Last season I trapped on a old reclaimed strip mine. It's just a shade over 4,000 acres . It's broken up crops, some woods,thick brush and obviously strip cuts. There is a old haul road all the way around and several places it cuts across. Motorized vehicles are not allowed and some of the best set locations are a long way from the truck. The haul road is somewhere around 20'-30' wide but has pretty much been reduced to a two track .

To trap here is very time consuming because I have to walk it all. When I'm trapping I prefer to be able to check most of my traps at 45 mph so I can cover more ground. As you can imagine this place is loaded with coyotes and as you probably guessed the haul road is a super highway for them.

Here is my problem.

It would be easier to bed a trap in solid granite than in the haul road I tried setting off to the sides, keeping prevailing wind in mind when setting every trap,but once in awhile setting the other side of the road too. Big flashy dirt holes,flat sets and anything else in between. I tried loud call lure,gland and food lure. In 14 days there i managed to catch a possum or two, several big bore coons and one coyote. There was new coyote sign every day but I was not and could not set where a trap needs to be.

I only want to hit these edges and catch the gravy and move on.

Any suggestions ?

Snares if they're legal would be a great option. Light to carry and no bed to make

^^^^^^^^^^

Wait till the snow flies and hang some cable.

I would Be riding a bicycle and towing a little trailer for starters. Then would hopefully Have the time and energy to Make sets on side trails and roads.

So how are the crops harvested If motorized vehicles aren't allowed. If you can't find away around that Issue get on your bicycle and get one of those kid trailers and hook It on the back.

Pour some fryer grease in a hole or on the ground with bacon grease added to create a spot they will spend time at, close to mentioned 2 track. Make them come to you.. Use flat sets and urine sets on the travel corridors..

The only place they are traveling is on the solid road. Of course I can walk literally a mile and a half and it opens up more but it takes way to much time to get there. I want the easy ones and get on down the road.

I walk into several places I cant drive to, couple are 3/4 mile in and then back out. Setting day one is a pain to carry equipment in. I stash clean milk jugs with lids and filled with waxed dirt ahead of season at my locations. Pit them 10 to 15 feet near wherever I'm putting in sets, and always set more than one trap per location. The stashed waxed dirt is for remakes.
When I check I carry bait and lure in pockets of an old bird hunting vest, ply some pan covers or under pan material, and my gun. I also have 2 or three old shoe laces I carry in my pocket...you can tie four coyote feet together and carry them.easier with feet up body down like a suitcase.
Then...get in shape. A quick walking pace for me is anywhere from 15 to 18 minutes per mile depending on terrain. It's not that long. Get a good headlight, I have a rifle sling for my 10/22 and extra 10 shot clip in my pocket. It's not a lot of equipment to carry at all when checking and the exercise does me.good. i bet i have 6 or 7 spots i have to walk in like that. I like it, its quiet, quick, nobody steal my traps if they cant drive to them, and i can see way more sign from my feet than i can from my truck. Go have fun!! PM me if you want some more tips on coyote trapping on foot.
Jim

Pick axe your trap beds now. Fill them with peat for now. If you are going to stake instead of drag, put them in now. Flat sets. Same thing I do for many winter sets up here. When frost goes feet down and it is -20 F or worse, a pick axe won't even cut it.

Set locations for canines you can check only by binoculars are a blessing no matter if it is a foot line or a truck line. Keep in mind if you have to walk to it every day that means you are catching. Personally I would prep spots on a rise smack dab in in the middle of that two track.

Bait stations where it is convenient for you. They’ll adjust their travel patterns if you are supplying the food.

Bait stations also attract non targets.
If It were me I would find adjacent land around this site and trap those areas.

My suggestion is to set snares also if legal in your state it doesn't get much lighter than that or easy to carry.

I would figure out where they entered and left ,,,set there on many location as it took be done with it.
Disclaimer in my country 4000 acres would not support a family of coyotes long but it might in your country.
My point is ,,,,they are going to move sooner or later.
Use the time it takes to walk in walk out ,,,, set up other places that require less time and cover more country and set more country up.

Communist Illinois the only snares allowed are for beaver and half the loop must be underwater. I have asked our trapping association president what the chances of getting some form of cable approved and he said they try but get no where with the polititians.

Good point red mt around here they would do quite well with that kind of land space. Maybe not so much out there.
Jim

We are really really close to cable restraints. A friend of mine is on the board and they are working on it.

I have absolutely no luck with coyotes if I have to walk to a set to check it. Find a place you can set and then check with binoculars.

Take the advice of others trap around the place for coyotes, coon don’t care if you walk up to the set . Put in enough effort to catch the coon and a few easy coyotes along the way while figuring out where the coyotes come and go .

I keep an eye out on trash day and look for drag behind golf carts and baby buggy's. I use them for trapping and schlepping fishing gear "waaay back in there'.