Covers just get jacked with way too much here MC. They paw and swipe at sets a good bit in part because the sand is so easy to move.

I was hoping there might be a man-made material that the coyotes wouldn’t tear into a thousand little pieces that could be used to fill in the void and keep the trap functioning no matter what.

One of the things I like about Zaggers bedding method is the void under the trap, I feel like it helps burry the foot a little deeper when a coyote commits to the set. Mark chops a square hole , I use mb 550’s and 650’s so I use a spade to dig a funnel shaped hole so the trap basically wedges into the hole. If I’m setting in sod I don’t do anything much different than Mark does. When setting in dirt “ which is most of the time” I dig a funnel shaped hole , shave away enough dirt for the spring levers to be just below the surface of the ground and then fill the whole hole with peat. I will pack that stuff as tight as I can get it making sure to get plenty of it under the pan as I don’t use pan covers in the dirt anymore. Once I’m satisfied that the jaws are packed as best they can be I top coat with about a 1/4” of local dirt or waxed dirt depending on the time of year. This is the part that I think helps a lot with the soft area around the pan , I finish blending with any local duff or chaff I can find. Around here that’s not hard to come by , you will find bean chaff or dried grass from mowing in just about every field edge. I used to carry a bucket full just in case, now I carry a leaf rake and just pull some to the set if their is none close to the set. I use the rake for blending in a big area if need be with no ill affect.
Hope this does you some good , nothing worse than remaking sets that didn’t have a coyote in them .

Bear, I've found it’s not a matter of the trap coming through the crust, its the pressure it takes to trip the pan once the soil hardens.

Even setting the trap off when pulled out of the ground like in the photo above takes tremendous pressure to make the trap trip.

I believe there is a much better solution to this problem than carrying around fifty pound sacks of sand on the line.

Like you said, "its a pain". I'm going do my best to see if I can avoid that particular one.

Since using a pan cover for me is out, that leaves finding something suitable to fill the void under and around the pan.

Tejas, have you tried peat moss? I use polyfill under the pan and then peat moss between the jaws.

I have not S94.

With the distinct smell and color difference I can see where there might be a good chance of getting lots of digging.

It might work out fine just fine, I don’t know for certain.

Meant to add that I go back over with a thin layer of native soil. That helps with the color difference. No comment on the smell. It seems to just help with having the brick of soil you have over yours. May or may not work though. I have to use it for the red clay in our area. Our sandy soils don’t seem to lock up like yours. Will be interested to hear what you come up with that works. Thanks for this thread!

Yes, thanks. For the thread. Also I tend to run a little lighter pan tension than many on here recommend. Because once you get some frost and ice in your trap that increases the pan tension, and if you already have it heavy you are liable to have animals walking over your traps without setting them off. Not sure if a lighter pan tension would help you out with your soil but it might be worth a try. You'll likely have to deal with a few more smaller nontargets though. We don't have much for coons here and most of the time when I'm trapping the skunks are hibernating, so the nontargets I have to deal with are usually cats, and the big cats are going to set off any trap that would go off with a canine stepping on it.

Ive heard folks mention Vermiculite/Perlite before.

Isn't it a real light material like bits of Styrofoam?

This sounds like in might be a good option if it doesn't float up out of the bed with a big rain.

How does it do in a downpour Mr. Jameson?

Has anyone else given this material a try?

I only use it mixed with the bedding .media. I don't use it for cover material. The vermiculitel holds nicely in the soil when it gets wet. We get some steady rain, mixed with sleet and snow.

Then it may all melt in a few days type of weather locally. I would try some in a few sets and see how it performs. I use it to keep the soil from compacting hard with certain types of terrain soil.

Vermiculite is grey / silver in color and spongey in texture. It has varied in granular size with regards to different batches I have had in the large bags. It is water proof in itself and used in bedding above ground swimming pools to cushion the liner to reduce the punchure potential. I would float due to its lightweight physical makeup.

I have had some pieces surface but didn't seem to be a problem. Looks like pieces of rock actually when mixed with some soils.

Thanks for the explanation Mr. Jameson.

That is just the answer I was looking for.

I'll will have to experiment with the ratio to see what works right.

I'm guessing somewhere around a three to one mix of native soil to vermiculite might be enough to loosen the soil up a bit.

Vermiculite is used in many potting soil mixes to keep it loose. If memory serves it is some sort of rock that is heated until it pops like popcorn.

I thought some might find this useful.

It seems like ants are a real problem for a lot folks using baited sets during the summer months.

Ortho makes a product called Home Defense that works extremely well for indoor and perimeter applications. It doesn’t seem to have any odor that I can detect.
It’s a clear liquid that comes with a convenient pump sprayer. I’ve been using this stuff around the house for years. Ants hate it. You might give it a try if you have unwanted guests at your sets. It creates a barrier insects don't want to cross. Just spray a circle around the set pattern and that’s it!

A 24 oz. pump spray bottle is $7.

1.3 gallon jug with spray wand runs about 16 bucks.

The active Bifenthrin in that is the one doing the work as it can last several weeks in the soil before degrading. The Cypermethrin is quickly degraded when exposed to soil and sun but persists well in indoor settings.

The concentrates Talstar P, name brand, and Bifen, generic, are 30 and 15 bucks respectively for 16oz bottles that can be mixed to make 44 gallons.

I imagine Permethrin would be similar and will be trying it myself.

I use it on my m-44's in warm weather to keep ants from eating bait off of the bait heads. Just spray a ring around the gun about 8-10 inches out from the gun. An old gov't trapper told me about it several years ago

Thanks for the input Sam.

It’s good to hear you picked that up from an old-time G-Man. That at least lets me know I’m on the right track.

I haven’t seen or heard of this being used before, but I knew how effective and odorless it appears to be.

This could make a real difference on a hot weather coyote line if there isn’t a telltale scent they can pick up on.

Even the folks trapping coon with DP’s could benefit from the ant deterrent aspect.

For those interested, this stuff is available at any local Wal-Mart.

I’ll get some and try it around DP’s and see if I can make some catches first. Coons and possums ain’t no coyote, but we’ll see what happens.

This is my thinking as well. Shouldn't be an issue for coon or opossum. Probably not as big an issue on pups or these dumb city coyotes but that one knothead that's been around the block a time or two?

I'll put it to the test this week as I'm setting up a job in the morning. There's pups and a collared mama. Should be interesting.

Your gunning for a collared coyote?

Yup

Project Coyote done collared one near one of my properties. I was called in when they thought the den was on property. Turns out they can't read maps the den was off property.

Now they've moved on property so they got to go.