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.

How big is your tarp? Does material matter? Looks like yours is canvas.

Yes Sir, it is canvas.
It is a 5X5 piece of 10 ounce natural untreated canvas tarp.
It has no chemicals for waterproofing, flame retardant, bleach, or dyes applied to it.

Does it really matter?
Remember how those old Coleman treated canvas tents would smell?
That is why I use untreated canvas.

You're Welcome WI !

I just try to post up encounters and observations I think others might find interesting.


A bulk of the credit goes to all the trappers considerate enough to pass on hard-earned information they have earned through years on the line.
They are the ones that are the key to keeping our trapping heritage alive.


I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Paul Dobbins for making all this possible.
Each one of us owe him a debt of gratitude, as well as those that have gone before us.

Not sure where I get some canvas. What do you think about a piece of Tyvek? I can get that fairly easily.

I bet Tyvek would work S1, but I have never worked with it.

A good ol' nylon feed sack will do the job.

I finally had a chance to snap a few photos.



Here is an old bruiser on point.






This busybody has snafued our chances more than once this season

James don't you need camp meat and a key ingredient for a new barbacoa set ?

Why hasn't someone taken that old she devil out and solved the problem?

SG, we shoot our doe fawns in lieu of mature does when it comes to herd management.
Whacking the big girls would be the same as selling off all of your mama cows instead of your calves.
The matriarch does are able to have twins, and in some cases they throw twin buck fawns.
The old does also know how to get through tough times, so their fawn's survival will be much higher
On the other hand, a young doe that has never raised a fawn does not have that skill set.

Thought I'd share this tidbit...caught an adult female coyote yesterday in a set I had put out in late September. Local livestock guy contacted me
with coyote issues and wife's poultry and sheep depredations. Since it was not fur season I put in a Jake Trap and make a flat set near a pile of old bales.
The set caught 'possums and 'coon and then cooled off...no action. We had a bunch of rain, snow, freezing temp.s, then more warm up with rain and the
more cold. I had other sets in at the property but just continued to check this sleeper set and made sure it was still in working order. I don't use waxed dirt/sand.
I use dry grasses and line trap's jaws with it and then blend. I make sure trap is not set in a low spot so drainage is decent. It is not ideal but it has worked well for me.
I believe TIME is a crucial part of trappers success when making our sets. In this case, there was no issues of pulling traps up and moving as it was paying job and
close to the house. So many times trappers put in great looking quality predator sets and have to pull them in a few days never having the opportunity to see IF they would
ever have produced. Thought I'd share this as at times we start to doubt our abilities because of a shortage of time when in actuality the set could have produced our intended critter.
Good luck.

Always cool when those longstanding sets produce!