I find that sifting a thin layer of dirt from waist level gives me a nice weathered look that I like. I also often grab some grass and rub it between my gloves hands and let the small pieces float down over the whole set. The wind sometimes will blow the grass around, but it makes the set look natural to me.

I left the sifter at home for years. Preferring to sift thru my fingers for a rough look, BUT.....

....have since started using a wheel brush (stiff bristles) due to snapping traps on my already sore hands and fingers. I like the results I can get with the brush. Coyotes dont seem to care.

I like a finished look. Never have been a fan of the rough and torn up look. I've seen a variety of looks that trappers swear by and have success with. That said, trappers put a lot of effort in how the set looks to a person. So does the appearance really matter to a coyote? Then think about the time most coyotes are active. Research shows from midnight to 5 a.m. I know they have good eyesight but does the appearance really matter in the dark? Just some things I think about.

Good point silky. I like a natural appearance for my initial sets but for remakes I rough things up pretty well.
In fact, at times I’ve dug out small holes with a steel stake and pulled dirt towards the blended trap. Think skunk diggings as far as hole sizes.
Guys it all works I really think it really depends on the INDIVIDUAL coyote.

I have a different experience and opinion with activity of predators over the years. Not in research, but from years in the field. I have found that after laying up most of the day predators are off hunting and moving about by dusk. I find they work aggressively to find a meal from dusk until midnight or so...

After their initial hunting and running about if they are successful early on, they may lay about a bit or become vocal and social to some extent speaking about coyotes. Then if not satisfied with getting enough to eat they will resume their hunt and travels until the pre -dawn hours. Weather, temps, time of year and moonlight affects this activity to a great degree at times.

For set finishing I am middle of the road. I like a balance of both smooth over the trap bed and some ruffage around the fringe. I like to make some debris kickbacks on some hole sets. It depends upon the terrain I am working as well as the ground conditions. Sod, tilled soil, sand or loam ground the set finishes will vary. The type of sets will vary greatly as well at times. Early on dirt holes, then flat sets and walk-through sets. When needed scent post sets are added if I feel they are necessary.

Make your sets blend with the environment in those conditions but make them inviting or completely blended.

Great read. thanks everyone.
Always made my own sifter.
Some time back I switched to diamond wire mesh for the screen. Larger holes.
I "think" they like it better
I "know" I like it better.

IMHO based on personal experience, absolutely! The lower the coyote population the more it matters. The most recent examples of “does appearance matter” is when I was testing gland lures. I’ve never used gland lures before and of course that’s 1/2 the reason I was testing them. At two test sites I stuck a small, stick (aprox 1” x 8”) in the ground at the test. I have lengthy videos of coyote avoidance that was all visual due to their body language. I had to remove those sticks in order to obtain a truer response to the gland lures because the difference of attraction/avoidance with and without the stick was like light & day!

These observations makes me wonder why I see certain trapper/lure makers videos making sets exactly like I’ve just described (bringing in sticks) and supposedly making catches. In fact, a couple of these same people’s lures were used on my sticks!!!!

I trap predator control in Central Texas with what most would consider low coyote density. I trap my ranches about 9 months a year. I take the summer off unless I have a killer making kills.

I snare year round.

In my county, we have two full time government trappers and a couple guys like me. Our coyotes are spooky deluxe. I catch 80% in snares and 20% in foot traps. I hardly ever call for coyotes anymore in my county.

I might make a dozen dirt holes a year. Mostly in the fall when pups are being kicked out. I put a natural set nearby each dirt hole set. The natural set makes more catches.

I set a lot of t-bone sets. They are very subtle. Not showy. Very little if any guiding. It is what I have confidence in. I had one t-bone set go 87 days untouched by me… then I had a catch.

I used a little bait in the t-bone, a q-tip amount of mild gland lure, and a squirt of coyote urine on the grass backing. I’m sure the urine smell was gone by the end, but the other scents stayed enough to make a catch.

What a challenging game. I have enjoyed this thread. Keep it up everyone!

It’s good to see some astute observations, insight, and coyote conversation being shared here.


From a visual standpoint, I think it would be safe to say that a most coyotes will pick up on soil disturbances along their travel way.

I would bet that stark differences in the ground’s appearance do not go unnoticed by wary eyes that are so close to the ground.

It’s not like it's a new object on the scene. It’s a change in the scene itself.

A slight change in the ground’s look probably doesn’t draw near the attention.

That's where good blending and duff comes into play.

Pressure can change things in a hurry. A wolfer must roll with the punches and adjust accordingly.

Even individual coyotes can warrant a whole new strategy.

Tejas, there was a guy that showed me you could age a set and settle disturbances by spraying area with water. I've never tried it because I was trapping for fur during cold months and didn't want any moisture over set. He would collect water out of natural sources and wet wet down surface over bedded trap and a small area around set to blend. Not sure if you've heard of it or given it a try but it seems you like to experiment with different things.

You have just described my yearly routine and experiences in Central Texas also. I'm out of San Saba county but have ranches in about 4 surrounding counties. It's a chess game for sure.

I played around with that a few years back SPC.

The sand takes on a whole different appearance once it gets wet then dries. It forms a crust on top that doesn’t match the rest of the powder dry ground surrounding the set. It looks good, it just doesn’t match. It would work great if the ground was already wet.

I have several ways to dry blend and age the set that will produce different looks. The wind adds the finishing touches by the time the sun goes down.

It's not so much that I like trying new stuff, as it is a necessity if I want to keep killing coyotes.

The "A" game for week two is not the same as week four. It changes all the time, because they do.

The reason I use all flat sets now is because the coyotes forced me to do so. That was a good thing.

Great ridealong and singalong!

You leave out those circles with an X in them for Wile E. just like the roadrunner. Do you get them at ACME?

Of course I do Willie! How else would he know where to step? Geez……

I believe I got a bad batch of X’s. As you can see they are not working too well

When it comes to mayhem at sets it’s hard to point at one thing and say that's the cause.

I usually don’t have too many problems until set lines and locations are pinpointed. When catch circles start popping up like mushrooms it gets ugly. Once the element of surprise is lost the K-9 Olympic Games really get underway.

They certainly win their fair share of rounds here and there, but very few beat the gang set odds.


Yesterday I had a coyote run a short road line making an upwind approach and dig on the backside of a set. He continued down the road passing up set number two, then stopped to work the third set that was identical in looks to the first. I have little doubt that the coyote saw a carbon copy of the set he just did a back door excavation on, and was going to do a repeat performance.

The sneak probably would have made it past that set as well had it not been for the fact that the trap was set up 180° specifically to snag upwind workin’ wise guys.

Instead of giving an encore performance, Wile E. exited stage left.



Had he beat that set and continued his same line of travel there were two more additional sets on that same road waiting for him.

Tejas have you noticed a difference between male versus female captives when using fox urine compared to coyote urine ? Have you ever tried wolf urine ?

Good stuff....get em Tejas!

Great job on the GANGSETTING Tejas!

Yes

It fluctuates from year to year between the two G.

Here are the results from this year's limited sample.


Fox caught more juveniles than coyote.

Fox took the same number of adult males as coyote.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Coyote snagged three times as many adult females as fox.

Coyote picked up all adults except for one..

Coyote had more overall catches between the two.

(MB urines were used in both cases.)


Keep in mind that the present population and time of year could have a big effect on those numbers.

Keeping records certainly slows you down on the line, but I find it’s time well spent.

I like your attention to those kind of details.