Natural Coyote Bait

I’m strictly a hobby trapper and have been using prepared baits and lures for the past several years. I may have educated a few of our local coyotes as I struck out last year after averaging 3-5 coyotes the prior few years. I’m planning on trying some natural baits as I recall reading that Mike Marsyada had good luck using a fish. Also have a woodshed with lots of mice to catch. Any suggestions on best practices for using natural baits in a dirt hole. What nearby second and third sets might compliment or should I avoid because of using a more natural attractant.

I have used stomachs to catch fussy animals, used a trench to bury it and set two traps, you can also just dig a trench with nothing in it. Got the idea from Del Krammers book, the stomach idea is from a fox trapper I knew in NY Vern Bailey

Caught a lot of coyotes on freshly frozen mice. Trapped them around our place, put two or three in a sandwich sized ziplock. And put them in a coffee can in my freezer. I’d take out just enough as needed as season went along for setting and remakes. Toss a frozen or thawed mouse down the dirt hole. They really shined in mowed hayfields and pastures but had good luck with them just about everywhere. Several bait makers have canine baits with fresh preserved mice.
A little gland lure or urine and those mice I had stored up made up about my whole set arsenal for many years.
Jim

Beaver meat

Also used a lot of rabbits and rabbit parts. Accidental rabbit catches turn into big dirt hole remakes with rabbit stuffed down the hole and partially covered. That has been a great coyote bait for me also.
Save all your bird guts when field dressing pheasants and ducks too. Those make a great dirt hole bait.
Jim

Deer stomachs and livers

I have found that deer heart or liver works great for me especially right after deer season. Rodents of any kind also work well. I haven't used commercial baits for sometime now.

Disclaimer: I am not a big K-9 guy. But I have my best results with 1/2 of muskrat in a dirt hole.

Hey ratbrain, good one. Muskrat carcass is an awesome bait for just about everything.
Caught a lot of coyotes on chunks of carp too in dirt holes. Coyotes seem to like fish.
Jim

I trap all summer for a winters worth of coyote bait. I have baggies filled with ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats, mice, moles, and voles. The big ground squirrels, I chop up with an axe and usually just chop the others in half and use fresh/frozen. I have no idea why, but voles seem to outshine the rest easily.

Cause they eat alot of them.

Bait probably isn't op's main problem. Buy Slim pedersen's vol 2 and 3 books, he explains different strategies for determining your problem and solutions to problem.