My only option for trapping here is on public lands (national forest), lots of forestry roads with two tracks branching off. There is a lot of sign of coyote using those two tracks as there paths and trails and I cant really tell if they're using the deer runs to any significant extent. Those two track are also frequently traveled by hunters during overlapping seasons. My question to those that are in a similar situation, how do you keep catches from being discovered?
Even if I were to use a drag it couldn't get far because of the under growth in those areas is heavy. Some areas if I was able to lure them 10-20 feet off the trail they would be some what covered by the brush ( as long as they weren't trashing around like a banshee). Would a lure call them in that far? or is there something that could be used to visually direct them to a set? All advice opinions and suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Honestly, they can be hard to pull. Sometimes they will come a long ways, but other times you have to put it right under their nose, they won't go more than a step or two out of their way. Try to find skid trails or abandoned roads that they are using and people aren't, if possible. Sometimes big baits can draw them to an area away from roads. If you are setting where people may see them there are two options. A)use drags and hope they get out of sight or B)stake them with something the average person can't pull, such as chained earth anchors with all welded connections. Both have their pluses and minuses, if they are staked solid and people come by they will see any catch bouncing, but if they can't pull the trap with their muscles, most people won't bother with trying to get equipment to pull it, but they may take your catch. Drags on the other hand may let the animal get out of sight, but I've had that backfire and had catches tangle themselves on the only bush available in the wide open or on the edge of the road with ten feet of chain so they can get right out in the middle of the road and dance in front of any traffic. And if they do find your trap, with or without a catch, it is a simple matter for them to pick up trap and drag and walk off.

Sounds like great country for snared jackpot sets.

Anchoring solid like bearcar2 says. Can use one of these to open your s-links or swivels so every connection looks permanent, and people might just take your catch and leave your gear.

A bait off in the bush to get them coming in off the trail. Others still might investigate the smell but would probably bugger off when the spot the source.

Find where they enter and exit those roads and set xx yards off the road at them.

From the reply's I have to admit to being lax in my scouting, I'll have to get out and pound the ground more than I have.
Snares are something I'm finding interest in- never snared at all in my life, but have time to look into it, snaring for coyote opens Jan 1 here in Mi, but I can trap Oct 25 (getting a little anxious). I appreciate the reply's guys- thanks

Keep in mind our regs say you cant hang cable on public land so might not be helpful relative to your initial question

I read that in the regs and was a little fuzzy on it for whatever reason, thanks for clearing that up for me, other things seem to be added as a deterrent to snaring like the relaxing lock, "breakaway device"( what ever that is) and the restraint to limit the size of the closed loop. I would suppose all to protect none target critters.
Unfortunate for me in this neck of the woods the newest cash crop for land owners and farmers are hunting leases, just not worth it to me.

When you look at some of those specific rules like entanglement ours aren’t as bad as some places. But taken as a whole they make it tough in my opinion. The one rule that makes them very difficult and some will say not worth utilizing is the dog stop. You can sorta body snare some fox. But a large % coyotes will figure out how to chew out of toughest cable with all the play. At one point I ran a few hundred in winter but it’s been years since I’ve utilized to any extent. Once you educate a few with them you question the value

Know a few guys in north that heavily use the public ground though and they just master getting hidden. Though I personally always feel uncomfortable up there on public ground

Set up a slider cable, move them off the road.

wws

If I set on a path I use two feet earth anchor so they can't pull and the chain is welded shut.

hmm that would require a pretty heavy gauge wire, kinda hard to hide, but you're thinking and I like that

He said cable not wire.

He said cable not wire. [/quote]
my bad, still kinda hard to hide on a set placed along a two track (as per my op)

The slide cable can be done, but it is time intensive and you need a place where they can go down it out of sight of the road, but without entanglement where they can become tangled up in plain sight. It is something to keep in mind to keep in your arsenal, but will probably have very limited usage in my opinion.

Frankly you need to keep in mind most of the suggestions here and tailor your solution to each individual situation and set. Finding places where they are leaving the traveled roads and setting there is ideal, but will severely limit your sets. Large baits (jackpots in Boco's vernacular) can draw them, and you can either snare trails in, or make foothold sets around (or both). But again that is limiting, so keep in mind all options and most likely use most or all of them depending on situation.

[quote=bearcat2]The slide cable can be done, but it is time intensive and you need a place where they can go down it out of sight of the road, but without entanglement where they can become tangled up in plain sight. It is something to keep in mind to keep in your arsenal, but will probably have very limited usage in my opinion.



X2
But i do use slide wires at times. When i do i use them for fox i use 11 guage wire. At the far staked end i twist the last foot or so it's doubled as to not kink so bad with a catch. I drill out swivel hole a little bigger to better go over twisted part of wire

Sent you a PM

I have used the slider cable with success. At times, I have to do pre-season work to clear some brush and weeds to have the animal to go where I want it to go.

Check your traps before everyone else gets out there. I do a fair amount of trapping on public and really don’t have a lot of problems.

THIS

A good headlamp will aid greatly with remaking sets