I use a dollar store rubber kneeling pad. Wouldn’t leave home without it. It keeps your knees dry and does a great job of blending once you’re done. Everything gets carried to location one time, no back and forth to get this or that. I do wear gloves (except for baiting luring) bc I believe there is a difference between having your scent at a location and having direct human scent on an object you just placed there. I’ve seen the proof too often to believe otherwise. Break a limb off to clear a trail on your way to your deer stand with no gloves and then watch the reaction of the next deer that walks through. And it’s no secret deer don’t smell as well as canines. Nope, no chance of ever fooling a canine’s nose, but if taking just a few easy extra precautions can help even a little, why not do them?

Wade has a good point for us that trap coyotes around here. There are farm houses and acreages at least every mile and even every 1/2 mile around here. Farm equipment, a little trash blowing around here and there, our coyotes encounter human scent every single day and 99% of the time id wager what they encounter doesn't hurt them or cause a negative reaction so why would they be wary of it. While the odor could be offensive it probably doesn't hurt them. Ive got a doe and fawn that walk right long rhe little chain link fence around our septic lagoon. All the books would say deer wont go near that thing stinking like human excrement in its breakdown stages but ours do and fairly frequently too, within 5 to 10 feet of it. Doesnt hurt them, its common around here.

One of my best guaranteed a coyote or two each sesson spots is same little opening in field where the farmer gets out to take a whiz, ive watched him do it. The center of the road even has oil and other fluid drippings where his tractor idles while he steps out. My theory is neither odor there caused a negative reaction to a coyote and they seem to like both dirthole bait sets and post sets at that very spot...same as they do on the next farm along an open fencerow. Why would I chose to set where he (the farmer) pees and has fuel and oil drops? I don't know but I set i every year and I catch a few there every season like clockwork. I have no clue why, it defies everything I read not to do near a set.

Now...around here every truck that stops tends to shoot at coyotes standing in open...that id wager is a bigger fear factor for our coyotes.
Ive set with and without gloves. I do my best to have clean equipment and be quick and get in get out but I don't overly worry about it.
Jim

Every coyote has a threshold of human scent (or sight, or sound) it’s willing to accept as safe.

For some it’s a lot.

Others it’s very little.

Exploited populations versus un-exploited change this.

Population density changes this.

And a lot of other individual factors specific to individual coyotes.

Since my goal is to catch ALL the coyotes, and not knowing every coyote that may walk by my set, I take basic, common sense precautions at reducing and managing human intrusion at locations.

Dumb, bold, aggressive coyotes are easy to catch. But they aren’t all dumb, bold, and aggressive.

Just checked the game camera, no yotes, but I did have a fox come and take the squirrel, and then another fox checked out the hole. However what surprised me was a bear came into about 2 feet from where I took a leak, and hightailed it out of there, never knew for the size they could move so fast. So, I'm thinking maybe because the fox has very little to no contact with humans, human scent don't bother them. However, since bear season is in, the bear has had human contact of some kind.

Muskrats VS a barn rat ? If I can tell the difference a coyote sure could. A muskrat has a very distinctive odor more so then a barn rat or a cotton rat. I'm sure any kind of meat In the hole will catch coyotes but the muskrat stands alone when It comes to a powerful odor.

Beav. You maybe correct. But the Alabama coyotes in the cutovers I am trapping have NEVER Sean a muskrat. I see large rats in log piles all the time So that's why I buy muskrat meat from MB in 5 gallon buckets. I know nothing about muskrats Only that the muskrat bait I buy is runny and goes slippery down a small punch hole. And catches coyotes here. I was questing. A rat is a rat. But if you say muskrats are Way different. I will believe you.

Perfectly put...

You will NEVER convince a coyote you weren't there now matter how fast you make a set, even if ya wear a wet suit and a mask. But, it pays off to have clean equipment and clean about yourself. The population is low here compared to other parts of the world. If I don't catch as many as possible that come to a set then my catch suffers big time. It's not how many you catch, it's how many more could you have caught..

Boy,I can't argue with any of that,either.

X2, here as well!

If making a blind trail set it's possible to come in from the side, place descented trap and drag with a pole, and push a few grass strands atop the trap. I consider that like using an AR to kill a mouse.

More knowledge right there. Where you stand when you make a set will have a affect on some coyotes, not all but some.

this sums it up pretty well

Yep, I agree with what Boone Liane said.
I don't see too much avoidance on my lines.
I feed them with bait piles all over. They hope they smell me. . .

The key to great success IMO.

Your body is constantly sheading dead skin particles that canines probably have no difficulty smelling. Depending on the weather and the length of time that has transpired, they most likely know you've been there whether you wear gloves or not.

I don’t need to convince them I wasn’t there.

I need to convince them it’s safe regardless that I was there.

If scent was that much of a factor it would be impossible to catch summertime coyotes...especially down South.

I think I read somewhere that = Human Scent molicules disapates quicker in hot and humid weather quicker than other types of weather

Or provide enough attraction that it out weighs their caution.