the spring vs center swiveled, etc may have an influence, but if you get a good full pad catch with a strong trap I don't believe there is going to be much difference. On the avoidance; how did you make your wax dirt, with artificial heat or solar? If artificial did dirt get scorched maybe?

Too much lure, or un natural looking set

I agree with Danny on pre-baiting .
Imo once works a set he might come by for look but his visit is the most intriguing to him just move over make another set would be advise also if already given.
Might try a flat set ,,,

Use one set of gloves for set making and a different set for baiting.

I really appreciate all the comments and answers. It’s reallt the only way I know how to learn. Kabguy, have you ever thought that a caught foot on a coyote appears over the jaw because those are the ones that get parked? I don’t believe that a animal foot can move if captured. Swivels make it so they can’t spin. How their foot appears is how you caught em.

I’m really going to take the advice of people who are honest and up front. Lures are sounding likely to be my issue aswell. Seeing as how nobody ever taught me how to trap coyotes, most of my knowledge is from tripping a lot and whatever I picked up on Utube. So sheep’s wool , rk predator plus , lure and urine on the backing is way to much? Got it.. what does everyone else put down the hole? Or do you use lure only on flat sets?

Forgot to add this in, I already use different gloves for baiting