I wanna preface this by saying that I am not a Wolfer. But when I have trouble catching a tote that’s killing sheep I always go back to the compass set.

I want it blended to the point I can’t even find it. Then I usually go with some curiosity type lures. Generally Carmens

Description if you got time. Details are hard to see on my phone. Thanks

Small rock is a loose jaw guard with urine on it. Grey thing is a fish head, under it is a hole wallowed out with rebar with lure. To the right of that is is a flat piece of wood with bait smeared under it. More like a walk through with three different points of interest. Trap in the middle of it all

Yes Sir want to recommend bait?

I got my digger yesterday. Barely. But got is got.

Pulled trap back to where it looked like he stood to dig. Left pan cover in original bed partially covered. Looks like I pulled it back just a tad to far. Had him just by the pad and the outside two toes. Odd.

Yes sir I told you why I didn’t test your stuff earlier, my place has been under water every time I turn around . But I am curious as to why your acting so sore about it . After all I do have it out on the line and have bait sitting in the bag and on the sideline that I have caught coyotes with in years past . I’ve set those baits aside to give yours an honest test. As of right now I’ve pulled everything but ten sets , of those three are dirt holes with your stuff . In ten days or so I will pull those and reset the other areas and I’ll get to see if any of those other three have been dug out.

To be quite honest I don’t even care if you or anyone else likes the beaver tail chunks. I know enough guys using it to know they work and they work especially well on a pipe . But you don’t have to take my word for it , we can start another thread and let the guys on here tell of their results.

P.s. coyote number seven yesterday bit the pipe and the BTC .

I’d like to hear more about this

It’s no big secret that I like natural baits , I’ve caught coyotes on just about everything over the years. Last couple of years I have been using the old beavertail chunks after they quit making oil, these things are as much as 5 years old . Just shaking the jar makes them fall apart. Late last winter I used beaver fleshings with decent results I’ve also used deer scraps , ground groundhog and the last couple of years chunked up muskrat. Hard to argue with a guy that can catch nearly a thousand coyotes on the stuff . That’s not to say I can’t catch coyotes on commercial baits , I’ve got a handful that I like . The simple fact is most of them are just so so for me and I attribute this to the lack of numbers in my area .

Only got to win once

The fake trap bed works pretty good . Me thinks we'd all be surprised how many coyotes get caught digging and scratching at our traps. Is the scratching just a normal reaction to the stimulus? Or do they know there's a trap there? Perhaps the both front paw catches are diggers?

Thoughts??

I don’t think many adult coyotes are habitual diggers, anxiety diggers, diggers just for the sake of digging, etc.

Fox on the other hand......

I think most all canines, coyotes included, go through a digging phase. Most every dog I’ve ever owned has. Coyote pups are programmed at a young age to dig for food as mom and dad bring stuff back and puke it into dirt depressions.

But most outgrow this phase, unless they’ve been given a reason to dig.

Trapping “late denning season”, end of July, August, those pups are 3-5 months old. They can be digging little turds. Anything loose and soft is their playgrounds sandbox.

By prime fur season, everyone’s matured enough where I just rarely encounter incessant digging without reason to dig.

Take a dirt hole set. The response we eventually want at that set, is to dig out the tasty smelly thing laying in the bottom. We’re providing them a reason to dig. In a perfect world, the coyote should be caught before he gets a chance to dig. But it’s not a perfect world. Sometimes we screw up, sometimes we’re just plain unlucky. They hook the trap, feel the trap, than concentrate on that for a spell. Some just immediately start working aggressively at it and find the trap that way. I’ve seen coyote diggings where the dirts flung back 8-10 feet, that’s some force, you don’t do that casually scratching at something.

Good information Boone thanks for sharing. I caught a mangy male at the natural pee post set this morning. Barely had him caught by a back foot.
Gary I've wondered if we catch some scratching at our traps also. Seems some were just a half inch from firing the trap. A slight miscalculation and they would become fur.

Think this old girl may have been the problem. Only one canine tooth left. Rest broken or gone. I'm sure she's looked over a set or two of mine. Blind trail set took her. Never been much for blind sets but I'm learning they have their place.

congrats seth hopw shes the one thats been giving you fits

Absolutely!

Way to go! I think I may have also caught my digger today. Got him by the front leg in a snare I set yesterday in a small gully. Got 4" of snow with wind and that filled in part of the gully causing him to step into the snare. But I'll take it!

So here’s the next question. Who was the winner?

Yep, that's my thoughts also. I rarely get scratching or digging at straight urine sets or blind trail sets. Mostly with food based stuff. It helps me anyway to get the smells above ground. And add urine sets at the same locations. If there's a trail blind sets also. Tire tracks work well for that.

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Have to give it a little time to tell if the digging stops but I believe 20scout is the only one that throughout the blind set. If I'm wrong please correct me.

20scout I hope you got ur digger. I would of just said you set the snare for a less obvious leg catch. Makes you look even sharper as a wolfer. Lol

Ha, I would have but then I'm sure the nay-says would have had fun with it!