winter canine help

[brule]

My son and I are first time canine trappers this year. We caught 2 coyotes and a fox in early Nov. , then pulled the line during deer season. We set them back out a week ago, but we had about 6" of snow on the ground. The snow isn't drifting, so we've been putting dirtholes in. Caught 1 fox a few days ago, but have been finding alot of fox and coyote tracks coming past our sets paying either no attention to them or milling around 10-20 feet downwind and leaving. What is the best way to have the dirthole appear in the snow? A lot of dirt on snow as attractor, or cleaned up with a light snow sifted over pattern? Any help would be appreciated, getting real frustrated.

[thebeav2]

I like to shovel away the snow and work with bare dirt. It creats a great visual.

[brule]

Thanks for the help Beav, thats what we did also and I wasn't sure if it was the right thing. I guess the tracks leaving the area without touching the sets, may mean I left some foreign odor.

[thebeav2]

One thing I have found is when making a set in snow Is I walk in make the set and then after making the set i just walk out like I have just walked through. I have found that when you walk In and walk back out In the same tracks that canines seem to hesitate In working the set.
I also found that It takes some time for the canines to get comfortable with these large tear ups in the snow.

[braveheart]

Just set the bare spots or get out the shovel and broom.Ron Hansen told me to clean a large area out then set in.It's easier to make a bale set or set the bare spots.Any way you look at it winter trapping takes alot of work and time.

[brule]

Thanks for the help guys. It's easy to second guess everything when the traps are empty every day.