Tejas, the source of digging you maybe referring to is fresh or loose dirt. Although that could happen with coyotes, I don't see that type of reaction from coyotes around here. Now raccoons or red fox are known for that. I'm sure with different soil conditions it could be a factor in some areas on coyotes.

In the Summer Coyote Toils thread you cited fresh soil from pulled anchors causing digging, so any fresh digging should be the same. Is it that simple? They dig.

Exactly SPC!

The smell of fresh dirt from digging the trap bed is the culprit.

This has been a real problem at times around here.

No coon or fox were present at the locations where this was occurring.

It is that simple.

I’ve seen dozens and dozens of set locations dug up right after pulling.
They would hit a pulled gang set location and dig every single one.
These were all primarily flat sets where zero attractant left on the ground. I make sure of it.
The coyotes would dig the center of those sets like clockwork.


To test this I drilled some mock locations and covered up the holes like I would when I pull anchors.

All those fresh holes that were filled in were dug out in short order.

Case Closed.....

When you ask on T-Man “what is the cause of a coyote digging up traps” nine times out of ten the answer will be trap contamination or a poorly bedded trap.
I believe that a vast majority of the time that is not the reason for most digs. At least that has been the case here.

A number of year’s back I had a set a new location that had a lot of coyotes working the area.
I set heavy right out of the gate. Traps covered a radius of about 75-100 yards.
Wile E. and company turned that big gang set into a yard sale.
They dug up well-blended sets up like they had a metal detector.
I did a little bait and switch test and confirmed they were not keying on the trap itself.
I consistently caught coyotes there daily, but defeated sets outnumbered catches three to one easily.

Pinpointing the exact cause was a simple process of elimination.

Coming up with a solution through trial & error took a little longer.

Here is the missed digger.


She was snagged the very same night less than five yards from the first set.

The young female caught the day before was probably her nanny.



Earlier I asked what age and sex folks thought the digger might be.

I’ve seen a distinct patten where adult females in their prime seem to be the most persistent at digging.

This adult female fits that description to a T.


The young female caught the night before also provided a clue as to who might be next.

Making use of that insight can help reel in more coyotes.

I will admit that I have a few coyote diggers because of fresh soil, but the majority of the time it's a coon or red fox doing it in my areas. I think I don't have a problem with it because of the approach I take when first setting. I usually always start with a punch hole and use fresh dirt for the backing of the hole. Then a lot of times the remake is turned into a flat set. There are other methods to take care of that reaction as well, but that's my go to method.

What method do you use to mitigate the problem, Tejas.