Bob W got me thinking from another post

[blakcoyote]

I didnt want to hijack the *Trail set thread *,but heres a quote from Bob.
**
the only trail set I made the last 6 months was a no brainer. I had two standard dirtholes in the same outside corn row next to a brushy fence, about 12-15 feet apart. For about 3 nights in a row a coyote came and exposed both traps, starting to trench a few feet back till just the tiniest bit of trap or pan cover showed. He then walked right down the corn row to the other set and did the same, walking essentially the same tracks every night. There was a busted over stalk he stepped over every time. in went a blind ,well blended ,trail set. First night bingo and no more digging but several more co-operative coyotes. This was at the pig dump I talked about last fall, where I took 19 at one location(area- maybe 50 feet across, with 4 traps).**

I have noticed on occasions where you get a digger and until you catch him,you catch nothing else.So is it because it's the big dog in the area,and is he in a sense guarding or worrying over the sets,or does he expose them,and the others that come along see the set exposed and avoid stepping on the trap.Or do they leave them alone being subordanates,and trying to avoid confrontation?Or none of the above.

[trappnman]

Hmmmn- interesting point. we had 2 coyotes that dug at sets more than once- and by gosh- in both cases, after a few days of messing around, got a cooyte and the digging stopped.

Hard to remember if I ever caught coyotes at a digger set and then had the digging continue.

coon yes- have had coon dig up sets, catch a coyote, dug up, catch a coyote... until finally you get that darn coon.

A true coon digger sure seems more enthusiastic about it than a coyote does.

as an aside- more times than not- if I get a canine digigng at a set- its red. Them little buggers sure like loose soil to mess with. On reds, cover trap back up a time or two and you'll get them. They just can't leave well enough alone.

[blakcoyote]

I too think coon and fox are more responsible for digging,than coyotes,and coon are the biggest.

[bobwendt]

coon are worst, skunks second , and heck no reds left. In my case it was plain to see the coyote tracks , so again a no brainer who done the deed. In this particular case it was a big 3-4 year old, or for wileys sake a 2 year old, anyway not a pup. I imagine they leave a little stay away stinkum there in addition to the exposed trap. Heck, I`ve caught plenty of coyotes in krunt exposure of traps after a big storm and gully washing. I learned long ago to just stay away till it dries up ,and leave the trap exposed. More harm from footprinting in and stinking the place up and making a weird dry dirt looking set surrounded by muck. In fact often that severe gullywasher , trap exposed and all, is what it takes to suck that old shy she devil into a set that she is leary of. I`ve had 1 or 2 true coyote diggers every year, where from and how they got that way, I dunno. But none have ever been a 8 month old fall pup, all at least a wiley e. 20 month old hardened adult. Generally they can all be blind setted and taken handily , using the dug set as the draw and then just set the approah. I have gone so far as to makes a trapless sucker set down a good trail and then blind set the trail. Usually not worth the time or effort financially to trap those smarties, but a man has his principles and I just can`t stand to think a coyote whupped me. I don`t mind a red fox whupping as then there is a good proven trapshy breeder left. Coytes, there will always be a breeder no matter if you get them all, so never intentionally leave coyote seed. The son of a guns self seed good enough as is.

[17kiss]

Bob , there is a little known piece of knowledge in your last post that could help alot of trappers out.Stay away until dry unless trap is snapped.

[dj88ryr]

Have you all found that in most cases, the animal digging is a female?

[blakcoyote]

DJ88RYR said:

Have you all found that in most cases, the animal digging is a female?

That's a loaded question ;D
But yes I do recall catching female diggers.Not the gold ones either. ;D

[dj88ryr]

It has just been my experience when I have a canine digging, and I eventually win the battle, it is always a female.

[blakcoyote]

I never much paid attention,whether it was male or female,but I do remember I caught female diggers,I'll pay more attention to it,for all I know they were probably all female over the years,because I dont specifically remember any being male.

[Hornhunter]

Had a digger in the only field i had to set. I could see in the frost that the coyote was traveling a trail between the two fields. I put two blind sets on drags and caught "her" the next night. After that I caught two coyote in the field.
I was using pete and covering my dirt holes with a thin layer of on site dirt. I was still getting a few dug out traps along the logging roads. I do believe It's a bedding problem? To me the pete doesn't smell any different than dirt? Any flat sets we make have never been dug up.

