Small traps versus large traps....is it guiding that could be the difference? If a small trap is used with just enough guiding to put the animals foot on the pan will it not catch just as well as a larger trap? Is not a trap that catches on the foot pad or just above it i.e. at the wrist, better than a trap that catches higher on the leg?

I often think that I do not guide the animal enough at my sets, especially for canines.

Guiding and proper trap placement to a certain extent. Pam tension is another key factor in getting deep pad catches. The size of the foot of the animal you’re after is also a factor. A bobcat has big paws, you just aren’t going to get a good deep catch with a 1.5 on a big Tom most of the time.

For coyote and bobcat I like to use as big a trap as legal, so long as I’m setting in an area where I can be reasonably sure I won’t be running into domestics. The more room for error on trap placement the better. For grey and red fox I like a 1.5, any bigger seems too hard on them. For kit fox a #1 is even too much at times, they are delicate.

I use 1.5s for coyote quite a bit inside the perimeter due to possible non targets ever present coon and opossum. Not a coyote trap by any means as I prefer the largest legal when I'm away from possible bystander flak.

Pan tension will both make lighter non targets harder but a coyote will be fully committed when the pan falls. This applies to all size traps.
Location is everything with such a small target. Forget nine back, four to the side or whatnot. Make a tight set like a trench or step down where the only clear spot to put down a foot is the pan. It could be just a notch in the tall grass or a pinch between bunches of grass. It could be tight to a dirt hole or a foot away from a scent post, you just have to make it work. But you will miss many that just won't be crowded like that.

Couldn't dirt clods or small grass clumps be used as guides without crowding a coyote?

Yes, anything around the set can be used. Just understand that a coyote isn't a fox. Fox will commit all in and work a set more aggressively than a coyote. Coyotes may or may not work a set often making an approach checking it out then moving on. I aim to put the trap where they check it out whether he dives in or walks away. But with tiny traps it can be a guessing game.

One thing that I think works in my favor is that I'm often setting in cheek by jowl subdivisions and everything in that coyotes world is tight. Tight passages between yards or house and shrubbery. City coyotes will squeeze easier than country coyotes used to running in the wide open.

It's also why I can get away with crap that would send a country coyote running for the hills.

Yes I get that the difference between a fox and a coyote is between the ears. They've proven that to me!

Coyotes won't take much blocking.

And yet I've read in books and viewed on you tube, from some very successful trappers, that the key is to leave them only one way to get to the attractor. Wouldn't that suggest that guiding and or blocking is needed to accomplish this? How do you leave them only one place to step if you don't guide them onto the trap pan?

Is it a matter of where you are in the country that dictates if your coyotes are willing to be guided or not? Or, is it more important to use an attranctant they want so bad that they are willing to risk stepping in places they wouldn't normally step?

Look at a frozen down trap after a snowfall that has been worked by a K-9 the foot placement is not that perfect you can improve your chances but it’s not a guarantee by any means.

Absolutely! So much comes down to chance. I'm just trying to find any and all advantages that I can use to sway the odds more my way.

Grey I think you will find that attractive lure or bait that can’t be overlooked only applies to fox . If a fox walks by once he will come back around , most coyotes just keep going .
I can’t speak of coyotes in subdivisions or in town as my coyotes all live in the wide open spaces. What I can say for certain on my line anyway is , anything bigger than a BB may as well be a boulder. In 30+ years of trapping coyotes one of the conclusions I’ve come to is don’t try to guide a coyotes foot . In my opinion and on my line it is hard enough to get a coyote to commit without putting obstacles in the way. I have a buddy that lives a couple hours south of me that uses subtle guiding and it works for him but it does not work for me . If you are bound and determined to use guiding and a small trap you may want to send yoteguts a pm . Or maybe Rob will join in here.

More info: My trapping area is mostly gravel woodland roads and grown over logging roads with some trails mixed in. My objective is to use the MB450 because of it's value as a more humane trap with it's wide jaw face and heavy duty construction. I need to allow for this scenario because of human and domestic animal foot traffic in these areas.

I have tried the MB550 and they were too hard on the fox.

I am looking to the smaller trap because of lighter weight and the public's perception. Here in the east we have so many people out in our trapping areas this interaction cannot be over looked, unfortunately. I deal with humans and domestics on my trapping grounds all season long. Even in the dead of winter they are out there! No matter where I go within 100 miles of where I live I run into this. I've used bigger traps and paid the price as far as aggressive hikers and dog walkers. It just isn't worth the aggravation.

Small traps are a handicap with coyotes, the 450 will hold them but you'll have more misses. Trap placement is way more important than guiding. Do yourself a huge favor and make some sets without traps and study the paw placement. Place the trap where they show ya. Bear in mind the wind direction, they almost always approach with the wind in their faces. I get a lot more fox and coyotes to work a set without blocking and very subtle guiding. The paw pad is the target, far less damage that way. That's the reason for the wide cast jaws with the Alpha #3. You can dictate the height of the hold by the depth of the bedded trap.

Here is what I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around.... the MB550 is used extensively for coyotes but has only 1/2" more jaw spread than a MB450. So, is that 1/2" the difference in the 550 catching more coyotes over the 450? I just can't believe that a 1/2" more jaw spread is going to make that much of a difference. Or is the distance measured between the jaw ends(tip to tip) that makes the difference in the two?

Pan size. That's the only thing that can be the difference as that's what fires the trap. BUT, there is a correlation between pan size and jaw spread and good high catch vs foot flipping.

JMO, but I think MB got that ratio about right on their traps in regards to the target species.

The 450 is a fox trap, smaller feet.
550 all purpose/coyote.

The 450s are a near perfect trap for your conditions and needs you mentioned. Use the subtle guidance like dirt clods, etc. You will get most of the coyotes....which is all anyone else will be able to do with bigger traps.

I used only Sleepy Creek 1.5s and 1 3/4s for years (live marketing) and never had an issue. I also used these smaller traps for the same reasons you mentioned above.

Although I don't target yotes the last two seasons I still catch them when they work my fox sets and I use mostly mb450. No problem holding them. My conditions are similar to yours. In gravelly ground they're also a lot easier and faster to set than the 550. If I was targeting yotes I would use the 550. I too have seen too much damage to my red fox in the 550. I use a 12 inches of #2 chain with two swivels on both traps

Thanks Swamp Wolf for responding. I knew there were trappers out there that have the same plight that I have here in Pa. It would be nice to use whatever trap I wanted to but that is just not realistic in my area and other areas like mine. Dr. Major Boddicker covers these issues in his book. I would encourage other trappers facing issues like mine mentioned to read his book. He has some interesting ideas on how to work around sharing the public spaces without having confrontations with other users.

Digging trap beds can be a major issue in the ground that I trap in. We would all like to trap in nice loose rock free dirt or sand but that is not possible for everyone. So for me the smaller the trap bed the better. I have situations on my line that are gravel road with a ditch and then mountain laurel or scrub oak terrain. Not a whole lot to work with so many times I can't actually make the set where I feel the best location is. Sometimes I can travel further down the road but other times the coyotes will leave the road on a trail. Sometimes the trail can be set, other times not depending on the amount of brush in that area and the problem is going down the trail until a location is found you can work with you leave a lot of scent around walking through the thick stuff.

I have actually caught more coyotes in sets made for fox than I have in sets made for coyotes. Which you are not suppose to be able to do, but it is what it is. So I figured that if I'm catching coyotes in crowded fox sets with dirt patterns and a trap close to the hole why shouldn't I be able to crowd or guide a coyote into a set made for a coyote with larger spacing.