I snare coyotes where bobcats are protected and their are more cats than coyotes and red fox combined. Since December 22 I have run no more than 15 coyote snares a day (in 2 locations a half mile apart) and have caught 30 coyotes. Most are not skinable due to mange or simply shoulders scratched bare from ticks. I use a big elongated loop with the bottom of the loop set knee high (24 inches). This way almost all bobcats walk underneath as do fox but I have not seen where a coyote went under one. I also do not have any coyote refusing a snare as the big loop top is high. Now it is important to note I do not set these snares where a deer will get caught. I set only on coyote trails heading to a bait of roadkill deer carcusses.
Only 2 non-coyotes have been caught in these snares this year, a huge cat and a little female gray fox. The cat was one of the biggest I have seen and was released unharmed. For reference the tree by his hip is about 5 inches in diameter. He was hip caught. The little gray was also released as they are rare around here and it was a female. I can only surmise the snare was knocked down and then she went into it.
First picture is a set snare with cat tracks going right under it.

Bobcats quickly cover the deer if there is not much snow, when there is snow it gets packed down by all the critters and birds at the baits.

Nice bobcat.Sad that you can't trap them.

That is awesome you can snare. I have cable restraint nontarget deer here with loops 11 inches off the ground and had to release them. I admire your method.

Good job
I like snaring yotes

Some people think you're nuts setting coyote at 14" off the ground, let alone 24" .

At trapping conventions and fur sales sometimes I do get looked at like I have one eye in the middle of my forehead.

I have snared coyotes in Wyoming and Colorado and this setup would be too high for those yotes. Studying trail cam videos and pictures and noteing a coyotes head height as he walks by a tree that can be measured and you will see how high their heads are. The standard 12 inch loop set 12 inches high puts the top of the snare right in his face, hense a high refusal rate. The higher snares give him a wide open view forward with the lock and support over his head so refusals are rare. At the suggestion of my friend Jim I now fasten my coyote snares up high on a tree or brush. When first caught the coyote yanks the snare so the lock goes on the back of his neck and not to the side of the neck as a low fastening will do. Lock on the side of the neck puts the cable right in his mouth and is open to chew outs. High fastening puts the lock and cable at the back of its neck and chew outs are also rare.

Great informative post Mr. Space! We are not allowed to use dryland snares nor cable restraints here... and we need 'em!

Very cool photos. That one coyote looks like it survived a housefire.

Thanks for the pictures and information. Great share Eric.
This would be great information for the Maine fish and game outfit to study, but God knows they would not. It would not suit the antis that they are so worried about.
This method and an extended season would help manage the coyote population.


Mac

You are correct Mac on all accounts.Very sad.Northern Maine is surrounded by Canada on 3 sides where they can trap lynx and use snares.We are not allowed to use snares even for coyotes or anything other then beaver under the ice.

Very interesting, thanks Eric. These eastern coyotes have a longer leg than those Wyoming and tx coyotes - from my personal experience. I don’t disagree with your loop height, looks successful to me.

Eric A very good post And your pictures are worth a thousand words As a 10 year old kid the mink was envy of every trapper At least here in PA any trapper that could catch a mink was held in the highest regard by most
other trappers .It was like a trapper catching mink was thought to have some kind of majic potion to catch even a few in a season I could get few but until I learned to position m trap properly at sets including blind sets my ,mink catch was more miss than hit And back in the 60.s and 70 .s catching mink became easier with the conibear and the development of the Bottom Edge set

Caught #31 today. This picture shows what I was saying before about fastening the snare up high. You can see the lock is located right between his ears. This coyote was alive but did not chew the cable at all. My snares are 3/32 but I think with high fastening a lighter cable could be used, I may try that next year.

My cable got lost in the mail and I'm pretty sore about it. Would have been nice to set up some more coyote snares. I'm thinking of setting the perimeter of a frozen pond and making a bait pile in the middle.

Hang em nice pics

Your a Legend in N.J

I am astounded!! Bottom of the loop 24 in. above ground is what wolf trappers use for snaring wolves. I have caught 5 or 6 that way myself. A canine approaching a bait would likely have its head/nose to the ground. A yote with his nose to the ground would go under a 24 in. snare. A average size yotes back is 24 in. off the ground, or less! How do you get the critter to raise its head?
Obviously, I can't argue with success!

Most snaring down here isnt at bait stations. Coyote with its nose down wont get caught in a snare 10" off the ground either. But thats also why you set multiple snares on a trail.

Some of them coyotes look pretty ragged, Wouldn't matter with prices the way they are now.