This may be a question that doesn't mean much on the ranch your trapping (with low coyote numbers), but how many misses and failures to commit are you seeing?
Miss = coyote steps within 6" of trap, many times all around trap, but never steps on pan.
Failure to Commit = coyote approaches, but no closer than about 12" to trap, many times 3 or 4 feet out.
I have my fair share of misses that’s for sure Swamp. As for a percentage I don’t really know.
It’s not the misses with a few tracks near the pan that bother me; it’s the sets that look like a coyote fiesta was held and everybody made it home safe and sound.
Overall, a miss doesn’t concern me too much because the coyote is showing willingness to work the set. Even if she doesn’t step on the pan, I have other fun sets nearby just in case she wants to try her luck again.. She will roll snake eyes soon enough.
For me, a set’s construction or look is all about helping the attractant(s)
create more foot traffic. An open pattern does just that in my situation.
I've found that
the more you attempt to restrict a coyote’s movement, the more avoidance you will encounter. That is what I have noticed here.
On a place with no pressure, they may very well walk in on any set you show them.
I don’t have a lot of commitment issues early in the season. Drive-bys or total avoidance becomes more of a problem as the population is whittled down to the last of the bad hombres.