For the record I don't do it. But I'm a hobby fur trapper. But I do know of several guys that make there living catching coyotes in sheep country that do it. Guys that have been trapping coyotes for 30 to 50 years that think it's important. Two schools of thought I can see possibly for it are ,they what the new factor and intrest from their target. I suppose just like people sometimes we will go a little farther out of our way to try something new. The second fact I could see being at catch circles. To high pressured coyotes the smells from a catch circle can definitely communicate danger/stress/ fear and some situations you don't want those feelings associated with a particular lure or bait. Now after a catch you probably can't totally remove the lure or bait odor but you sure could reduce the amount and longevity of it.

As stated before I don't do it but I know guys that know coyotes and I listen to when they talk coyotes that do it. These guys are are highly respected by other coyote guys that make their livelihood catching coyotes in sheep country. I sure ain't in no position to tell them they are wrong.

One thing I've learned is that if I've never tried it I probably don't know what I'm talking about.

A fellow could go behind trappers that remove their lures (and baits) and put traps back at those locations and likely do pretty good....I sure would.

I have enjoyed reading everyone’s opinions on this. Many of you have way more lure/bait testing and observation of coyote behaviors than I have! Definitely gives us some info to think about!

I usually use the same lure and bait the last couple of years. I am really thinking there is something about it. This year I had trail cam pictures of coyote in areas. I went in and set two different properties miles apart. Sets were in for two weeks and absolutely no coyote since the pictures. Was it the trail camera or lure and bait that I use every year.It has been unusually warm for this time of the year maybe that's why they are not working sets. I sure would like to know what is happening?.?

How hard is it to pick up either of these to things????

You can = get a plastic drink bottle. Cut off end. Put bait in it. Put down hole. 1 plastic water bottle makes = 2 dirt holes. Easy to get back out. And put in 5 gallon bucket. IF you want too

The two primary factors that work in favor of the trapper are that animals in general are curious and they are opportunists. That being known, it comes down to what they see / smell and if they may have had some previous trap set encounters from another scenario. Pressured / experienced based coyotes can be a challenge, but most can be caught over time if they keep cycling back through and don't move out of the area.

I have seen several situations where a trail cam presence overlooking a trap set area have spooked coyotes. Not sure if it is due to the noise of the cam or the illumination feature. But it happens.

Bob. I have often wondered about = do some camera’s make a sound we can’t hear BUT a hog or coyote can??? I have been lucky with hogs. I have used = HogEye and other 2000 dollar high end type cameras. Even with those. An occasional old sow. Will act wary. Just luck? Sound we can’t hear? Shape or contrast of camera? Location of camera? It’s something

I have had several reactions that spooked coyotes and alerted fox and some coon even. Those animals picked up something from those cams, Triggering or IR , black light, I have both types.

Don’t have a pic of anything spooked with my Spartans. I have them walk past a dirt hole and flat set like neither were there before. Actually got that the first night I put the sets in. The next night the same thing. I mean never broke stride in either sets of pics. The third night it made a beeline for the dirthole. I have no clue if it was the same coyote or different, but I mean come in, make a 90 straight to the hole, and caught. This was a high fence place, not that it matters, but to me that explains the three nights in a row.

The issue with cameras is people get pics of critters ignoring sets then go back to tweak or add something. I speak from experience, lol. Once I put them in and left them, I started catching more often.

It was also explained to me that less is more. I thought a match tip dip was just a metaphor…it was actually a match tip dip in the lure. And I’ve seen that work 4 weeks a one day after setting.

If I put a set in, it doesn’t get touched until I pull or it makes a catch. Listening to that type of advice and actually doing it increased my catches. Now that works for Summer, Spring, and Winter time trapping. There’s plenty of advice on this sight if folks would just read.

Now if someone can tell me how to keep possums or cats out of coyote sets I’d really pay attention!!! I could use no bait, lure, or urine and make a set where there’s nothing but coyote tracks and a possum or bobkitty will clog it up!

Spartan is a quality camera. But there is always the coyote that is =. By natural or age. Going to act strange. Just like the hogs do at times. I think. It’s often just luck?? Ever just spotted something you have never seen before at a place? Maybe that’s just luck? But a coyote may freak out from that. Simply because of its nature. Just like some coyotes are supper spooky. Same as with them old sows

Wanna Be. I think you are on the right track about = Leave the set alone! The catch I made today sat for weeks. And 2 rains and 2 heavy frosts untouched till Coyote came back through. Last 3 days. I could see a black spot. Size of a dime. Where the pan was showing on MJ 600. I resisted the idea of brooming dirt over it. I think. Many southern trappers. Myself included. Have or are guilty of using to much lure or reluring when unneeded.

