So I've been dabbling in trapping for a few years now but never had the time to fully commit. I've caught my fair share of reds and coons etc but never yotes. This year it's been my main concentration. So I've had my 8 sets out for about 2 weeks now and it's been in the teens and single digits for most of that time. I'm using mb 550s and Cavens Hiawatha valley for bait and tombstone lure. So far I've only caught coons and grinners and with the temps so cold the last week I've caught zip. We've gotten a few fresh dustings of snow and the last few checks there's coyote track walking right by 6 of my 8 sets. Not even stopping just walking right by. Are they not smelling my bait/lure because of the freezing temps and snow cover? It's happened a few times now so I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong. Any input would be awesome. Thanks guys.

If its cold Id add some skunk essence to your sets.

They smell it. They just don't care.

Can't tell a whole lot about your sets from what you said but if you are not doing it I suggest throw in some variety. Flat sets - just a small tree limb as backing, pile of rocks or bricks as backing, big flashy dirt hole, etc. Mix up your baits - use 4 or 5 different baits and mix up your lures (fox, yote, bobcat). In my mind if a yote investigates a set and doesn't like what it sees it won't give a set made the same way with the same bait/lure another glance.

Also, are you sure they are coyote tracks and not domestic dogs who are just not interested because they are well fed? I have had this happen when I couldn't get a good enough track to be sure.

Ok yea that was my next thing to try is mixing up sets..Yea I have trailcameras along the roads I set they are yotes for sure..guess I'll try a few new baits and lures..Any recommendations?

You need to get their attention. Make a hay set. Get a hay or straw bale and take one of those slabs out. Fluff it around a bit and add your bait and lure to the hay. Bed a trap or two on the edge of the hay and I guarantee you they’ll step all around it. Even a splash of fox urine will help!

What CGilliam said.

Urine post set with some dog droppings near it. Dig up a clump of sod with foot tall grass or weeds. plant it along the route the coyotes are traveling or 10 feet from one of your sets. Lean the grass away from the trail. Bed a trap about 10 inches from it on the side they are traveling. Put some recent dog droppings beside it. Give the grass clump a squirt of some coyote, fox, cat or dog urine. Check your trap.

That would probably work. Or just toss down a burnt chunk of wood. That burnt wood sticks out like sore thumb In the snow.

Bury a part of a skunk tail with about 3" sticking up about 12' away.

Had a coyote doing the same thing last season. Would walk on one side of the road and pass up every set. So I simply set a trap dead in one of her tracks where she was stepping over an exposed root. Caught her a couple days later. No urine,bait, or any other scent. Just a straight blind set.

In the snow, the coyote shows where the trap should go.

A lot of the times if the yotes are getting plenty to eat they may not have the interest is working sets. In some areas they can be pretty cagey.

Do you have sets on both sides of where your seeing the tracks to cover the wind direction?If tombstone doesn`t have any skunk in it I would buy some lure that does like gusto and put a pea size of that lure down the hole.In really cold weather skunk is king.I have caught coyotes with 6 inches of snow over a set with some gusto down the hole.

Yea gunna order some skinny lure and mix up my sets..mabye try a blind set or 2 in the trails. Appreciate it guys

Yup, been here...to many times, then one day they committ to the sets....2-3 weeks later....

My brother had the same problem 3 years ago. He ask for help on here and someone suggested a hay stack set. He thinks it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. He ended up catching 7 or 8 yotes off the 80 acre farm. Plus 2 bob cats, all in just 2 sets. his dirt holes weren't even looked at, well except for coons and grinners .lol

Sorry didn't read this before I posted. It could have been Jurassic that told him to use this. Anyway whomever it was he thinks you are king !!!!!!!

If they did smell your sets, there would be some reaction either positive or negative, think about that. But if the tracks you see didn't even break stride just went right on past, they didn't smell them. If they would have walked by and got a whiff of your sets you should see change in direction, change in stride between steps, etc. but at least some reaction. Your sets are either on wrong side of general wind direction, or too far off the travel way they are using. You need either some eye appeal or get your scent up a bit or on other side of the travel way for breeze to take it where you need it to go. Even a little call lure up on a branch or nearby weed will help.
Make sense?
Jim

Some advice here is better than others.
How much bait are you using? That HV bait sure is loud.