Okay -- 3 days ago I set out 4 traps (mb 650 os) and 4 snares on approx 60 acres. no activity the first day ( not surprising in my area) , didn't check the next (48 hr legal) and checked this morning. None of the snares were touched -- no surprise as they were on normal fence crawl unders - unknown how often they are used. Of the 4 footholds - 2 had prints all over the pan ( tension too high i presume) 1 had the wool wad pulled out of the dirt hole and the other was tripped and at the end of the (short ) chain. For a little history - I had several vic #3 offsets that I had used for several years and was having way too many tripped traps, but I was attributing that to the old week springs and the fact that they are mudded in most of the time. To combat the clay/mud issues I have gone to using batt insulation under the pan and dry dirt sifted over it (not waxed). The weather has not been freezing nor raining ( I 've learned my timing has a great impact on keeping functional traps) . The one that was tripped could not have been deer (easy to see) . My concern is not with the ones that had prints on the pan that didn't go off (easy fix) it is with the misses - how many misses should you expect to each one caught? I have tried changing my offset and spacing all over the place ,but can't seem to get away from the misses ------- what am I doing wrong?

How do you know it was not deer?If a coyote steps in 650 it should be their or at the very least have a good catch circle if toe caught.

Anyone who uses 650's knows that the pan tension can get to high if not checked and corrected. If that is checked and ok, are these offset jaws? Do you have coons anywhere near where you are trapping? They can pull that skinny foot out of an offset jaw trap.

Easy area to see prints and not a place to find deer (characteristically) in that area. That is the whole reason that I got the 650's ( take the trap out of the equation) . Not my first incidences with the 650's or the #3's --- I know that it is me - just trying to figure out what. I set a few of the 650's E. of the mountains about elk season and had tripped ones as well -- not just the mud. I usually cover with 3/8 - 1/2 inch of dirt and I think that I am bedding firmly.

Yes lots of coons in this area -- but the prints are coyote clean and identifiable. The pan tension was obviously an issue on 2 of them , but I have been experiencing way too many misses not just on these 60 acres but everywhere I set. I am primarily a water trapper and hate everything to do with coyotes but I trap them because I have to ( raise sheep) . The ones that I chase when I go east for hunting are at least worth something -- I usually get about 10$ out of my rubbed mud dogs.There is not much disturbance (if any) it is either snapped in the bed or at the end of the chain with little/ no signs of struggle.

Sounds like deer to me

Bob...its not deer. We live in the mud here in W. Oregon and deer leave very easy to spot tracks wherever they go.

H20, if it means anything I hear you. I'm also a water trapper--- challenged at land trapping. I usually end up figuring that my sprung trap issues are the pan tension too loose or trap not solidly bedded. Finally, I try to leave a berry briar or something as a step over to get that foot landing where I want it.

Could be maybe they are rolling at the set. Usually if its not deer my next guess is rolling if spung traps are happening with any kind of frequency. Especially if they are still in their bed... just a thought. Lure choice, lure presentation and set type can play a role in this...

I have tried too loose a pan tension and obviously this time my tension was too much( guess i need a 3lb sledge and not a 5 for a test) . Of the 2 that weren't tripped but had tracks all over one had a print dead center over the center of the pan. I think that I am bedding them well (they don't rock or move) this time I even took my hammer and compacted the bottom of the bed to make it a little more stable. I do try to fence them in a little and have noticed that that helps my percentage of "tripped " traps. One other thing that I have been contemplating is my dirt hole construction. I noticed that they aren't having to work very hard to get my wool plug out and commonly the hole shows little "digging" . The water table commonly limits how deep I can make it but I go as deep as I can. I know it's got to be something simple and stupid that I am doing to have so many misses.

Kind of sounds like rolling to me too, but that only happens 1/100+- sets for me. So pretty rare. I'd guide your sets more like mentioned above. Tight to the jaws.

If the bait or lure is on the wool and they are getting it out of the hole too easy(not getting caught) they might be rolling a little more frequently than normal.

I don't "think' it is rolling - especially not after the 2 traps today had plain prints easy to see in the pattern. I have tried a couple different commercial lure offerings and have also used butcher scraps in various forms and stages of taint. A year ago I put in a couple of blind trail sets and had the same occur - tripped and no results, but those could have been deer (bad area to see tracks)

H2O, I was having several issues earlier this season with dig outs and misses. One thing that was happening is when I bedded the trap using polyfill under the pan, I was getting too much dirt under the edge of the pan. It would lock up the pan and not allow it to drop. Don’t know if that may be part of your issue?

Personally i don't use much wool. Their nose will tell them more of whats down a hole in the dark than there eyes. If you need to use wool dont put the bait or lure on it just for this reason . Much too easy for them to get the wool out

I will definately change that up a little because my "normal " routiine is to scoop out of the bait container with the wool and then stuff it down the hole. Could I be putting too much cover dirt over the traps?

I personally like at least a 1/2 dirt on my traps especially with 3 size traps. But thats just me

Because of my usuall mud environment -- my insulation bat fills as much of the inside of the jaws as I can, my thoughts are that the least dirt contact with the jaws, the less chances of it getting sealed to the mud.

I will try not baiting the wool and maybe 1-2 without any -- I have been using 3/8 - 1/2 inch of dirt for cover - but have been thinking about going less due to our mud issues.

If you’re not getting dug out I would say you don’t have a serious trap bedding problem. If a coyote feels something with his feet he will dig/scratch at it. If he smells something that he likes he will dig/scratch/roll on it/pee on it. How long he does any of those things ..... who knows.

I had a couple of dig-outs when I was experimenting with different pan covers and under the pan fillings - but when I changed to the batt insulation that seemed to stop.