Coyotes not working sets

[Aaron.F]

Well I was off to my best year ever, which isn't hard as this is my third year chasing coyotes. I had caught more coyotes than the two previous years combined and done it in the first three weeks of the season. Our gun deer season came, so I stopped coyote trapping for a couple of weeks to not compete with the yahoos. I started back up a couple of weeks ago and I can't get a coyote to pay attention. I have moved on to new properties and same outcome, basically nothing, a coyote and a fox in two weeks.

We have been dealing with some freeze thaw issues here and I was using calcium chloride with a combination of peat and dry dirt. I have stopped using the calcium chloride and am now basically using just peat with a bit of dry on top. I had built up a wee bit of confidence but that is starting to fade, any friendly advice from you guys.

I know the coyotes are hitting the deer carcass piles pretty good, but I can't near to them without walking around a bit and making tracks through the snow. I am not sure how much tracks in the snow really matter, but I try not to leave many right at the set. I usually check from the truck or a four wheeler depending on the property. My sets are a mixture of about 70% dirt hole/trench sets with the other 30% being flat sets of some type. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[RdFx]

Stay at least 50-100 yds If possible away. You want yote coming in naturally and not on alert so he will be walking into snares and getting caught, closer animal is to bait the more alert he will might notice snare and back out or go around. Years back when i set close to bait i found yotes would be coming in (slowly) and sometimes back out of snares and go around.... Good luck

[Aaron.F]

Unfortunately our snare regulations in Michigan make snaring worthless.

[freepop]

An old icefisherman would always catch fish, even when everyone else right next to him couldn't. Same bait, lure color etc. He said it was because we weren't holding our mouth right or we didn't have the right line tightener (line tightener was the bottle in his coat).

With the colder weather, you may want to switch to some louder lure.
You getting any tracks reasonably close?
Best thing I can think of is to spread out your traps to try and find stall out areas and spots where they feel comfortable enough to work the traps. May want to increase your sccent posts as season goes on too.

[Aaron.F]

Well I figured I would try something new to me and put in a couple of trail sets. I was rewarded with my efforts this morning and caught big ugly male yote this morning. I have never tried a trail set for coyotes and wasn't real hopeful but I guess its better to be lucky than good.



Once I got up to him he barked and growled at me the whole time. I haven't had one that pissed before.

[trappnman]

so thats what snow looks like....................

[Stef]

Trail set are the way to go with coyotes in the snow.
In good snow, around bait pile I believe that a trap worths 50 snares...No joke...LoL

[mjh]

nice pics there BW