TRAPPING

southslope82 · Dec 29, 2009

I am trying to trap coyotes,foxes, etc.. I have some #2 and #3 legs traps and have been studying all I can.. I have learned alot, but am looking for some help. I have mostly been doing the dirt hole set and have had very little luck. My questions are.
1. What things do you use for bait/Scent. I have used fox and coyote urine. But what kind of things do you put in the hole that you dig??
2. How long do I leave a trap in one spot before I need to move it if I haven't caught anything?
3. How often do you Re bait or re rigg??
4. If it snows and covers the hole that you have dug and buried your trap even deeper. Do you go and reset it or is it fine??
Any pointers will really help thanks guys

southslope82 · Dec 29, 2009

Oh yeah one a few more questions I forgot to ask.
How many traps do I need to be effective I only have a dozen right now.
How far apart do I put them is a couple hundred yards to close??
thanks

vaquero · Dec 30, 2009

if you havnt already go to trapperman.com and readup. lots of information there especially in the archives. im just learning about trapping myself but have had some success this year with just a few traps. from what i have learned:

most important is location. set your traps where the critters are going to walk buy them within several feet any way. well used trails, two-tracks, fence crawl unders, field edges, etc. set on sign. i would cover as much coutry with your traps as possible try to get into several different bunches of coyotes to increase your odds. just set each trap in a high probability area.

boil traps in baking soda, then boil them in trap dye, then wax them. then keep all odors off the traps and away from the set area. set them and leave em alone, check them from a distance with optics.

baits and lures will work for many days or weeks sometimes even under snow. heavy rains may call for a rebaiting. what type of bait or lure to put down the dirthole or on a flat set depends on the time of year and a lot of other factors. im using ogormans powder river bait down the hole or and lenons all call lure at flat sets. both of these are considered some of the better products. one squirt of coyote urine on the backing at each set also.

make sure your traps dont freeze to the ground during cold weather. wax paper under and dry dirt or waxed dirt or peat moss over will help with this

kolob2034 · Dec 31, 2009

First off let me say that it would be great if your first coyote was caught in a blind set. This would show that you have been studying coyote sign. Coyotes are not in the least bit stupid and while last year's pups are easy to catch if you don't do things right you are only going to make a bunch of trap wise coyotes. Try to find a place along a sharply cut bank wash and if coyotes are in the area you will find where they are either jumping the wash or jumping down in or out of the wash. Simply bury a trap in one of these places and make it look as natural as it was before you placed the trap. If this trap is on a drag you can trap several coyotes in the same place. If it is on a stake the set will be ruined and you will have to find a similar place to trap another. If you only have 12 traps I would suggest that you find 6 good locations and set 2 sets or traps at each location. If a location is good enough for one set than two sets are even better. Some people call this gang setting and is one of the secrets to making large catches. I have caught many doubles, triples,and even caught 7 coyotes in 7 sets in one night on the same location. The best attractant you can get to call in a coyote to your set is a coyote in a trap. They frequently travel in pairs or family groups. I like to mix up my sets. If one is a dirt hole with bait the other will be a flat or post set with lure. If I make three sets on the same location all 3 will have a different smell. When making gang sets unless your are a good tracker it may be best to stake the traps or it may be difficult sorting out all the drag marks and finding your catch. A coyote's nose is better than we can understand. I have caught coyotes in sets that I have not relured in more than 7 weeks. Use too much smell and they may roll on your traps and you will have sprung traps with only hair between the jaws. The temperature and humidity determine how much scent I use and how often I will freshen the set. I will frequently only lure the set once but will freshen it up with a shot of urine on a weekly basis. With 12 traps I would set 6 locations over a 3 to 10 mile area. If all went well I could have those coyotes caught and move further in about 3 weeks in the winter and maybe longer in the summer. Traps freezing down is a pain in the butt. I have not found a method that I am totally sold on. If my sets are freeze proofed I just brush the snow off the set and hope it doesn't snow again for a while. I have used cedar duff,trying to set on the south side or sunny side of trees,waxed dirt,gylcirin coated dirt,zonolite,and curently using RV type water system antifreeze to spray the dirt. I use one inch foam under the pan and in freezing weather put the foam inside a plastic bag to keep it from freezing. This foam under the pans will eliminate many or most of the non target catches. You will miss a few fox and will still catch the heavier skunks. Trapping coyotes will definately teach you patience. Remember that hope springs eternal in the breast of a trapper. PM me if you have more questions.

REDDOG · Jan 2, 2010

LAST EDITED ON Jan-02-10 AT 11:47PM (MST)[p]You really need to get some books, vids, a mentor..something to teach you trapping 101.

I'd be all day trying to answer your questions, and you would probably be more confused than ever.

A few tips tho, if you are on private, not worried about trap theft, set area's that intersect, like a crossroads, cow trails etcetera. I like a paste bait in dirt holes (food lure) this time of year.

Some motivation:

there was a yote in the trap circle you can see in the background, my only bobcat/coyote double...and I killed and moved the yote before I thought of taking the pic.

I'll stop now in case your on dial up!

southslope82 · Jan 4, 2010

Thanks kolob and Reddog I sent some PM's
Could any of you recommend a good learning video for trapping?

REDDOG · Jan 5, 2010

LAST EDITED ON Jan-05-10 AT 08:31PM (MST)[p]Are you getting a calling card from the coyote? (a turd) if so, he has you made...

I wrote some in the PM, but i cannot stress proper trap set up.. I like the Bridger 1.65 for fox/coon #2 and #3's for yotes and bobcat (I normally restrict 3's to bob's). Victor 1.75's are an excellent trap also, but not built as well as the bridger, I do have some high dollor traps, like the Stirling, coyote cuffs ect...

Anyway, I like an offset jaw (its the law for land sets in most western states) laminated jaw and a center D ringed base plate. I like a relatively short chain, about 14" with a double swivel at the D ring, another mid way down, then another at the anchor point.

Traps should be Dyed and waxed, and not handled with bare hands too much, or saturated with foreign odors, so store them accordingly..a lot of guys prefer speed dip. What ever you do, dont just go plant a new trap into the ground, I like to boil them in lye (sani flush toilet bowl cleaner works well), then let them get a light rust, then dye and wax, I also prefer a night latch, ( a notch filed into the dog, eliminating a lot of travel). I like about 2 lbs pan tension, but i vary that.Also, when making a set, I dont like to kneel down, if I do, I try to use a kneeling pad. You really need something other than urine to lure a dirt hole, I hardly even use urin on those type of sets. O'gorman makes excellent paste baits, and leggets urine based lure is also excellent.

Every trapper has his own way, like I said, it would be a novel to type out..

I dont own any vids, but they may be your best bet at learning. Leggets fox and coyote by the thousands has good info, all tho my style is way different than theirs.

http://www.trapleggetts.com/

Also, I know Slim Pederson out of Montana have vidieo's, his style is more like what I do.

http://www.slimpedersen.net/dvd.html