fellas. i have know ideal what i am doing wrong or what i am not doing wrong. i have had traps set for a month or so. some new ones in the last week or so. only action i have had to my knowledge is a coyote walk with in 2 foot an one set then walked off. how long do you guys leave your traps before you move them? i have been using bait
kaatz brother red label. coyote gland. bobcat urine. tom cat lure. predator getter #1. Murray's 3 meat bait. carman pro mix scent. just got some different bait and lures in yesterday. but don't know if i am doing something wrong .which is a big yes, i would say. or using to much at a set. i try to mix things up. i use maybe a spoon full of bait. and a pea size of lure on top of inside of hole at 1:00. and bobcat urine on the backing. do you guys rake your set out after it snows? recent or just leave them? i wear chest waders and i cant be leaving that much scent that i know of. but i am lost and would like to know what you fellas think mite work to catch a coyote. if i dont here in a week or so, i am pulling all mine. anyone have in landmines for sale?????

If you have snow, look for tracks. Let he tracks tell you what you're doing wrong. If there are no tracks near your sets, then you are not on location. Find tracks in the snow to determine where to locate your sets. You can learn a lot from the snow!

Also, if this is your first year, the learning curve can be steep. Don't set your expectations too high. You may have more fun if you switch to a water line, or at least put in a few water sets. If you find where raccoons are moving at set on location they aren't too hard to catch. Sometimes they don't move for a few days so you still need patience. I love to catch coons and it can be a lot of fun.

One problem I had my first year was pan tension. My pan tension was all jacked up and it took me a few weeks to figure out that was the problem. I started with traps new out of the box and made several catchs right of the bat. Then everything came to a halt for a while. As the traps lost their newness and rusted up, the pan tension tightened up to where they wouldn't fire under the weight of a coon or fox. Once I figured out the problem I went back to catching.

Neil,

How do you adjust the tension on the MB #2's you suggested?

No need to mess with the pan tension on 550's. It's set by the spring tension at the factory at 2 lbs, which is perfect. There's no bolt through the pan shank like most traps with dogs. It will not change on you. The only thing that needs to be done to those traps out of the box is wash the factory grease off at the car wash, maybe wax them.

pb, you can use the bio foam stuff from wal mart to put under your pan. a lot of folks do that to there mb's. thanks denny

so did you give up, or are things starting to turn around for you?

A picture of your set would go a long way in determining why the canines are reluctant to work it.

One thing I would try is putting bait, lure and urine down the hole. You want all the canines attention focused in one spot, not three.

I always liked to make sure the pan was slightly lower and in a little depression when the set was finished. Canines have this thing about stepping in low spots.

Not all dogs take bait. If a spot is good for one trap then it is good for two. I like a baited set with urine down the hole. The second a flat set with gland lure only.

If you are using a call lure I like to put it up above in a small tree or bush above the canines reach.

If I was fox trapping and had no action in three nights either the fox population is small or they know I am there. The saying about coyote sets is they get better with age.

hello, i never gave up yet. yotes are to smart for a first timer. i did get my first bobcat. here is the bobcat picture.



here is a dirt hole set i made Coleman. i had bait down the hole and gland lure about 2 o'clock and bobcat urine on my backing. i just got some fox urine. so, i my set some tomorrow. any help would be very thankful. thanks denny

I'm glad you decided to stick with it.....congrats on your cat!

Here's my thoughts on your sets in the pics. Too much blocking and grass for coyotes. Try to find bare spots on location for coyote sets.

With regard to the brush pile set. It looks like there's a 2 track running down the hill on the left. Put your sets right on the 2 track. If you want to do another on the brush pile, don't put it between the 2 track and the brush, facing away from the 2 track; rather, have the hole appear to go under the brush pile and the trap right in front ont the side of the 2 track.

I second Neill's opinion on blocking. And his suggestion to move to the field edge.

Dirt hole sets imitate where small mammals are going in and out of the ground or where a predator has buried a cache. Try to make your sets look like there has been digging and scratching. You make a good set but these look a little sterile.

Russ Carmen's book Foxes by the Hundreds changed my approach to trapping. Take the step down set with a grain of salt but listen to his words of wisdom as he gets into the canines mind.

OK, this is what i have fellas. i saved the picture and open it up in paint and drawled some lines where i have traps and a snare. the red circle is where i have a trap set. i had a coyote walk up to it then leave one time. and i had one pull out of it last Sunday night. the red lines are roads. the one on the right going up the hill to the pines and meets the other ones is the main gravel road. the 2 on the right is just where the land owner goes thru the field in his truck. the 2 green x's is where i have 2 traps set. the gray circle is where i have a snare set. just a blind trail set. no fences on this land. and the red arrow pointing down is where i got the cat at. if this makes since..



this picture is if you where all the way up at the top of the field looking back down from the crossing at the pines. if you look in the center you will see the brush pile where i have my trap set at.

That sure is a pretty bobcat

thanks econo. i have a good friend from where you live.

In that last pic i see some sort of dirt road just inside the woodline on the left, if that dirt road meets that field, that would be where i'd have at least two sets

got a stinker in the set under the bobcat picture. pee uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..