Hey hope all is well! Im on the struggle bud right now and new some help. I’m running 35 traps across 7 different farms and have been on some of them up to 10 days. The sign is there big time at one farm but can’t seem to catch them. How long will y’all leave a trap in the ground at a farm? Also if you have coyotes that are being hard to catch what’s ur go to set? Thanks J

Most of the time my catch rate really drops of after 5 to 7 days. After that it's one here and there that ventures in from another area. But that depends a lot on population density and how big of a range are the coyotes covering to find food. If your on good location and are upwind of the coyotes then it could be several different reasons why the coyotes aren't working your sets. Is there much trapping pressure in the areas you are trapping? When I change from dirt holes (which are about 95% of my sets) I will go to a scent post set with urine I've collected myself or a flat set with droppings and maybe some gland urine in a trail or flat set with a coyotes foot with some pee or lure on it.

You could try a very subtle dirt hoe set with just a mouse or two and no other lures or bait

... similar experiences to Yessir here

... dressedtokill.. give us a little more info on how you set up the farms

This farm I trapped last year and we did very well. Landowner called back this year and the sign is there again bunch of tracks and scat. No trapping pressure around this area. The front half of the farm is probably a 20 acre field of grown up crp/dog fennel and has a dirt road on either side of it. They are building a new hwy on the farm next to this front field same as last year. The roads come together to a y then u go through a gate into the back 100 acres which is fields and planted pines with power lines and a cut over on the other side of the power lines. Set up really well for a coyote. I am using single and double dirt holes have and nothing is working I was on day 7 today. I have 6 traps all down the roads of this property where the sign is. Did last year of trapping them have them weary?

Maybe, you need to be a bit more subtle. Flat sets or scent post sets with a squirt of k-9 pee seem to do the trick when the more obvious sets fail.

If its been a week, your sure your sets have been found, you definitely need to try something different. Yes Sir said a coyote foot with pee on it. I have used bobcat feet like that with success. So likely any animal foot with GOOD pee on it will work. ( I never knew what good pee was till I collected some. it was so different from what I had been buying from dealers I thought I was doing it wrong)

I like snares for wary coyotes. Thats my first choice change up. Calling is good too. When what your doing is not working you need to try something else

If your sets aren't getting worked and there is sign all around them the stink you are putting in the hole is not the right stuff.

What bait are you using?

There might be a little to this. If your attractant isn't attracting them......

I have the same issues in the past. In my opinion I think there might be just to much natural food in the area. You will at first catch the resident animals that live right there after you will wait for travelers. But if they are getting enough to eat they might not need to check your sets unless they are very curious. Found this out a lot with bait piles here in the winter. Some winters canines will walk right by with stopping to check them out and some winters they are on them about every night.

beg , borrow or buy a trail cam and see if they are hitting your road or if that sign was heavy before you got there and not being used now.

watch one of your sets and learn how they work it

some of the guys here have great videos of animals working a set and there is a lot to be learned by seeing patterns of how they approach a hole or don't


we were loosing chickens a while back , had all sorts of traps out caught some but could not figure out what was taking them when we stopped catching , finally borrowed a camera , got great pics of an owl it flew in , killed , broke down and took 4 trips to fly that chicken carcass out

I don’t think bait and lure is my problem as I have caught two this week on other farms. Just this one farm is driving me crazy. We got rain last night so I’m interested to see if there is any fresh sign. They may have moved out after I set or like backroad said they could have a good food source. Idk if this is a crazy question but what’s your opinion on setting right before a full moon? I set it 7 days ago right before full moon could they have seen a set and were educated?

I'd bet 90% or better of coyotes are caught out of curiosity more so than hunger . If I had to wait for coyotes to get hungry it would be a lot tougher trapping here. Yes the hungrier a coyote is the bolder they are but curiosity is what catches numbers.
Lure or bait is our first line of attraction at a set but the last thing some trappers want to question when the animals aren't attracted to the set.
Ive done a fair amount of testing of baits and lures and you will never convince me what u use is the second most important factor in catching coyotes only behind location.
Just me 2 cents.

Yes sir!!!! I would agree! Trap bedding is on top of the list