Correct. If there’s no hole, it’s a flat set. I’m bad about leaving chain exposed and catch a pile of coyotes. It burying it is not bad advice. Most bury it all beneath the trap but that’s difficult to do in some locations/conditions.

My advice is to bury all the chain. I don't always follow my own advice. If the chain is back in the brush, behind a tree, etc. Not visible from the set itself, I don't always bother. When I stretch the chain out and toss the drag back in the brush or prehook it, I make sure the first few feet of chain is carefully buried, after that I often make sure it is just not readily visible, like I said, back in the brush, or it may just have sticks tossed over it or something so it is broken up and not visible at a glance. I can recall one instance where the chain was completely buried in snow, then the snow melted and a few feet of it was visible from about four feet from the trap on. A pack of wolves came down the trail, got within about twenty feet of the set, seen that, backed up and marked the place all up about fifty feet back, scratches, several piles of scat, marked trees, the works, and left. Leaves you with a kind of sick feeling, but next time through I caught one of them on one of the trees they marked (that chain was carefully covered).

@Sharkhunter If you don't mind me asking, which region of the state are you in?

About an even split for me between dirt holes, flat sets and T bones.

Early season here i start out with more hole sets. More like a mouse hole than a big dirt hole. I seem to get more males than females. The later towards the breeding season, i do mostly flat sets and get more females than males. I don't use much bait in the flat sets, mostly gland lures.

Are many of you of the opinion that flat sets work best on older animals?

Another question - on a dirt hole set using a gland lure in conjunction with bait and/or urine, is it effective to use gland lure outside of mating season? I'm asking about dirt hole sets targeting coyote, fox, and bobcat?

Yes on both questions.

Set more flats and think outside the box on attractant usage and you will catch a lot more coyotes.

Thanks.

Huntsville/ Madisonville area.