Today I checked my sets that I put out yesterday and found three of them had the dirt uncovered from the trap. One trap was completly out of the dirt hole set, while the other two just had the trap jaws showing.

My question is can I reset these sets with diffrent traps or should I move to another location?

My guess is either I had something that alerted the animal or maybe I did not have enough dirt covering the trap and the animal felt the metal?

Or your bedding job was not rock solid... rebed and make sure they do not rock when you push on different parts of the jaw and levers. Reset in same location.

ditto

Either the trap was not bedded solid so that it tipped when one side was stepped on and made the animal curious or the traps have odors that elicited digging to see what it was. If you think the traps are reasonably clean then I would reset them bedded solid as nothing happened to educate the digger to danger. Good luck! Asa
PS - The trap that was pulled completely out of its bed may have been a deer. Deer are attracted to salt in urine and sodium benzoate in lures. Deer step into traps and quickly pull thier slippery hoof or slippery hard leg right out of the trap leaving it lying outside of the trap bed.

A tip for bedding the trap solid. After you twist it into the bed and push down on it, test the stability. If it rock from lever to lever, pinch the dirt under the lever.

Fore finger on one side of lever, thumb on the other and pinch. This will raise the dirt under the lever and help stabilize it. The same can be done under the dog plate or foot of the trap if it rocks in that direction.

Take your time with solidly bedding the trap. It is very important step in the process.

If you are walking and the land starts moving under your foot, you are going to be curious, so will the animal.

Thanks for all the advice. I will re-bed the sets in the morning. Spent way to much time on muskrats and coons and beaver.

Think I am going to pull every thing not related to Coyotes or Fox.

I have no problim walking away from water. Dry land trapping, thats the life for me. lol

I used the trappers cap and bedded everything around the cap firm. When I took the cap off I added a small amount of dirt to cover the cap and level everything. I was wndering if I should have had more dirt over the trap pan and jaws.

Set #1: I had a post and a dirt hole set 10 yards apart. The post had urine, it and was untouched. The dirt hole trap was pulled out, but not set off.

Set#2: the second trap was at the end of a log in a cow pasture. I had Fox urine on it. The trap was not pulled out, but enough dirt was removed to see the trap jaws.

Set#3: Outside corner of a corn field(corn still up) I kicked some ground duff up for a backing and made a dirt hole set, put Gusto in the hole. I used grass ball to hold the Gusto and another on top. Again not much digging but trap was uncovered.

I am doing away with the cap and going with wax paper. I have clean trap and one other thing I never thought about until now. I have wax dirt, wonder if that may be it? But I am using wax dirt on everything?

Man this is fun. Right?

Last year was my first year trapping and while I had success I also had a lot of incidents similar to yours. I thought it was fun, I learned so much, incidents like that are enlightening and they open doors to learn from. I had a blast and cant wait until I get to put my steel in the dirt. I'm hoping for a better season this year than last year. I love it.

I hear you. It is all about getting outdoors and enjoying the moment. Even when a farmer comes up to me while i am trying to get sets made I enjoy the conversation and I am in no hurry. This is not a job to me, it is a treat. I savor the season to the very last day. And all I think about it when it starts again.

I too continue to lear. Just hope I get a dumb yote once a year and maybe a fox. lol

sounds like a coon, i had one do that to me every day until his luck ran out. k9's will do the same thing just remeber a diggers day's are numbered there luck will run out

Never thought about a coon.
I plan on putting more dirt over my trap next time. I am thinking that it was to thin, just a dusting over the pan.

trapperreynolds asked...I have wax dirt, wonder if that may be it? But I am using wax dirt on everything?

Using some form of anti-freezing sets is a necessary evil but just about any method will cause some digging or set avoidances being they are unnatural. Waxed anything can also easily pick up all sorts of contamination. However, it shouldn't happen to every set but rather just now and then. Personally, I use the waxed paper after having went through a cycle of testing other trap covering over the years.

Thanks, this morning I used wax paper on the remake sets. I do have good news.
I missed a yote, but this time it did not uncover the trap. It was a dirt hole set right in the middle of a grass lane between to cornfields that have not been picked. One grass ball was along side the hole and the one with the lure on it was no where in sight.
My trap placement was off. to far back and way to the right.The yote came in on the left side where I had left an open door.

And the post set with urine that was untouched yesterday was touched today. Another trap uncovered but not taken out of the bed. The fiberglass pan cover was almost all the way off the pan if that means anything.
Sticking with wax paper. I will upload a track and a turd that I believe to be that of a coyote.

How do people water and land trap at the same time. I pulled all my water traps today. Got to focus on them yotes