I’ve been running into some problems with cows tripping my sets before the coyotes can get to them. Are there any little tricks I can use to keep said cows out or deterred from sets.

Set outside the pasture just over the fence!

^^^ this

A DEEP step-down dirt hole or a post set. One of my farms has cows on it, and I can only set outside the fence in one spot. I have been using a deep step down dirt hole set, and not one single trap has been tripped by a cow yet this season. Last year, I was about to pull my hair out. Came to check several mornings and had cows standing around my sets and thought “oh no, here we go.” I have been really happy with the results so far.

Dfabs, I never thought of doing that, I slap one in tomorrow or this eve. Thanks for the advice. Greatly appreciated!

I will never trap in pasture that has cows it it, even 5,000 acres pasture will be a problem

Trapping in pastures with cows and sheep is even more fun.

Most pastures around here are Sectioned off for intensive grazing..
I will find out from the Farmer which spots are gonna be Open or free of cows for awhile... I set these spots.
Set Out side the Fence....
Caught My share of coyotes this year in cow trails with cowpies on both sides of the Trap with gland lure. Deadly sets. Will take alot of coyotes.

Dfabs, did you catch any yotes in those cow-proof sets?

I have not done it myself but I have seen where guys will make a set in the middle of a tire to keep cows out. Then smear lure or bait inside the tire.

Like Dfabs said a DEEP step down dirthole works well around cattle. And yes it will catch coyotes and badgers! Tire sets also work but I have better luck with with the dirthole. One rule I use when setting around cattle is if the cows can see me making the set I will not make it. Most times if you set while they are in other areas of the pasture where they can't see you it will sometimes take days before they find your set giving you more time for a catch. If they watch you set it they will be all over it before you get out the gate. Black Angus are the worst!

Years ago I got permission from a beef farmer to trap foxes on his 160 acre pasture. My walk in to scout showed lots of sign. The day I drove in to make a few sets, as soon as I opened the gate the cattle came a-running and followed my truck. When I stopped and while I was making a set, they surrounded me and I could almost feel the hot air from their noses. I made a few sets and as I drove out of the pasture, they followed me back to the gate. Come to find out later, the farmer was taking hay bales out daily to the cattle with his truck and it was their "chuck wagon." He just dropped the bales on the ground and returned to the barn. When I went in to check the traps the next day, every set I had made was licked on, stomped on, and the traps were snapped and bent.
There was so much fox sign that I really didn't want to throw in the towel, but I had to do something to keep the cattle away from my sets. I came up with the idea to make a pen. I used 3 steel T-posts and barbed wire(3 strands per pen) to make a 3 sided enclosure (pen) and made a dirthole set in the center. The pen was big enough that even if the cows stuck their heads through the wire they couldn't get to the set. I had the traps on short chains with swivels on the trap and stake ends so a trapped fox couldn't reach and get tangled in the barbed wire.
It worked. The foxes easily crawled under the wire to the sets and I caught enough of them to make the effort very worthwhile. Back then (late 1970's) a good red fox was worth $70-$80 so the cost making the several pens (T-posts and barbed wire) was covered in one trap check. Over later years I reused the T-posts and barbed wire in some other pastures where cattle were present, but none were as bold as those where the farmer trucked out bales of hay every day.
Back then we had lots of foxes and almost no coyotes. Now it's vice versa. I suppose pens would work with coyotes....maybe not. They would have to be made larger to accommodate the larger animal, and I'm not sure how many guys would enjoy hauling t-posts and barbed wire out to make them.