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.

Tried this / did this and had some luck but mostly a lot of issues. Lots of coon around here and they were caught mostly did manage a few coyotes but definitely not worth the hassle. Freeze/thaw issues. I used mostly marshy type puddles, ponds and set up lots of mostly vegetation humps, hummocks with flat sets with dragged traps long chain... no solid anchor. My state does not allow snaring on dry land but could see the possibilities of snares on ice at those brushy openings with debris blocking things off. Baseplated traps w/d-rings were a royal pain...used mostly regular/unmodified base plated traps and had better luck in bedding them. #2 Montgomery rj were my favorite. Downwind setting with gland lure/droppings excelled.

The title made me click on it out of curiosity of just how in the world you would pull that off

Of course it never freezes anything thick enough down here to even think about it holding anything and rarely even thick enough to support the weight of a coyote anyway

I bet you could make something work where it got cold enough though

Buddy of mine in Idaho uses a hay set on the ice drills a hole to anchor through.

Years ago I read an article, maybe from Asa Lennon (T&PC?). He chopped out a bed in the ice, set trap, and filled with water. He waited until the water froze a top skim of ice, then sucked the rest of the water out with a straw. Then sifted some light snow over the top (maybe left as is, I don't really remember). Chain anchored in the ice.
Obviously, had to be in very cold conditions so no thaw/freeze.

Sh h h h . . .
Actually snow pads will out perform that, but that is another story in itself

Dirt hole ?

Make a vertical BANK HOLE in the cut bank.
Fanning the dirt onto the ice for eye appeal
There's your set