Flat Sets

Alright, I know its archived but I'm looking for some more tips and set pictures of flat sets. I feel I'm missing something on that as my success is not what I expect it to be. Thanks

Master the Compass set

1. Bed trap solid
2. Use only gland and curiosity lures
3. Blend set so well you can't see it ( I put some type of markers to locate if I don't connect)
4. Use NO BACKING

My preferred locations are the middle of two tracks when trapping woods
And 20-30 yards out in to harvested ag fields
And edges of hay/alfalfa fields

From pups to alphas, and very seldom non-targets in the sets out in harvested ag fields

I don't mind a little backing here a flat rock a tuff of grass or a dirt shelf next to a cattle trail works for me. Like MI trapper said they are tough to find especially after a rain or snow they blend in so well. LOL

Coyotes running along the edge of this field. tall stalks and weeds left of the picture. This row looked fairly open. You can tell where i set this trap but it snowed and then



In the first picture I'm standing down in the field lane as it goes toward a ford over a creek. In the second picture I'm standing up in the field facing the ford. The two pictures above are on a corner

The below picture is a little further down the field along a water way the coyotes were using



The picture below is the same field after the snow melted and the creek came up. Different location but about 1/4 mile away on the outside of a long curve along the creek. The water came up but you can still see the corn rows. Coyotes were running down the rows.




All of these sets were set and operating for about 30 days on the same travel route that is about a mile long where I can set traps and where the same coyotes were traveling. There were some travelers but there was a pack of 6. I only got four of them. I saw tracks all summer and fall running along this field along the creek. It's a great spot. They like to hug the creek bank then follow the farm lane across the ford. Anywhere along here that I can make some kind of flat set produces a coyote. I use trash piles, cornstalks, a little lure on a prominent stalk or piece of drift wood. This creek has a lot of fine sand in it that dries out and blows in drifts when it is very cold. I typically have to chisel a trap bed out but then bedding it is a breeze- literally - the wind blows the sand so much that I cannot tell where the set is.
Hope this helps

Just bed a trap and blend it in where you see a coyote track and put some good lure about a foot upwind of it. Put the lure on something like a fist sized rock or limb and stake it down so they can't steel it.

When I can’t find a set in snow I use a metal detector

and the Triple Pebble set

2X when they have been under a snow drift for a while it's often the only way!

Use a backing. It can be a rock, tuft of grass, chunk of wood, or anything else that will help make the animal work from the side your trap is on. Use some gland or curiosity lure and good urine. I can’t understand why someone would not use backing at a flat set.

That works but takes time. First, get very close with a GPS, a GPS model that is quick for marking and finding waypoints. Some models have too many features to be practical for trapping.

Because of results like these .......











And there are many more..........

ZERO BACKING

Impressive Mi Trappin. Wondering how you coax them out into open fields like that in a manner that they find your set consistently enough to keep making those kind of open sets.

Do you have pictures of flat sets before a catch?

Nice catches by the way.

The first is a sort of "walk through" flat set. The second is a flat set with the rock as a backing. That second one took 5 yotes and 1 red fox last season.
MROB- the compass set needs no backing. The animal steps all around, due to 4 lure holes with the trap in the center.

Use what you have confidence in but I’m not going to be swayed by a few random catch pictures. It seems like a set preferred by beginners that haven’t figured out trap placement.

I like flat sets when its a rain pattern going on. sometimes a hole will get one to walk 3 feet and have a sniff when the wind is blowing the wrong way and I prefer it if weather cooperates. some beaver sac oil smeared on a corn stubble will give off odor after 5 inchs of rain. coyotes will put their nose right on the smear. sometimes they will pee after. but they don't walk all over the place like with a hole and a good prepared bait.

Never had any luck with the compass set. Coon were my only catch. Probably doing something wrong because I always set on sign.
A flat set with a small backing has always worked well for me.

Give them something interesting to smell......

I've caught 2nd coyotes in the remakes often and a third a few times

Had a few repeats on fox as well, but we don't gave many fox here,

I like when I'm running them in big harvest ag fields as I can drive into the fiejd and just look for hoping yotes, they never seem to lay down like they do on the edge if a field when they see my truck.


