That’s cool. I’ve had a few coyote/cat doubles. Based on some pics of a double on coyotes with a bobcat sitting looking at the two “dogs” in a trap, I’d say the coyote was first and curiosity got the best of the cat, lol.

There's no way to know for sure, but I believe this big old male was the coyote detouring off the road around sets.

Drive-By Coyote

I picked him up four days later about a mile from where he was avoiding a string of sets.

That road went stone cold for several weeks after his departure

.I threw him a changeup flat set that he hadn't seen before.


Flat Set - MB Coyote Urine - Weiser Coyote Gland

Congrats on outsmarting that old warrior

Good thread TEJAS. That dirt looks like more like San Antonio way or out west than the Valley?
And since you weren't showing a load of cats that may be the case.
Low fence with all that sign unless the high fence is porous.

Not many ticks?

Well done and good ride along!
Hit 'em a lick!

Blessings,
Mark

Good question Tejas, For me it depends on the species caught. If it's a coyote I quite trying to get them to comit to the original trap bed. I pull the trap and make a subtle flat on the downwind side of the circle. If it was a red fox then I remake the original set with a food base lure. If its a coon or opossum then I remake the original and use a curiosity type lure. If there isn't a fresh set close already and there normally is I'll add a fresh set 10 yards or so away. If I see coyotes avoiding or stalling at a location then I'll add sets a different location. There's a big advantage if you have snow or sand that you can see what they are doing or not.
The few I caught on coyote remakes this past season were caught scent post remakes in frozen ground with snow with rocks or sod as backings. But it took awhile for the set to cool off.

Here is an old coyote with a lot of dirt roads and history behind him.


I once thought that you could catch just about any adult male coyote that crossed your path without too much trouble.

The male’s bold nature is most often their downfall I believe.

There are always exceptions to the rule, and old Tripod was one of them.

What he was missing in the running gear department he made up for in sendero savvy.


Here’s the Road Warrior in 2019 before the trapping started that year.

Over seventy coyotes bit the dust in Tripod’s back yard that season.

By the time 2020 rolled around it was still his back yard.




The winter of 2020 showed no sign of the three legged wonder.

Fifty plus coyotes went for a ride in the Polaris, yet the gimp was still on the lamb.

Not one single photo was taken of him by February 2021.



A mama cow died in March 2021 from complications giving birth. She died in a pasture adjacent to a heavy pressure area.

Tripod immediately showed up at the carcass and defended the top spot against five other coyotes the entire time he was there.


Around fifteen coyotes were taken at the dead cow fiesta, but the guest of honor managed to skate again.

Another twenty or so contestants would trip the pan as well, but the one who leaves three tracks in the sand was not one of them.



Winter 2021 would come and go without a trace of the gray ghost.



March ushered in the spring of 2022 and there he was.




The injury looked to be from an old gunshot wound.




A fresh missing toenail on his right front showed he had been making the rounds.




He had put some years behind him from the looks of his choppers.


He did well to "keep so much hair when so many's after it".

Excellent history story of the tri pod coyote!

Really enjoying this thread. Great story on tripod

Ol' Tripod is a trophy

Probably took out a lot of fawns in his time

I agree and would probably clean his skull.

I mentioned earlier that the coyotes who manage to survive the longest do not stay on the property full time. Tripod was one of those coyotes.

Another interesting note is Tripod was caught at a remake set that had already taken two coyotes.

The remake was only four days old when he was caught.

The flat set he was taken with was set up for a back door approach upwind of the attractant.

Neither the 180° set construction or backside line by the coyote was an accident.

It all comes back to reading sign and making the necessary adjustments when necessary.

Good Morning Coyote Crew!


This is Miss Misery.

She could mess up more sets than a bushel full of year old coons.

I am pretty sure she was sponsored by a metal detector company.

On her last few days here she made a pass on a six trap gang set and made it look like a yard sale on a windy day.

I remade all six sets with different pan placement at each location. She came back in and wrecked five of the six sets.

The one she was caught in had my regular eight and straight pan placement.

This was the third coyote taken at this set.



Flat Set - G-Dog Urine - Winter Wolf



This gal would have sent you to the hospital if you gave her the chance.

Morning Tejas,

You mentioned the old gal being sponsored by a metal detector company. I do think it's possible for some animals to detect metal energy. Have you read Kirk DeKalbs book, "The Real Reasons Animals Are Detecting Your Sets and Devices?" It's a interesting read and opens your mind up to some things. I'm not promoting the book but I have read it and I believe it has some merit, but there's so many variables that come into play that I don't think his philosophy is a major game changer in trapping.

Without going down a rabbit hole…..

It’s little more than a theory that can’t be proven.

It cannot be said with any degree of certainty that the proposed theory could possibility be a main cause of avoidance when you have so many other aspects that can illicit the same behavior.

As you know, smart coyotes find traps by fishing for them. Some fish a lot more than others.

That was the case with the cagey gal in the post above.

The old sand road set picks up its third coyote.


Male - Flat Set – G-Dog Urine - Gray Ghost

This is a good thread and I always lurk on anything that Tejas posts. My own take on the digging issue is that its probably (we may never know until the coyotes start talking to us) a combination of things. Based on my own observations, I have noticed that here in my area we have some soil types that have high alkali and they will IMMEDIATELY rust even the best waxed traps. I get a higher percentage of digging/exploring/fiddling around in that type of soil than in, say dry sandy soil. Similarly, in the early fall when the insects are still active, I seem to get more digging -- particularly from pups-- than at other times of year. My suspicion is that they treat any sign of fresh digging as some sort of potential food source. I also seem to get less digging (generally speaking) as time goes on and a set "ages," as opposed to fresh sets with freshly dug dirt.

Just my own observations. Carry on and keep posting.

I agree. I think soil types play a big role in digging issues. Not sure of the reasons but perhaps some smells are enhanced with more moisture in the soil. We know dogs can pick up scent better with moist conditions. That's why I believe there is love or hate relationship with gas based trapping dips. Some have great success while others say they have more dug up traps when they tried it. For example, I talked to a trapper in the NE part of Nebraska that traps mostly crop ground. Tried gas based speed dip and had trouble with dug up traps. He can go to the central part of the state, trap pasture ground that is dry, and not have issues with digging when using the gas based dip. I use gas based dip on my traps in the dry plains of Nebraska. I have for years and don't don't see problems with digging because of it.

Just my thoughts and observations as well. Be observant and use what works in your area.

I’ve noticed here that the vast majority of digging comes from adult females. I had a group of three juveniles dig on me this year. I believe they could very well be the offspring of Miss Misery.

All of those coyotes were caught in the same pasture. I have little doubt that adult females at least teach the nanny that sometimes sticks with her.

If trap contamination was to blame for the digging at sets in my area, it would stand to reason that the problem would be much more widespread than it is.
I use FMJ, and my traps see very little moisture.

In my case diggers seem to be isolated instances for the most part. Early in the season I’ve learned that when you think you have a digger it’s usually not just one.

There is another primary cause for digging you never hear trappers talk about. It will be interesting to see if someone mentions it.

Around here:

Digging can begin when the area of sifted and soft soil around the trap is too large. They walk in the mushy soil and start feeling around.

Another cause is when raccoons partially dig up a trap. The Coyote further investigates.

Fresh dug dirt means food to the coyote or fox and those dang coon are the worst. Some coyotes react to the gas produced by rust. Waxed dirt helps with both. Less fresh dug dirt smell and no moisture on the trap. I've had the same coyotes dig 2 sets and get caught in the 3rd. Makes a guy wonder how many get caught while digging... And its yet another reason to gang set..