Second year trapper needing advice

[wally]

I am trying very hard to figure out how to trap coyotes with no luck. I'm in Utah, I have what I consider good locations but not sure. I found a lot of tracks up and down a wash with scat everywhere but cannot get any to commit! I'll walk you through my method in hopes that someone who knows what they are doing will correct me ? I use freshly boiled and dyed traps, usually dig a single or double dirt hole, or a flat set. I've tried bait in the hole with scat as a backer with urine and a fresh gland lure, I've tried fox urine, I've tried bobcat urine, long distance calls, I'm at a loss. I'm required to check every 48 hours (which I've heard is not smart to go near traps for yotes). I would absolutely love to hear what works best for western coyotes in the mountains! I will try anything to figure these dogs out

[lumberjack]

You didnt say how long you have had sets out. Most guys on here are way better canine trappers than me but my guess is have patience IE give your sets some time, assuming everything else is OK.

[wally]

A lot of sets I've had out over 2 weeks, some 3. I've been catching a lot of kit fox, 1 gray, and a ringtail cat to keep my hopes up but my main target is always coyotes. In 2 years of trying I have never trapped one so calling me a rookie would almost be giving me a compliment ?

[trappnman]

a question you need to ask yourself- and I sure coyotes are where my traps are? I know I for one spend time trying to catch coyotes that aren't there. if you are catching lots of kits, perhaps there aren't lots of coyotes?

but assuming you have coyotes visiting your location regularly- and you say they won't commit. What do you mean by that, and how are you determining that?

2ndly- if there are coyotes- then no success means the sets are not doing their job- a picture of your typical set would be helpful, along with a description on how you are making the set.

[wally]

Ok I'll take a picture tonight. i only set on sign (a lot of scat or tracks) which I don't know is good or bad? I appreciate the responses, hopefully I can get a pic up tonight as I'm checking them in the dark

[wally]

Ok I'm having a hard time uploading photos. It says they are too big.  I just finished checking traps, I had another ringtail cat waiting for me in one of my cat sets. As for my coyote sets, at one location I have three traps around 50 ft apart at a scat location (20 different droppings from old to fresh).  One of my sets is a 10" burned peice of cedar that I put fox urine on and set a trap about 8 inches in front of. The other set is at a pile of scat. I have 2 traps around it and put fresh gland lure under it with urine beside it. My other sets usually range from dirt holes to flat rock sets. At dirt holes I usually dig into the side of a wash bank where I see tracks. I dig a 2" in diameter hole about 8" deep and usually put an edible bait into it such as; cat meat, seafood blend, bacon grease or widow maker. Then above the hole or beside it I spray either fox, or yote urine. Then I will usually put a long distance call somewhere near. I use bridger and duke 3s with fiberglass pan covers and try to use on site dirt and blend it well. Then I'll check them every 48 hours and some of them I need to be within 6 ft of to check. On a couple occasions I've had tracks within a ft of my trap but none came closer. I'm not sure what I need to change, but it ain't working

[trappnman]

find a big backing, dig your dirt hole in under the backing- lure it with a couple of good lures, and bait, use a lot of urine all over the extended pattern, make the pattern big, and have it go quite a bit on all sides of the trap bed itself- you don't want a little pattern just over the trap. your holes could be deeper, but should be good enough if the angle is such that a coyote cannot see the into it from standing back

if coyotes are there, and aware of your sets- and not working them- then it must be the set construction itself.

not much more I can say, without seeing your sets- try uploading to photobucket then here

[wally]

Here is one of my flat sets, bone in rear, double dirt hole with scat in the middle

[wally]

Here is another set,I couldn't get the dirt hole in the pic cause I didn't want tracks very close. It's a single dirt hole with the branch as backing. My trap is in the darker dirt, one of the few I tried peat moss on. This location is beside a wash with heavy predator tracks

[trappnman]

in picture #2

I have found that any color variation over the trap, or different texture etc- will cause big time advoidance. next time, broadcast a fair amount of peat over and around te set- not to cover it completely, but to leave a mottled look around the set, and over the trap.

secondly- there is the trap- but the dirthole is out of the picture? I don't understand- where is the dirthole in reference to the trap? the dirthole should be immediately in front of the trap, and trap bed pattern. we could debate whether the exposed chain matters....IMO it does, when "attached" to the makeup of the set- just something else for a coyote to be leary of.

try this- find a sage bush, or other solid higher backing- dig your dirthole directly under this backing, with the trap placed 4-5" directly in front of the trap. dig the hole 10-12 inches deep, put in plenty of bait and lure, spray the whole extended set with urine

flat sets can be hard to figure out vis a vis trap placement. try making a couple of small holes going UNDER a rock, grass clump etc (I make mine with a rebar), purring a different lure down each hole- then take a clod of dirt , small rock, etc and place it on the other side of the trap- giving you a back guide, and encouraging the coyote to "walkthrough" the set-

[wally]

Got ya. Thanks for the advice. I'm going to pull the majority and re set today as we just had a good storm roll through. On my 20 trap line I've had a catch every single day! Either a kit, gray, or ringtail cat. I'll try your advice and do a couple different variations in urine and lure. Keep you posted, as well as take a pic of a few that I set today. Once again, I really appreciate the advice...