This is coyote #88 out of the field in front of my house. I have been here for 18 years and trapped them all within 300 yards in one corner of my field. At first they were easy and pretty much committed suicide - sometime two at a time. After a few years they got harder and I switched to only flat sets for them with a different lure and presto it was easy peasy again. After a couple more years they started passing by the flat sets so I went to a Robbins style dirt hole with a big bait. and gland and lure down the hole. I ran this way till last year when I got 5 in about a week then it went dry. This year all 5 sets have been there since 11/11/ and this morning I finally got this male. I made a stubble pile 12'' high and 12'' around and put gland on the front of it and every time I went by on the 4 wheeler I dribbled urine on it. I call this place the corner of death. Some coyotes stay way away from this corner. They like to stay across the road in fact. And across the road they are plain easy to catch. The advice for using different lure is good. I think you should. I think you'll never catch every one. they head for the hills if they get spooked. I have to go to the neighbors to get those. There's more to it than getting shy of smells - some smells are good and they do associate others they had a bad time with as bad- sometimes if they see one of there's in a trap they might stay with them but never come back to that spot - or maybe next year they are there if you fur trap- but you might only get one shot at them -so switching lure and set is a good thing. using a lure holder like steeltraps says is good too but a lot of us just don't do it.
I typically use one gland lure, one bait, one lure and urine until I see something is not working. I also use one or two sets until I see something is different and then I look at my notes before I show them something else so I am not doing the same thing I did in the recent past.
I don't see coyotes get tired or scarred of natural baits like deer or beaver but I do see it and other reactions from prepared baits and lures. If I use the same one year after year - they just aren't interested or mom and dad are keeping junior away from it - or maybe they don't see it as food or something interesting because the interesting things in their lives so far have not been that smell. Some coyotes are just leery of anything like people. Set every trap like you are setting it for the one that is the smartest and hardest to catch.

If you like a certain lure you don't need to outsource form a different source either - just a different one that person makes usually is the trick.

In one way this is similar to calling in the sense that you are creating a picture in the coyotes head of what happened here or what is here and he takes it from there. Give him a new smell and his frame of mind may freak out or even be reminded of a good or bad thing. We have no way of knowing how it will react. We don't know if our neighbor is using the same lure? If you have the time just mess with them and try some thing different and they will usually show you how they can be caught. Sometimes a toy helps.

I have used 2 different baits, 1 gland, and 3-4 lures from one maker for 5 yrs now. I have ran the same basic lines for at least 15 yrs with these lures/baits in different combinations. Most every year I’ve set many of the same catch circles or very close to them. I do keep a log book for reference. It seems to me that the interest shown in the sets have decreased. Fewer visits, fewer tracks, less commitments to the attractors. I have had the occasional digger like most get. So I appreciate the comments you all have made !

How many lure salesmen are selling lures initially based off the same formulas. How many guys are using variants of the nelson formulas?

Lots.

Coyote investigates another trapped coyote, comes back again later, the coyotes gone, smells like the same bait/lure, you, there’s some blood there, it MAY avoid the spot.

Coyote investigates another trapped coyote, smells your bait/lure, smells you, gets nipped by the trapped coyote, next time it comes across the smell of those baits/lures and you it MAY avoid it.

Coyote goes a mile to a fresh set, same bait/lure, smells like people, it MAY associate all that with its previous experience(s) and avoid it.


Another thing to consider, even though commercial baits and lures can all smell different, MANY of them utilize the SAME dozen or so ingredients. Castor, skunk, rat and mink glands, etc etc etc.

Scent habituation and avoidance is a thing.

Likewise for location avoidance when to much has happened at a spot. I regularly see this at good snare locations with no baits or lures. To many coyotes die there, the spot eventually burns out.

I’m believing that for me a bait/lure change is due. Will need to do some research on new smells and some slight changes in setting routines!

I have run bait piles for 10 plus years. Initially, all the bait piles were hit hard and many coyotes were caught in the vicinity. I learned very quickly that coyotes learned to avoid those piles to the point where a fresh load of deer scraps in an established spot would be ignored all winter while a fresh location 200 yards away would get pounded. The question is, does one generation of coyotes teach the next generation to avoid certain spots? Is it the same with baits? After all, coyotes (and dogs) learn by association.

Taught and learned behavior Been saying this for years