Just picked up a couple large ranches with several parcels. I’m trapping the parcels without cattle right now but they both have some ground with a lot of cattle and a lot of coyotes.

I’ve had limited success with the post hole set around cattle. They don’t seem to step in them but it’s been a set with marginal success for me. I’m having to use wax sand now due to intermittent rain and freeze and thaw. It’s keeping my sets working. However it’s too expensive to use if I have remake a lot of cattle sprung sets every check.

What sets or techniques have you used to exclude cattle from your sets and still catch coyotes. Each of these parcels doesn’t offer the option to trap outside the fenced areas due to ground being seeded in wheat right up to the fences. And while snaring the fences may be an option, they’re barbed wire with not much grass under the bottom wire so coyotes can cross about anywhere. And deer are plentiful. All my snares have light breakaways and deer stops. Little help on a neck snared doe.

I welcome your thoughts.

Will cattle step up on a mound?

Steep slopes, big step downs, under trees

My experience is in January when they are fed round bales in the same general area daily. As long as I stayed away from the feed and water I was fine. Don't let them see you making sets and no urine would be my tips. Most pastures had some where that was a little rougher or brushy that didn't get used much by the cattle.
Good luck

^^^pretty well nailed it.

Set in brush that's too tight for non-targets, a dog will fit lots of places a cow won't

None of these parcels have enough brush to hide a rabbit.

Knowing your area, if you're not off in the breaks that ground is pretty flat and gentle. That's going to make it tough, with no brush and no rough ground to funnel the cows. If they are feeding the cows, like Maurob says, that will consentrate them and you can try to trap where they aren't. But really you are just going to have to try to avoid them the best you can, postholes are about what I know that excludes cows, otherwise you're going to be remaking sets if you can't find a place the coyotes are and the cows aren't.

I’ve got plenty of ground where they are not pasturing cattle but these pieces of ground put me into new coyotes. Knowing my area, you know these ranchers can have multiple properties scattered over two or more counties. It’s nice to hit some new groups when things slow down elsewhere.

My only ground on the breaks doesn’t have any cattle on it. Everything else is pretty flat.

I trap in cow pastures 10 months a year doing control work in Central Texas. Snapped traps are a fact of life for me.

Obviously don’t set in cattle trails where there are cattle tracks. Even setting five feet off the trail helps.

Set the trap close to the scent when cows are near. I like to set my traps 12-18 inches from my scent normally. But that is where cow feet land when smelling the scent. So I crowd my trap close to the scent when in cows.

Fence brace set. We have pipe fence braces that go into the ground at a 45 degree angle from a pipe upright. Place trap under the brace where cows can’t step. I also carry cedar posts so I can make my own protection along a fence when there is no brace near sign.

I’ll also nail a cedar post or dead branch to a tree to make a 45 degree angle. Then make set under it.

I’ve had some success with step down sets, but our paranoid coyotes don’t like dirt holes down here. It works on pups in the fall, not much else.

The best thing you can do is get good and fast at resetting your traps. That way you won’t be too upset when the cows snap them off. Just reset and forget.

use a thorn thistle as a backing.

Yes, cattle are as inquisitive as a species as there is!

Agree on not letting them see you or your truck. If they do, they'll be over to check it out later--like right after you leave. This has been my struggle with my and others dang cows.

Cattle were put on this earth to destroy everything within reach of them. Then they crap on what is left making repairs aggravating. They taste good though.

What do you think the chances are of holding a cow or calf in a laminated #3 Bridger? Would going from 4 down to 2 coil be worth the insurance?

Centex Trapper, what size ADC traps are you running? Are you staking or dragging most sets in cattle county?

It might hold a new calf. Won’t hold a cow.

I use chained super stakes in cow pasture. I’ll chain a trap to a tree or fence pretty solid also.

I’ve never held a cow, but I have held a couple small calves.

I run No BS Extreme traps. Four coiled with shock spring. #3 size.

Go down to #2 size like the NO BS Jrs or MB 550 size if you want to be safer. Nothing is perfect.

Thank you both for the replies!

Snagging a large "non-target" can sure put a kink in the days plans...

Get very good at resetting traps your part of country calves should be gone no urine at Set or walk over 6,,, 7 feet from set give bush a shot of urine give those cows because they are going find you lol something to smell while staying out of set it helps ...