[bobwendt]

peat may cause more digging, but no more than normal for a known digger. I peated my trail set and she/he ( I don`t remember the sex- although I do remember sex) didn`t dig that one. Granted, peat with lure and a hole probably sets off alarms for a coyote that has been around the block. I think more diggers are females, but not because they are female. I contend all coyote populations the old coyotes are predominantly female for the same reasons most 80 year old humans are female. The males just run further faster and harder and suffer the consequences, regardless of species.

[Muskratman1]

I had a pair of Coyotes patterned last year. Every 4th day the'd come across a bean field and filter down to a corner to a deer trail that led to the edge of a swamp. I made 2 dirthole sets there 6 feet apart on both sides of their tracks. For 9 days straight I caught a Coon in the upwind trap. Day 10 was a barn cat and for 9 days stright a Coon dug up that trap or 2 traps when I layed another back off the pattern. Day 20 another cat and then 2 more dig ups. Pulled traps Never caught a Yote and never caught the digger Coon until this year. Set up that same spot, first 2 nights dug up by a Coon had a 1/2" of snow that night and I followed the tracks to a big brush pile. Set a 220 on the trail and had a huge female Coon the next morning. Digging quit, but I never did catch a Coyote there and never had the downwind set messed with at all. Still pi$$es me off too. LOL

MM1

[bobwendt]

best medicine for a multiple repeat coon digger is a box trap. I know, a pain to haul in etc but fool proof ,and untill you catch the s.o.b. coon you might as well pull up instead of just keep resetting the traps everyday. I`ve been so discusted with digger coons that they have run me off as I was too lazy to set the box trap and be done with it.

[trappnman]

Bob- another way to get digger coon is to make a LARGE pattern of dirt- 1-2 inches thick.

I believe coon root as much as dig in flipping traps- and this loose dirt ahead of the trap satisfys a lot of this rooting. digging.

[Edge]

TMan,
I have done the same thing with success,a great big pattern;takes all the "new" out of the worked dirt.

Edge

[trappnman]

I think the biggest difference between canines and coon re digging--- is that coon are ALWAYS looking to work loose dirt...and most canines are not.

[oso lento]

I may not know the difference between a sneeze and a wet fart but...My diggers in the past have all been young of the year and I have been able to get them.
Coon are always a problem, I use a large dirt pattern which i blame for the problem.
This year i've had only one coyote digger and it's my fault as he left a toe in a trap 2 weeks ago. Now he\she is digging every thing in the area. Pissing at my snares just having a hell of a time with me.
I think the reason i've had less diggers this year is because i've used more dirt in covering traps.

[trappnman]

Aso- I find it interesting that you blame your coon digigng o nlarge pattersn. I've found that using them, cuts down on my coon digging almost 100%. These are coon sets I am talking. In fact, if I remember correctly- the only coon digigng I had this past season was at canine sets- where I have small, blended areas.

On a coon set, I like a deep hole- and for one reason is that it gives me extra dirt. I'll on many occasions take the edge of my trowel, and chop up the surface of the dirt 2-3 feet or more past where the trap is set- the add dirt to this, mix it up and I have "bed" that extends way past the trap. any coon working the set must cross this 2-3 feet of fresh loose dirt. By the time he gets to the trap- his attention is no longer on the dirt- but focused on the hole, lure.

You have read about Gary Armstrongs method of guiding coon with a vertical stick- and I endorse it 100%, its a must use---- but heres another little variation for diggers-

Set the stick so that it is directly in front of the trap (as the coon approaches). Make it a slightly bigger stick- like those big old thick pencils from gradeschool- and have it so it sticks up 5-8 inches above dirt.

Anchor solid, and the coon works around it.... and any rooting is stopped before the trap.

Back to rooting- my own thought- from watching coon, from seeing flipped over traps, from catching coon by the nose, (and having "unexplained" hairs in snapped traps)...is that coon use their nose as much or more than their feet for finding food.

By having this mindset- I have no doubt i've increased my dryland coon % and reduced digging substantially.

[oso lento]

Steve, most of the time what im thinking is not what comes out on here.... what i think is that using a big pattern (lots of dirt and eye appeal)=more coon and thats the reason for more coon diggers. More coon more of a chance to get a digger. Also i dont always pack the bedding on my traps.

Now i don't do much land trapping for coon on purpose but i do catch quite a few. Another point to the large pattern and eye appeal ...is it attracts bobcats and thats a huge +!

[trappnman]

I'm of the opinion that eye appeal is underrated for a lot of critters.

coyotes for example, were shown in studies to "find" more prey using sight rather than their nose.

Lets just say in a place far away, they found when putting out "sight" attractors and putting out "smell" attractors- more coyotes working the area found the sight stations before the smell stations.