I've had more than a few guys that couldn't connect on their first yote using all the traditional sets try this and get results. Was happy to introduce it to a bunch of trappers at the michigan convention that have been trying for a couple of years I'm eager to hear back from them this fall


MROB not saying you need to use it, but why discourage others from using something that works. One more set that puts more fur in the shed is a good thing

Here are a couple of mine

The turnip is my low backing I punch a small hole under the leaf for lure

This one I had a miss, froze trap steped right on the pan. The larger dark spot was just a tuff of weeds The trap is off to the right.

This was a remake from a coon. Started out with the trap off of a clump of grass. Made a copy of a Charles Dobbin set. Got lure under the points of duff.

And caught this one a couple of day later
I don't have any pics of Mich Trapping compass set But I use it and have had success with it
Justin

I agree, I use small backing with or without a foot guide trench.

Sorta how mine look when done

I use my dog, her nose is faster

lol, this guy knows it's the end of the road for him....great pic....

This is a good thread. Is this the "go to" set you guys use? Or is it made near one of your dirt hole sets?

[quote=ambush32]lol, this guy knows it's the end of the road for him....great pic....


[/quote
My thinking is the big males lay there and glare at you cause they know from our size we are dominate over them, like they are dominate in their group

This sometimes lol

Shortline asks-...some more tips and set pictures of flat sets. I feel I'm missing something on that as my success is not what I expect it to be.
Flat sets... set under their nose, where they travel or stall out. Set at predominate object, grass clump, stone, piece of wood, cow pie and such. Very little disturbance when constructing a trap bed. Pounding in trap bed (no digging) works find before freeze up. Premade beds for winter use (frozen ground) is nice when you go to set. Keep bed the size of trap.
Blend well to natural surroundings. This is where folks may have problems. Blend in set.
Guiding is with droppings, dirt clogs, pebble, small twigs and such combined with backing.
Predominate object (backing) can be placed ahead of the season during your preseason scouting if need be. This is part of preseason work when dressing up/preparing your locations.


Preseason scouting I notice a dead grass area along this farm lane. At that time, I transplanted a tuff of grass, for backing, in this dead grass area, for later use.

Here's the finished set with trap in place...


...and how a transplanted tuff of grass works at a flat set



Here's a spot near the local airport.
Lots of droppings here when I was scouting. Right for flat sets.
Finding plenty of grass tuffs here, backing & trap placement is easy while blending with grass clippings.


Runway Reds




Natural grass clump was used as backing for flat set at this spot. Trap covered with dead grass from area. No before picture.
Tuff of grass took this tough guy...




Preseason scouting, I noticed a bare spot. Farmer mowed high weeds and turned at post. Mower dug up dirt creating a bare spot. I then place small rock and Fox dropping in bare spot (before season opened).
Classic Wolfdog91 (his picture) flat set well blended in bare dirt, was used here...


a closer look...Coyote

When they do that it's time to drop a new set in nearby in my experience.

Hammer and roll, enough trouble chipping a trap bed why do any more digging.

Where do you place lure at a Flat Set?
On backing? High or low on backing?
In small hole under backing?

So, what lures are people have success with? Gland based, call lure or a stinky bait?

I use the flat set here more then any other set as it's flat here! LOL It has a mini dirt hole element to it but the idea is a small backing just off of a cattle trail often. The standard dirt hole I almost never used mostly because a stake hole is easier to make then digging a dirt hole in our soil (seconds VS minutes).

Badger mound sets are deadly also and they allow me to use my 3Ns with pit pans and that fees up the MJs both good traps just the 3Ns are tougher to bury being longsprings.

Badger hole

Double in flat sets 2nd one is tough to see! (My old camera)

Law Dog, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.....but I think that first coyote might be rubbed lol

Yep rubbing a $50 and a $20 together it looks like! LOL

ttt

Lol, 50+20$, nice pictures, if frozen ground sometimes I use the shallow trench a chizel plow left to bed trap in, blend it, less digging in frozen ground that way

Numerous PM's for Tripple Pebble Set info so here it is.

Find a large FLAT object as the roof....cow pie, flat rock or wood
place 3 pebbles. marble to golf ball size, in a triangular pattern slightly smaller than your roof....in the middle of the triangle,
with stake, stuff a cotton ball or sheep wool gob in the ground just enough to hold in place, ADD LURE to it, and cover with the roof so the pebbles hold the roof off the ground.

This is weather proof and the scent flows from below the roof perfectly.