Thanks MC !
MC, I always pondered this about drags.
Maybe you and some other folks can shed a little light on the subject.
I realize there are many good reasons for using drags.
One reason that I hear is to preserve a good set location.
We all know that an anchored catch tears up an otherwise good set location.
The general consensus is in some instances that is not a good thing.
In other cases the circle is a gold mine of great interest.
In either case a coyote is very interested in that circle of smell even if he wont step foot I it.
Now, when a coyote takes off on a drag to parts unknown he eventually gets hung up somewhere.
That entanglement site might be close or far away from the original spot.
In either case you now have a hot spot created that draws attention away from the original location where your sets are.
You know any coyote that gets a whiff of that circle is not going to pass it up.
In this case do you usually make a set wherever the coyote happens to get hung up to snag strays?
TEJAS, I wanted to revisit your question and provide some insight into some of my experiences with drags and those "hot spots" you mentioned. One of my trapping mentors, who was a career western gov't trapper, instructed me to always use a fresh trap in the original trap bed and then put in a set with the "used" trap at the hot spot, or where the coyote hung up. Using this knowledge has netted A LOT of repeat catches in both set locations. You are absolutely right in that you cannot ignore those hot spots.
By the way, I have recently caught up on the entire thread and there are LOTS of great coyote information and insight contained in this thread. Well done, guys...