I have been using the Alberta power snare setup for coyotes, last year I had good success in wooded area, this year I have expanded using them on Prairie type setting with mixed results. This year I have had 4 chew outs already, pretty disappointing actually. Upon investigation I came across lights out snaring web page. On the site they show a picture of the stinger on the other/in side of the breakaway. This made sense to me that it's possible the the spring could be pushing the lock loose?! I know if I switched to the magnums it probably wouldn't be a problem but I am using the regular/smaller springs. Anyone else have chew outs with these setups?

The way the snare is in that pic is right. Is that how you set them?

That's not how I'd have them set up. I'd have a goose neck bend in the end and it would go back through the BAD the from the other direction, and I'd have the cable loaded. It would be set up like this but with your style of spring...

No I have it set like senneker shows



Like this when it's set.

JL that is how I set them up, like your last picture.

Do you think your lack of entanglement on the prairie could be the trouble? If so I'd say try LONG snares or add extensions so they get out there a ways before they hit the end. They'll hit it harder if they have a longer run, hopefully setting the lock super tight. I'm planning to do this more next season.

Ok I just went and checked my snares and they are made just like your second pic.

I made one like the first pic and let it fire on a pole and it does NOT cinch down tight.

I then let one fire on the pole that was set the other way and it cinched down real tight.

So make sure you keep them the way you had them.

The coyotes that chewed out were probably caught around the belly or waist. Or they got a leg in the snare with their neck and didn’t get choked out.

Your snare loops could be set too big or too low.

It appears to me your power snare would work. But as I see it having spring inside the loop increases visibility without adding any advantage.

If a preloaded spring releases too soon it functions like an unloaded spring and thus depends on animal pull against solid tie off for dispatch.

I made my snares like ADC shows except I used torsion springs 1) because they don't turn sideways and lose strength like coil springs do, 2) they take up more cable, and 3) they are reusable almost indefinitely.

Yeah I hadn't really noticed til this year that last years catches were pretty much all entangled, my first one this year was dead on spot but also noticed the trigger did not go off, it actually went and hooked on the stop-end, one of the chew outs was on an extension, but yeah I was thinking maybe they could've been bad catches but 4 of them? I was thinking also that the bigger coyotes with thicker fur could be plugging up the lock. Im thinking of trying a few with the first picture type of setup, and seeing if I can catch one and see what the result are on a live animal, I'm thinking with a pole you don't get the movement a coyote does when say he's pulling and biting with lock around carotid/trachea area.
The bottom snare is hooked on stop end, my thinking is when triggered the spring will have that much more travel/pressure.
What you guys think?

I doubt it would be enough of a difference to ever see any actual advantage on the line but it shouldn't hurt anything as long as it comes off the stop. I still believe your cable on these two goes through the S hook from the wrong direction and would be better set up like this one you posted...

You can do what you want if you’re going to learn from it. But after I just tested it out, I would not set the snare like the first pic. Keep them the way you had them.

A coyote will pull them WAY tighter than I did on the pole.

You had 4 chew outs and yes that’s possible. Especially if you’re making all your loops too big, then yes you will have bad catches.
You might need to make the loops smaller or hang the snare higher.

Neck caught coyotes chew out too if they are held with no entanglement, or the anchor isn't solid when they hit the end or there isn't sufficient cable for them to get up enough steam before they hit the end... or if they wrap on some flexible little tree,,, or they just don't follow the rules and freak out but instead just set down and start chewing. or the lock/cable has ice slowing it down,,, or hair slows the lock,,,, or any number of other causes. All you can do is set them in the best way you can for the area you are in.

Point well taken, I think it's one of those situations that gets you thinking too much. Have you guys looked at the lights out snaring page? Their setup with the keflock i think it's called looks like it also makes sense

How long are your snares?i use the Senneker system with some entanglement but not always ..plus some yotes do just as ADC says sit down and chew or will fight it but not hard enough to set the lock super tight ..i use a 6ft snare plus 4ft extension as thus is what i have made but Marty says an 8ft snare is best and tie low.

I’d have to second JP’s comment and think you didn’t have them by the neck. I’d suspect it was a bad catch as opposed to a bad snare set up.

Since we left free hanging snares behind and went to power rams our troubles have pretty much disappeared.

My snares are 5ft and majority of the time are not on extensions, usually on entanglement, all my coyote catches in past were neck caught, I had chew outs before the senneker system a bit more until this year. I think I had it in my head that you shouldn't need entanglement or extensions if your using a triggered kill spring, but I see now it still increases kill rate.

I put 10ft extension on my snares regular kill springs in the past ,,, imo it's better to let them hit end hard get snare set on them.
I use snares for bad winters and spring time work when needed. I m tring Senneker snares now.

Trying to use entanglement, with that snare is self defeating. My set up, I avoid entanglement. I use a five ft, 1 1/16 snare on a ten ft extention. Had two chew outs all season, and one of those was dead about 200 feet from where he chewed out. I used to have more chewouts with the spring your using, but have switched to the magnum spring, and made a world of difference. That snare works best with no entanglement, and with extensions.

Next season, it looks like that's what I'll be doing, making long extensions and ordering some magnum springs, as well as making sure I'm at right height and width, Thanks all for the insight