old school.....

[JWarren]

You ever heard of a scent lock suit? Now take the active ingredient of the suit and cover your trap with it (carbon=coal shale). Even given this and the fact that its all the rage around here I don't use it. I get too many flipped traps because it doesn't bed solid. When the ground is frozen I string snares.

[trappnman]

JW- are you getting the flipped traps because of bedding- or a chemical smell?

I think you are right on that part Bob- that sometimes a canine IS just lucky.

I often wonder what the % is where you have a trap worked but not fired and a coyote in the next set. Original coyote or new. How about a fired trap and a coyote 20 yards away?

How much DOES a fired trap spook a coyote....?

My speculation is that if a trap fires by dirt falling on it or some method where the coyote doesn't get pinched... that his reaction would be like a dogs- ass over teakettle get out of there, stop a short distance away when he sees nothing moving, after him... and then cautiously goes back and sniffs the trap, set.

Any wild thoughts on this?

[trappincoyotes39]

I mix my shale with dirt nothing fancy done right at the set takes little time and will produce a better bed. Also the finer shale does bed a little better you can pack it decent, I don't have the flipped traps you experiance, as I like a deep bed and 3/4" covering so traps are more stable, shale works excellent in rain and snow.
Also skunk traps I just reset and flip the skunk 10 yrds away and have little problem catching coyotes after a skunk catch.

[trappnman]

A trap after a catch is not any problem and never has been.

I'd like to try some shale- I'll pick some up next summer in SD when I'm out there. Too heavy to haul back in bulk for me, but would be interesting to try out.

[bobwendt]

tman, back when we had fox I used all 1 and 1/2s and as many times as not a coyote would flip one as be caught as their feet so big they would stradle a jaw and the trap would throw them out (not pull out, just flip and no grab). What really amazed me is apparently they kept coming back as lot of times 3 or 4 flips in a row and then a coyote by 2 middle toes in the 1 and 1/2 softy and no further sign or tracks which led me to believe the thrice flipper was the bumbass in the trap. happened so often I lost a lot of respect for coyotes over it.

[trappnman]

I very much believe that Bob-

I've not lost respect for coyotes, but they sure do some silly things.

[JWarren]

Whenever I get flipped traps it is in a loose non packable dirt and I believe the animal is just stepping on part of the trap and the whole trap lifts out of its bed. I have way more confidence in a solidly bedded trap but coal shale is basically the consistency of crushed coal and it doesn't bed solid enough for me. I think its main value is in keeping traps working all winter long. I do agree that I would rather have an unstable trap than a frozen trap.

[bobwendt]

let me re-state that, I have no respect for MOST coyotes, same with beaver, no respect for MOST. Only seen maybe 6 smarty fox out of 13,000 or so. never have seen a smart mink, coon, rat, possum. wolverine fisher and marten never caught any or been where there were any, but doubt they are worthy opponents either. facts of the matter is no coyote is as difficult to catch as a wise beaver. Sounds implausable but those that do summer and nuiscance beaver will agree 100%

[dj88ryr]

No arguements on the trap shy or smart Beaver Bob. On a side note, Marten and Fisher are dumber than a birch tree, if they are there, you will catch em.