catch at first sniff?

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

so what do you guys think the percentage is that you catch the canine at the first step to sniff,or see into the dirt hole? i myself think that i have a 95% catch ratio on that....i havent seen a canine dig my hole out from the trap side yet...but have had some dug at from the back..when i catch a canine my dirt dole is usually still there and you can tell if it was dug at or not ..and from what i have seen on my sets they are not messed with...now im not a ol timmer or a real expierenced trapper but i have had very few and i mean mabey 1-2 tracks on the dirt pattern and no catch since i have started trapping serious 3 years ago...
but i know a good friend of mine gets tracks a good bit with no catches and he sets his traps basically the same i do...as he was the one to show me the way he sets and i learned from that but with my own variation..
seems to me that i have a very high catch-visit rate...any thoughts on the subject....

[Craig Todaro]

I think maybe you need glasses...

[Possum]

I think a lot of the coyotes are like that. They just walk in and whack. Especially on the nights the wind is "right" for your set, i.e., the hole is west of the trap and there's a west wind. However, when you get about an inch or two of new snow, it's really neat to see the tracks and what the coyote did. Frustrating, too. Lots of times they puzzle around 10 feet or so down wind, pee in the snow and then either work the set or walk away. The really frustrating time is when the tracks lead right by a set, wind perfect, set perfect and they don't even slow down for a sniff.

[trappnman]

if you trap in snow- you might have an entirely different opinion on this.

I personally think most coyotes do not come right in, walk into the trap and boom! I think most "think" about it a little. In fact, I also feel a good % of canines do not work the set, although they are aware of it, at first encounter.

[mike692]

I never realized how many canines actually visited my sets without working them until I trapped in the snow for the first time. Snow does wonders for your confidence. ;D

[bobwendt]

I`d guess the exact opposite, 95% miss on the one track look see but end up getting caught because they stay around dinking with the hole/bait till the foot ends up in the trap. comparing pa fox to the rest of the world is not realistic. I honestly think there are places in s.e. pa and md. where 20 different fox might come by a trap in one night and number 21 gets caught, next morning looks like everyone is the greatest trappers ever lived. here one fox might visit 1 trap on a 100 trap route over 200 miles once every 10 days. and then he gets caught too.

[thefoxtrapper]

yeah, my guess is you need to look closer at your sets, trap in the snow and i bet your head wont be as big either, it will show you how many will just blow off a set compared to the ones that actually work sets, couple years ago i trapped a few days in snow and over a long haul, didnt catch much, and was a ghost town for the most part, but had quite a few that wouldnt work the sets, they stayed back far enough that had the snow not been down, would have thought nothing came by, I guarantee you have visits that dont get caught, winston

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

NOW hold on a min...i said on the dirt pattern,.....NOT passing by at a distance of 3 feet or more...im talking on the DIRT PATTERN itself...........

[Rick]

..when i catch a canine my dirt dole is usually still there and you can tell if it was dug at or not ..

HUH?

[ColdSteel]

You beat me to the punch on that one Rick

[Steve B]

Im going along with the last two guys... I havent caught many but at my sets the hole is a mess and you are lucky to reuse it.

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

i guess since i cant reuse my dirt hole(like i do all the time) i guess my question is stupid and should be deleted

[martinsmodified2]

as the avatar implies, i really know nothing but i will admit to having most of my dirtholes re-useable and not dug out or have the wool pulled out of it(when reds is there to greet me in the mornin).
i have had my share of prints 3/4" from the pan as well as a few (licked clean)cottonballs sitting on top of the prints in the dirt. amazing how they manage to pull the lure holder and not get a foot on the pan.

im not picking sides on this one, just relaying my relatively newbie experiences....and laughing about what bw said, " and number 21 gets caught, next morning looks like everyone is the greatest trappers ever lived" sounds like you've got a few issues with the boys from sepa, eh? ;D in some respects i totally agree bob. 100%.

mm#2

[Craig Todaro]

Calm down arron. You asked for opinions and got them. They do have legit points though.

[thefoxtrapper]

im not talking 3 feet, im talking on the edge of the loose jaw, just wont step down or committ to the last step, also almost all my fox circles are totally blown out, the hole is easily redug but not visible in the catch circle, i dig out, and lure as if a fresh set as the whole area is torn up, winston

[17kiss]

Me , I always plant earth anchor , rear left. that ways I can usually find my original hole quickly. Cant say that I have ever had any that were reusable without redigging or punching though. Hmmmmmmmm

[coyote]

17kiss said:

Me , I always plant earth anchor , rear left. that ways I can usually find my original hole quickly.

and THIS, my friends...confirms Jim doesn't trap in sw PA! LOL!

we get the anchors in any place there's not a rock!

[17kiss]

But Don , this is why I now use the bullet type stakes. We have mostly slate and rocks. I can with a hardened driver usually put these through or around this type obstruction. As far as getting them back when confronted with this. NOPE , aint gonna happen. LOL

[martinsmodified2]

17kiss said:

Me , I always plant earth anchor , rear left. that ways I can usually find my original hole quickly. Cant say that I have ever had any that were reusable without redigging or punching though. Hmmmmmmmm

first: mr kiss, ive learned a lot from your posts and credit you (along with the other 19 or so really good guys around here) with having a small part in helping me take my first coyote earlier this year. thanks. enjoy your pics as well.

now to the question: do you mean your dirtholes are dug up and the cotton/wool lure holder gone? my sets are tore up for sure but usually the hole and lure are still intact. although a small amount of debris maybe covering the hole. i think after the jaws shut they have no desire to dig anymore. is this typical?

mm#2

[coyote]

just funnin' with you, Jim!