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Don’t use urine.

Don’t use anything with fish or fish oil in it.

Even than, big pain in the butt.

Any set design that helps keep cows away from the trap (heavy step downs, “tire set”, etc), also helps keep coyotes away from the trap IMO.

Even in big pastures with low stocking rates it’s impossible. Mainly because many great set locations are great cow/deer/trash locations too.

If your fur trapping I would say stay out of cows. Only so much time in a day. Resetting 20 cow snaps a day is a waste of time.

Only way I work in cows if it is a deal were cows aren't using part of the pasture say a corn field is open and they just water on one end or rancher is feeding them on one corner and they don't go thru the whole pasture everyday.

Even then it's best to get up on side hill. Use rocks to block trap away from cows. If cows have calves on them it's a complete waste.

Also move the trap after a catch cows will stomp a catch circle to death.

Also consider what your going to do if you hold a cow. You are liable for that. It's not a common thing but it sure can happen especially with modern day traps. Small traps. Are the best thing to use with livestock or sooner or later you gonna have trouble.

These 2 posts are the cow pasture trapper's bible.

This has been my experience too^^^^^^

Haha, I have enough issues with deer, can’t imagine it if cows are worse!

Get their attention somewhere else. Put out some cake and go set a trap where they can’t see you

I trap several small ranches that run a lot of cattle. All I do is predator control for ranchers I don't trap for fur. It is frustrating for sure and would be far easier if the cattle weren't there. However, here are a few things I have learned over the years.

1) Stay away from ponds/stock tanks and feeding areas (places where they put our hay/cubes in winter)
2) Stay off the trails - set upwind and use visual attractors and small amounts of FRESH urine
3) Don't use any strong lure or bait. I use very small amounts of coyote gland lure and urine. Don't use anything with fish, rotten meat or skunk in it
4) If use a baited dirt hole, put in a flat set with urine only not too far from set but off main trails. I do not find cattle particularly interested in coyote urine. I often use flat sets where I use nothing but a foot pad, an anus off a deceased coyote or urine.
5) do what you can to limit ground scent and learn to reset quickly and get out of there.... i.e. don't piddle around at set. I get a lot of first night catches.
6) snares/cable restraints on fences are always a good backup.
7) don't reset inside catch circle, rather move upwind and put in a flat set and use only urine.
8) on all properties there are areas where the cows frequent them less often - find them. Hills/mounds re one example.
9) If you can trap a pasture where the cows are fenced out, trap the fence lines by the pastures where the cattle are. If necessary, use a visual attractor or call lure to pull them over fence line.
10) try to find the fence lines where there is a lot of sand/lack of grass - the cows will typically stick to the places where the grass is and may walk right by a sandy/grassless area along a fence line.

Above all just get your mind right and accept that resets will be part of the game. IME taking extra precautions like a ground cloth, rubber boots, gloves will go a long way when you have to visit sets daily. You can't fool their nose but you 100% can reduce ground scent. On most my farms I will estimate that I have to reset about 1/3 of my sets due to deer/cattle/hogs... I just accept it and try to be as quick as I can at each set. Id be lying if I said I dont ever "curse" at the cows, but it's just part of it,the coyotes are there just have to get them first.

Trapping in cattle can be very frustrating. I have trapped around cows that never bothered the traps or catches at all. I have also trapped pastures that made me swear I’d never do it again. Snapped traps every day, lots of time wasted resetting. I would avoid cows if possible. The real skill would be being able to tell which cows are bad and which are good. If anyone figures that out, I’ll buy their first book!!!

What else do they have to entertain their selves with and they have all day to do it.

I did once 20 plus years ago. There was a pasture that was along a small slough that had been grazed by dry dairy cows in the summer. Farmer said they won't be back there this year so I set it up. The 3rd day I saw the pasture had about 25 Holstein dry cows running in it and standing near my set. Farmer had to relocate some other cows and put the dry ones in this pasture to be out of the way. There was only a few decent sized pieces of a small red fox left to look at. Most of it was smashed into the dirt. Snapped traps are not your only issue.

Bryce

We have more than a few cows.
If you think trapping sucks in a cow pasture with cows you should try Turkey hunting in a pasture with cows in it.
There’s a reason we eat those stupid things

I can see a cow ending up wearing that tire as a necklace.