Maybe he had a thing for bone marrow , or it's genetic
Some critters have a genetic flaw that makes them have a smaller body
Other times it will make them a giant by comparison to the rest of the species.

Maybe he survived Parvo like the Catahoula my dad had when I was a kid

Dad nursed him through it but he never got as big as he should have

Most likely a genetic issue or maybe he only got enough nutrition early to survive.

I bet he didn't eat any less deer fawns in his adulthood than others though

Long time thread reader, first time poster.

I’m slowly working my way through the 92 pages for the second time and I am realizing that I have got to step up my flat set game. This is my second year trapping seriously at all and I have caught 21 coyotes but they have all come out of dirt holes. I’ve got several flat sets out but I haven’t had one connect yet, with only one that I can remember being worked by a coyote. I’m to the point that I don’t even like making a flat set because the confidence is long gone.

Through my thought process with all of this I got to wondering, if you didn’t have the sand conditions that allowed you to read tracks so well, do you think you would still be using some dirt holes and not 100% flat sets?

Thanks to all of the experienced guys posting on this thread! It is a ton of help to someone just starting on the journey to hopefully become a Coyote Man!

I personally wouldn't worry about making flat sets right now if they are not working for you. Stick with what's working and try a flat set from time to time. You're correct, a lot of coyote trapping has to do with confidence. Stick with the dirt hole for now and stack them up.

Don’t worry, I’m still throwing in plenty! I just can’t help but think there has been some refusals that a flat set would have gotten. I’ve started adding a flat nearby most of my catch circles just for a different look.

Thanks for chiming in Fdept56 !

I wish more folks would follow your lead and post up their experiences and questions as you have done.

We can all learn so much more if we just interact with each other like we do in the field with Wile E.

Like SPC said, If hole sets are what’s working then keep feeding it to them.
Holes worked well here for about a year and a half, and I beat the coyotes to death with it.
Then, almost overnight, the coyotes caught on in a big way.
That forced me to become proficient with flats if I wanted to stay productive.

Why did the hole set lose its effectiveness here? Visual association of the hole itself, that’s how.
The flat is so deadly because it doesn’t suffer the same telltale attributes as a flat.
To this very day, Wile E. has yet to catch on to any variation of flat set no matter what the look or attractant is.

To answer your question, I would use flats in any soil condition. The results will all be the same.
I would strongly suggest you keep a few flats in your lineup. There will come a day on your line when they will shine.
Poop and urine flats where you see the same in the field will catch coyotes anywhere. You can take that to the bank Fdept56.

James do you think if you threw in a couple of dirt hole sets now that they would be effective for a time like before?

Or do you think that the coyotes who are moving in have been educated by trapping activity outside of your ground?

On a side note I was just thinking.
Flat sets require less "stuff", ie punch/auger & drill, larger containers of "bait", etc

Most of us are trapping out of or off of some type of vehicle but I am sure there are many who still trap afoot that would benefit from hauling less

This is probably the most educational thread on T-Man. Thanks for keeping it going Tejas.