Any one ever make a dirt hole set in / on a frozen pond ? Every frozen pond I have ever seen a coyote or a fox has checked it out. At least 2 or 3 times a season. What about chopping a dirt hole in the ice and line the hole with wax paper or peat moss or wax dirt or both. I have heard coal slag works good in very cold weather. Anchor chain in ice with what ever you prefer and cover trap with more wax dirt it or straight pest moss or I coal slag. I know a coyote or fox would investigate but could a trapper keep the trap operational setting on a pond or lake ?
Your thoughts on how to make it work. Thanks. MD

Why not just make a couple sets on the upwind side of the pond and set in or on the ground. I wouldnt feel too safe or confident with your method or idea. Just catch them before they take to the pond.

I think I would just stik to flat sets or trail sets on the ice? Dunlap has a good video of blind setting coyotes on the ice with footholds. He runs a wolf fang under the ice to anchor and chops a bed out of the ice and uses waxed dirt below and above. Think he's using this more on the rivers when the coyotes are using them as super highways.

I tried this years ago with dry dirt. The dark dirt absorbed heat of the sun and it melted into a mud puddle during the day. I remember an article of using white styrofoam beads to bed the trap on the ice. I don't know how you could solidly bed a trap in styrofoam beads. And then there is the litter aspect. I never tried it.

I believe you could trap predators off the top of muskrat huts you find on a pond.

Flat sets have their advantages too

That's where a straw set would come in handy.