Being a first year trapper one thing that seems a little overwhelming (to me anyway)is picking what type of typed of baits and lures to use. Lots of choices on the market,and of course they all are the best in the catalogs. We are mainly targeting coyote and red fox with the possibility of an occasional bobcat. Any advice on picking which ones to use and why? Thanks!

JMO, but for starting out I'd pick two baits from a well known volume supplier. Something basic and standard like ground cat or beaver. And one a little bit spiced up with glands, lure or skunk.

Then two to three lures if just canines. A species specific gland or matrix type, a call type and a curiosity/food type. Counting both foxes and yotes that's half a dozen total. Plus a quality red fox urine as the best all purpose urine.

That'll get you started and add as you learn and develop opinions on what works for you.

Next year i plan on using carmens canine call a lot. I used it for the first time this year and id say half or more of my catches were from sets with that lure. If i had two sets, the one with canine call connected. Youll find that lure to be very well reviewed by others with far more catches than i have.

All the baits and lures are the same. They just smell a little different. Pick a couple you think ought to work and set your traps on sign. You'll catch them if they are there.

If trapping areas where the animals probably haven’t encountered traps use any top lure maker and should connect. If trapping in areas that other trappers are known go with blind more natural set or if using a bait or lure try something completely different and out of the norm for most. Something they probably haven’t seen before. Plenty of time for fun and trial and error your first decade or two. Then you learn and develop a style and realize how much of a rookie you were and over thought things starting out . At least that’s what happened to me anyway.

Catch a couple beaver first and you will have some of the best bait there is. Regarding lure, Mr. Dobbins makes very high quality lures, and I would personally recommend Skunky Backbreaker, or I would check out some of the sponsors on these pages.

Mice work well also that's as basic as it gets a jar of mice and a grinder will go a long way starting out my biggest concern was location when I got started!

When I started out, any bait and lure seemed to work. I have favorites that just seem to work no matter what, maybe I just have more confidence in them, I don’t know. For bait, Caven’s Hiawatha Valley just seems to work on everything, cats and K9’s. And either Minnesota Red or Feline Fix for lures.
Disclaimer: I’m not a great trapper, just get lucky from time to time. My biggest issue is knowing when to pull and move. The first two weeks you’ll catch them. It’s better to go ahead and pull and move to another location and come back later than going another week or two with no catches. Down here we aren’t wanting to leave any for “seed” and don’t seem to have that problem, lol.