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.

Like SPC the majority of the digging I see is from coon excavating the trap from it's bed but the coyotes have a tendency to scratch a little and call it good. I generally just recover, shoot some urine over it and wait them out. The vast majority of my sets are step down dirtholes using very little backing and the excess dirt throw clear to leave a relatively level area. I have found that if I leave mounds, even small ones to the sides or approach, that the coyotes have a tendency to stand on them, check the hole and book.

Sometimes "if you can't beat em' join em' " is the best approach SPC.

It certainly was in this case.

I have become very efficient at avoiding where coon travel.
They run certain paths like clockwork. I avoid those places like the plague.
Even when I set road heavy lines they rarely bothered my flat sets.
A hole set they will hit every single time.

The coon leaves a very distinct pattern when he pulls a trap from the bed.
The coyote on the other hand usually catches a lever and dislodges the trap from its bed.

The jig is up once they discover the steel.

Folks need to pay attention to what you said about leaving small mounds of dirt around the set area.

When the set area is left uneven it can create problems.
A new set made on uneven ground that incorporates a slope, ditch, or hump within the immediate set area it can cause some major headaches.
There are several reasons why my set patterns are flat as a tabletop. That is one reason why.

The shallow ditch you see trailing off to the left in the background was key to this set’s overall effectiveness.

This location was one of the top producers thanks to that one simple feature.

This is just one example of why gang sets are superior to singles.

The other two contestants that make up this triple play would agree.

Here is contestant number two.

This is the third catch for this set in five days.



Young Male - Flat Set

I found that sets do much better when they are not crowded by brush.

Give your sets a little room to breathe and they will consistently pick up more coyotes.

I've made a set like that with gopher.

Do you have a lot of gophers where you’re at Martin?

We have the 13 - striped ground squirrel and a hoard of pack rats, but I've never seen a gopher.

James Lucero has a coyote set called the J.L Gopher.

It is a slick little set that is different from the ordinary looks.

I have found over the years that pack rats are a staple food for all predators. If they are around it is a sure bet there will be cats and coyotes looking for an easy meal patroling those hut areas.

Like stated some of those pack rats get pretty big and certainly provide very good nutrition and can make a good meal for any animal.

They are easy to catch and generally you will have a good population where they have become established.

Yes. Sandy loam, mostly. I have some heavier soil, buy mostly loam.
I've seen the ground squirrels east of me about 20 miles, and the soil wasn't all that different.
I'm near Pleasanton.