So far in my 2 seasons of trapping, I have been trapping on private properties that range from 50 acres to 300 acres.
Is there a maximum density or number of sets that you like for a given area size that allows for the best chance of catching canines without "overcrowding" or "oversaturating" the area with sets?
For example, on a 50 acre property made up of pasture, crop fields, and fence rows, I have been hesitant to set more than 8-10 sets (1 set per 5-6 acres).
What are your thoughts and experiences?

Seems like way to many for coyotes for me unless ur on a dead pile. 2 to four should be plenty to cover it unless ur in a real special spot or ur regularly plugging them up with no targets. Heck one or two might be enough. There comes a point where putting in too many traps and checking to many extra traps is a waste of time and can have adverse effects on the coyotes. Don't know much about fox. Ur catch rate of of a property should help u determine how many to set.

No limits but you have to be smart about it. I wouldnt make a bunch of flashy dirtholes and use the same bait/lures at each set within a small area(and by small im talking if you can see the sets) unless all you're doing is pup coyote trapping. Most of my coyote trapping is more control-type trapping where im trying to get as many coyotes off a property as possible. Use a lot of snares or blind sets and you can easily set a bunch of traps on one property without hurting yourself.

I set one per acre then

No hard and fast but total number for me is going to depend on what sort of high percent travel routes are on the place. A fifty acre crop field looks quite different from a fifty acre pine plantation with roads, old bunching grounds/green fields. Also flat terrain vs rugged.

I like to break out the topos and aerials to try to get a feel for how they travel through a tract and identify the high percentage choke points.

Where I trap it depends on what is on the property. I set on sign. I might only have a trap for every couple of acres or I might set like I'm laying in a mine field. The property I'm setting tomorrow has a little road that separates the swamp and hardwood bottom from bar pits with small islands. Where I'm setting tomorrow is going to be about a 300yd strip. I will put two predator sets on the first intersection I'm starting at. I will put two sets in the next intersection that is the limit of the strip I setting tomorrow. I will look closely and if I see a spot where they are crossing to go hunt the bar pits or a spot they are standing looking down on the bar pits, I will throw a set there. I will also set every otter and beaver crossing I see as well as any mink trails I see. There is a little water run that comes through the swamp, goes over the road and down into one of the bar pits. Its covered in coon tracks, I will set it with blind sets pockets. When I get finished trapping that spot in a week or two it will be clean.

I have a gas line that connects into this area that I have set. I have very few traps on this and those are for coyotes, foxes and bobcats. Not much uses the gas line except predators right now. I keep low numbers there as they are only using it to go visit gut piles on the nearby hunting lease. So I have to set on their trails or they will ignore most sets. I have to set to where they almost run into it. Once deer season ends, the last day of January, activity will pickup on the gas line again, thus I might put in more sets, but not many more as activity is limited there.

Like was posted, snares and blind sets are your friend. You can really saturate the area without getting the critters nervous.

I trap differently than most on here as where I trap I'm covered in animals so I need to set large numbers of traps and snares, large numbers. For predators if you are going to set large numbers mix it up. Dirt hole here, walk through here, trench here, scent post here, dung pile here, blind set here, 300 on a trail through some briars here, and...

The land owners and lease holders I trap for want body counts. The only way to get large body counts is to set a lot of traps.

3

I always ask myself the same thing. But I also really love to just set. I will set all day long some places and than run out of traps for the next property and have to run home to get more. But if I am trying to space out and use sparingly than I set on trails with blind sets and fense lines with snares. If I’m on a road to where blind sets are not ideal than I set on sign. Or anyplace where the food will be.

Same here. 3 per property…….no more, no less…… …..lol

Start with 3-4 sets, if they're constantly plugged then set more. If not, it's more than enough to pick up what comes through

It's sounding like the general consensus is maybe 1 set per 10-15 acres? I'm not so much looking for number of sets on this specific 50 acre property but rather a GENERAL rule of how many sets you may make for any given number of acres.

Work backwards. How many animals do you think you will catch off the property in a week or two, then how many sets do you need to have to catch those animals. Forget about the acres unless ur farming it.

Where you set ur traps is more important than how many u set. Theres more than likely features on that property that the vast majority of the K9s go to the vast majority of time they go through the property. Spend some time following their tracks in the snow and you will learn to find those locations.

I don't think there is a definitive answer to your question. There are many variables that will affect the number of sets being used.

Knowing how to set up any given property is the key to how successful your sets will be and how fast you get results. Then, what are your animal populations and traffic going to be there? You just don't know that answer, and that number may change yearly.

What time of year is it and the weather.

I would set according to what your experience tells you at the time and use that as your guide. If you only have a couple places to set, set them up accordingly, by using the wind, find the natural easy to use travel ways, barriers, ridge tops, edges, corners and outstanding features that may be there.

Me, I would set all those I identify as a good spot, with a double set on each location. Mix up your set types, looks and odors at all your locations. Early season, dirt holes are most folks go to sets.

As the season progresses you will need to change your process or your sets will go dead. Especially if you are limited in land as to where you trap.

Blended sets, walk thrus and scent post combos are hot sets late into the season like now in Pa..

If you really don't know what you are doing, set each location that you feel is a potentially good spot with one trap, and set other locations the same way.

See how things shake out in a week. Your results will help you in the future by telling you which test set locations have been most productive and you can set them again in the years ahead if you trap the same place again.

Once you get primary locations / travel corridors etc. nailed down you can begin your condensed set up of a few double set locations per farm and move on down the road to another spot and do the same thing etc.

really i think it depends on several things
#1 type of critter or critters your targeting
#2 access to property

so for #1 if your targeting coyotes for example 3-4 choice set locations will out produce 10 sets on 300 acres but raccoons you can put out 10-20 sets without really affecting the catch ratio and #2 as for access i mean can you drive anywhere or is there just a lane or do you have to walk

Mr. Jameson is barking up the right tree as usual.
This is solid advice no matter what size tract of land you are trapping.
You will catch more coyotes & miss less with this method.


If you set ten separate locations with a single set you cast a wider net in hopes to catch more coyotes.
This mindset tends to make prime location secondary over number of traps set.

If I take those same ten traps and set doubles at five of the most prime locations I will catch far more coyotes ,
& miss way less than the carpet bomber mindset.

^THIS^

There is no “right” answer.

If you feel it should have a set(s), set it.

If you run out of traps, buy more traps.



300 acres in my country is nothing, usually. Unless it’s the “right” 300 acres. If it’s the “right” 300 acres, you could potentially kill every canine in 10,000 acres on that 300 if it’s set up right. If it’s not “right”, than 100 traps on it will catch you nothing but a sore back and knees.

For example, the other day I set up ~20,000 acres with 24 traps.

On the flip side, I have another place I work year round in excess of 50,000 acres where anything more than about 35-40 traps during prime dispersal season is a waste of iron.

I agree with Boone Liane. At home here I have access to 500 to 600 acres. I would be pressed to say if I have maybe 20 sets on these properties together. It all depends on what animal I am after. I have lake shore, open farm land and heavily wooded areas in this land. Sets change from year to year depending animal populations.

Well the guys that catch 5 to a dozen coyotes within site of each other over night, would tend to disagree with that