Coyotes and spooking from cables?

I have a question. When setting cable restraints, I try to blend them as best as I possibly can but it is not always easy. At times, you can see in the snow where a coyote walked the trail and stopped when he got to the set. My question is, did the coyote see or smell the cable? I'm guessing they spook more from seeing the cable than from smelling it. (I paint my cables in the summer and let them hang outside until I set them.)

Did you walk up make the set and then turn around and leave? Or did you set the CR then step over the set then continue up the trail 15-20 yards, then double back?

If you walked up, made the set then turned around, he was probably following your scent and wondered where it went so turned around.

I don’t think they care or know what cable restraints are, they duck under fences all the time.

Just my two cents, someone will correct me.

Rob has it right.
Walk through your sets.Do Not walk around,or make set and turn around and go back.

Skip the blending your changing the land scape and that will get you In trouble. Leave things as natural as possible. The more time you spend at the set the more sign you leave. Especially when here Is snow on the ground.
I try to set from the sides I don't like to walk down a trail. But If I have to I will walk right trough the set CR. If your stabilizer Is solid the CR should swing right back Into position

Flag your sets so you don't have to go In and check them every day. If you have some flagging with In 5' of your set It will be down If you have a catch. Go In about every 3 days to make sure the CR Isn't down.

Always set more then one CR In the trail doubles aren't un common and a extra CR or 2 will help If one gets knocked down with out a catch.

I try to always set from the side of the trail and mark them with a ribbon. As far as blending, I will cut a branch and stick it in the snow sometimes to help break things up.

I was more so wondering if the sight of the loop or the smell of the cable spooked them.

Agree with both of the above comments.

Get in and out fast.Small scent pool.
But do it right.

A old gun fighter was teaching a your man the trade. He said "Take you time and aim. BUT DO IT FAST"

I have seen that happen before plenty of times too and it can be frustrating. I dye my snares brown to blend into the brush that I set in but the one thing I have learned is that if you can set your CR in a bend or corner in the coyotes trail he will have less of a chance of seeing it because from his view the CR will have a background of brush to blend into. If you set on a strait trail he has a lot of time to see that loop in the trail and I think that might be one of the reasons they stop short. And yes you do definitely want to keep walking past your CR to keep the trail going. Hope this helps!

I always approach the trail from the side if possible set the cable and get out. I might do some blending but try to find a area that naturally funnels down so the set looks more natural. I have taken some coyotes in the wide open woods that I can even see the snare from a ways away. So I have mixed feelings about blending the snare to much that the coyotes just might feel to restricted to go through the area. Still learning also so not every set works the same and not every coyote is the same. Keep setting cable. They are sometimes easier to work with than footholds in the winter.

Best advice I can give is set up your rigs 2 weeks before season have everything done except opening the snare. Depending on the site come in from the side or walk through. I also try to set my snares on a curve in a trail vs a straight away on a trail it breaks up the visual of the snare better. Its the same as coming around a blind curve you don't see whats ahead.

It could be he thinks trail is blocked, next time it might be distracted or forget it's there and hit it, I blend with a few stalks of grass added to snare-support, I even fence openings with added weeds to try a convince them to hit snare

They see em.

I see far more refusals after we get some snow, and especially during the full moon on clear nights.

Open country I think the wind gets em bouncing some too and makes em easier to spot.

They don’t know what it is, but they don’t need to. They see something there and they avoid it.

I try to not ever walk down my trails if at all possible. Sneak in from the side. If I have to move in the trail, go through the set and keep going at least 20-30 yards.

im sort of confused. so what im hearing is DO walk in the trails?

If It were me I wouldn't walk In the trails. I would sneak In from the side and make my set.
Sure you can catch coyotes If you walk down the trail. But what about the coyotes that shy away from your tracks. We want to catch them all not just a few.

If you have to walk the trail, walk up and down it a ways. Or you can try just walking all the trails and see if it bothers the coyotes in your area. The point is to not stop at the snare so there is some sort of change in scent directly at the set, either alerting the coyote or stopping it. Approaching from the side keeps it off the trail if at all possible, I think they can still smell where I have kneeled to make the set though.

And sometimes, no matter what ya do, they just won't go through.

Spot on.

When I set out snares, I NEVER walk in the yote trails. I make a great circle around where I expect their trails to be, and approach at an angle. I always step over the trail when I cross it, never on it, ever. I have seen one “refusal”, in four years. I don’t even know that it was a refusal or a distraction that made the yotechange course. I snare on snow only. I hang bare untreated cables with my bare hands. I simply think that like with many things trapping, many ppl. way overthink things. There are a few basics, like avoiding walking down the trails. I check the snares from a distance where possible, which can mean anything from 5 feet in thick stuff, to 50 yards with binoculars.

Ten well set snares in good natural blended spots, will out catch 100 snares set haphazardly and trying to fence them in, walking around making a mess, or checking them too closely. Oh, and I do go check them and turn around, if you are far enough away, it doesn’t matter a bit.

Does anyone set snares or CR's with a dog? I personally do not- but sometimes when I'm watching my son's Lab, I think about taking him out when setting (I wouldn't for checking). I would think additional canine smells and tracks would be intriguing to a yote but I have no idea?

I don't think you would want additional smells on the trails your setting CRs on. The yotes could slow down and start looking around. You want them moving when they hit the CR. IMO it's best to get in and out without them knowing anything was there. I never walk their trails, I come in from the side. I've seen many times where they see my tracks and do a instant 180° turn.

Ive had the same thing happen , we likely all have . Snow just makes it easier to read the sign. Im thinking its a little of both but smell is likely the killer . As was said they see wire all the time , everytime they cross under a fence ...might still be a touch of human scent there . I paint mine too and the air out before storing in sealable gallon cans with leaves and sage from the snaring are . Take the lid off and the sage scent is quite strong

Here we have human foot traffic often enough I don't think it bothers the coyote if you walk on trail, sometimes in snow I come it from side to hide tracks.
What Boone says, Brite nights see more refusals, the snare is always partially blended with 2-3 stalks of grass, unless the grass is already over hanging the trail.
I sometimes set wide open trails in shorter grass, put in a weed or two to block other openings, and a thin weed to hide support wire,
Never fails, dark night comes along and these open trail set connect, had one this year, big male

Rob has it right.
Walk through your sets.Do Not walk around,or make set and turn around and go back.

Newt,
What about snare sets going to bait piles in snow? Just curious.
Mac

This! I try to set my snares in the trail where there is a slight bend in the trail. The snare is not silhouetted against the trail then!