I’ve been trying to trap coyotes but ain’t done that great this year. I trap a 300 acre wildlife area mostly, it’s basically all timber with a river that runs through it. I know yotes are here, I hear them, see their tracks running along the river bank, but it seems like for the life of me I can’t catch them. Dirt holes get plugged with leaves, flat sets just don’t work. I set the river all I catch is coons, I set along deer trails and just have snapped traps.


How do I put these guys on the ground. They are open year round here in Ohio

are you a deer hunter?

Try using a portable pocket set to avoid the plugged up dirt hole issues or perhaps the pipe dream set. Where you find coyote scat put a set. Bring in different scat from other places if you have access. I caught my first coyote using Mr. June’s 2 poop set.

Trapping in timber just sucks for coyotes. They just don't really hold up in timber much unless the weather gets bad and the prey moves in. You have to focus on the travel routes leading to the hunting areas and look for the pinch points along those routes.

Here were I live 80% or more of the area is woods of one kind or the other

The trick to catching coyotes in timber is located them and their travel ways just like in farm fields, if your having traps snapped setting in trails move a short distance off the trail and make a set on the up wind side, here post sets or flat sets work good for me, locate an outstanding object to use as you post such as the end of a fallen log, a rock sticking out of the ground ect

You can also make a hay type set using some of the woods trash instead of the hay, I have started using such set the last couple years and the have been performing extremely well, personally I haven’t had much luck with dirt holes or step down type sets in the woods here though they do work good in small clearings and fields

If you can use snares they work great after the snow falls, just place them in their trails, if not you can place a trap under a footprint in the snow along their trail, tunnel in from the side and slide it under the footprint, quick tip don’t walk up to their trail make your set then turn around and go back, cross over and continue on, believe it or not it makes a difference either when hanging snares or setting traps

Set up bait stations using snares, they work under all weather conditions.

Generally, large baits (road kill deer, moose, etc.) are placed in areas surrounded by thick cover shrubs or trees in an accessible location. Carcasses of skinned furbearers are added as they become available. The junction area where roads or trails meet is usually a good spot as coyotes and wolves often travel these systems. Snares should be set back at least 25 yards from the bait and as far out as conditions allow.
The stations will vary in size due to conditions encountered, with success increasing with the number of snares set out on probable access routes. For a small area 5 or 6 snares may be all you need while a larger area you may be able to get 20 or more snares in. All set snare locations are marked with a cloths pin painted orange.

Baits in the open, will out produced baits in thick cover. Coyotes/wolves want to see, both approaching and while they're on it, if there’s danger from other predators, thus the best sites are in the open and ringed by heavy cover to hang snares in. All you basically need, for the ideal station, is an opening large enough for “large birds of prey” to land directly into, thus generally no birds walking in on trails with snares, and coyotes/wolves have the protective cover going to the bait.

When setting and checking snares leave things as natural as possible. The more time you spend at the set the more sign you leave especially when there is snow on the ground. Set up snares from the side of trail. Do not walk around or make set and turn around and go back. Either follow thru on the trail or cross over and depart the area in a different location than your entry point. When checking snares walk thru the same route each check.

Pinch points and travelways.Areas where alot of trails or dirt roads meet.

Yes, among many other things.

Been trapping a couple years and can’t for the life of me hang a coyote

Either your not setting where they will find your sets or you need better bait lure and pee. Its not all created equal.

Are you catching skunks coons and possums?

Coyotes are just animals. Not smart.

.... if there are roads set them.... every coyote will run the run the roads ( logging roads, four wheeler trails... etc... )

... how are you accessing the place?

THIS

There has to be a road, footpath, trail or some feature to allow you in. Coyotes will run that. Critters are just like us and take the easy way out when going point A to B. Now travel that route looking for intersections and pinch points. Forks are good, crossings are good, route crossing habitat edge, wide spots, narrow spots. Main thing is how does this feature funnel game or may cause game to linger for a moment.

Coyotes been killing deer for who knows how many thousands of years. Wolves too. Still have deer though. Cars are the biggest threat to those pregnant does right now. They are about to fawn and they are hungry. Just like a pregnant human female. Its why your seeing deer in the middle of the day in big bunches grazing. Not quite as bad as breeding season when the bucks get hit but lots of does become road kill this time of year.

Those coyotes will be having pups soon. The breeding pair will be defending their den site. Dens are rarely more than a 1/4 mile from a drink of water.

We always had lots of deer here in Maine until coyotes came into the picture in the late 70's.There are alot fewer deer now.

I dont doubt that bruce. coyotes gotta eat. I think in your part of world, deep snow combined with big coyotes makes the deer predation worse. here we have over the counter doe tags to keep deer populations in check. Lots of coyotes and they definitely kill deer, but not a lot of deep snow. Coyotes and deer both can feed their selves easier. Our coyotes probably only average about 30 pounds. i dont think they need as much food. Warmer weather and smaller size means less calories.

I would venture to quess you are using a small loop and setting low, plus using some blockage and /or guidance. Try a 14 inch loop set with the bottom of the loop 14 inches above ground with no blockage or guidance other than that which already exist there.

If its a 300 acre wildlife area in Ohio, its possible there are no roads or paths. But the river would likely be a common travel corridor. The properties I trap are also mostly void of roads/paths also, and sometimes it seems where the coyotes travel through the woods is entirely random. We had about a month of snow this winter and I don’t think I saw tracks use any particular path through the woods more than once. Once they reach the fields they tend to gravitate towards specific areas, so I don’t even both setting in the woods except of a few snares where the game trails meet the fields. I think the more mature the woods, the tougher it can seem to pinpoint set locations.

Railroad tracks,powerlines,waterways all are also great locations.

To my previous post I would add: use LOADED snares.

A reminder...you can't set snares on public hunting/trapping areas in ohio without a lottery permit for beaver and they have to be at least an inch of water over the bottom of the loop.

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