Completely green trapper here from a state (Washington) that I'm not supposed to be trapping in. The exception to the law is the one that applies to me: the animals are a nuisance to my livestock (chickens).

I've confirmed coyotes, hawks, and eagles as the wildlife I've fed on a regular basis, and I'm highly suspicious of the raccoon population as well.

The primary culprits are the coyotes, which I aim to trap.

I bought an Oneida Victor Softcartch 4-coil SINGLE (the law requires I use a softcatch) and some trap anchors.

The coyotes regularly use a path coming up from the greenbelt next to my house, and I've dug out a spot right next to it. I've been baiting with dry dog food, which gets eaten every day. BUT! The coyotes never set off the trap.

Well, they set it off once. It just so happened a rock got caught in the joint of the trap and it didn't close all the way, so the coyote was able to get out.

I really don't know what I'm doing, and I'm hoping the more experience 'round these parts can help point out to me what I'm doing wrong. Here is my setup:



Here is how I have the trap set and anchored. The dog is covered in dirt but I think you can make it out. The mechanism is really stiff--that is I have to give it some good pressure to set it off. Are the traps supposed to stay that way or should I oil it?


You can also see I dug a hole out to make the coyote have to stick its nose in to get all of the food. Better angle in this pic:




Obviously, I hid the trap in dirt for the pic. I placed a few sticks around the trap to encourage the coyote to step on the trap instead of around it.

I used a few leaves to hide some of the food to make the coyote curious and (hopefully) take more time doing more work:




Like I mentioned above, the dog food gets eaten every night I put it out, so luring the animal isn't an issue. Anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong? Thanks!

I would forget the stepping sticks & cover the dirt with a covering of grass

Mice are probably eating the dog food

Never oil a trap , never, has that trap been cleaned of factory oil? Also that trap dosnt look solid. If you push down on jaws does it move?

I would put a trail camera on it to know for sure what is going on. I would also suggest watching Robert Wadel videos on you tube trapping coyotes. Many people will give you many different opinions. Robert will cut years off a normal persons learning curve.

Lose the sticks for some reason coyotes don't like em.

Lose the sticks. Make the bait harder to get too. Oakey is probably right. It’s most likely mice eating the dog food.

Join your state trappers association and get yourself a mentor. Not as simple as asking how to do it on line.

Will try!




Gyah. Any time-tested wisdom how to deal with this?




That's what I thought, but wanted to ask anyway. Yes, I cleaned off the factory oil. I didn't push on the jaws to check if it was solid, just the levers. Will check!




Will do!




Just dig the "nose hole" deeper?




Didn't even know such a thing existed. Thanks!

The saying, "set on sign" literally applies. You have a trail the coyotes are using. Locate were the coyotes are placing their feet as they travel (tracks). Blind set a clean trap directly under their track print[/b]. (They will tend to step in or very near the same spot time and again.). Bed your trap bedrock solid. Cover with duff from the area, use a small broom or rib bone to blend into the surroundings. If you feel you need guiding, a few small stones or twigs will do. Coyotes don't like to be knowing forced to put their feet somewhere; as the same time, they don't like to step on things. Coyotes know their habitat well, small changed do get noticed. No need for bait (meat), coyotes are already coming through.

If one trap is good, multiple traps spaced out along the trail are better. Once set observe from afar. Remake is only needed if sever weather comes through. Patience is indeed a virtue!

Best of luck catching your predator/s.

Do you have a recommended way to figure this out? I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest: the ground here is hard and the trail is largely covered in beaten down grass. I'll check more closely, but I don't ever remember seeing the coyotes' actual footprints.




Absolute greenie here. What is a "clean" trap?

Do I need to dig out a hole to make the trap level with ground (as much as I can on a hill), or just place it straight onto the ground and cover it?




More just-fell-off-the-turnip-truck questions: what's duff?



Great, thank you!

All the info the guys have already given you is great advice. I would say the same. Ditch the sticks. If needed maybe a small stick here or there poked straight up from the ground only 1.5 inches or so or a small rock to help guide. Dig that dirt hole deep, I like them very deep. And ditch that dog food trail, it reminds me of that scene with the candy in E.T., no offense. And as they said, you're just going to lose it to the mice anyway. You say they are after your chickens? Give them what they want. Stuff some raw chicken cuts in that dirthole as well as some feathers sticking out (if they are legal in your state, I don't know your laws). That deep dirt hole full of something they can't quite get at will keep him working your set long enough that he will hopefully put his foot where it needs to go naturally. The blind trail sets as mentioned are good too, and duff is the term used for the grass clippings, leaves, etc that are in the area you are trapping. If you blend a blind set well enough it should not exist to the eye at all. Sometimes I make a good set, turn around to do something, then go back and have a hard time figuring out where it is even though I put it there. The set on sign refers to as you mentioned, looking for tracks, scat, etc. And I definitely recommend the trail camera suggestions. Put one up and figure out exactly what you are dealing with. And if a yote truly is running the trail and you keep it on video mode, you may be able to see where he's stepping. Also, you mentioned that you anchored your trap but didn't say how. I just want to make sure that you are anchored well enough. Hopefully you did some test pulls to make sure you couldn't pull your trap right out of the ground. Wouldn't want that yote running off with it when you get him! And I'm sure there's still a lot to cover, it's a big thing for one thread.

Yeah just dig it deeper. Just stick with it. We all started out the same way.

Your lack of understanding the basics lead me to recommend hiring a professional. Unlike the Wiley coyote. Cartoons. The American coyote is actually a very wary and intelligent predator. If you were to catch this animal, it would be by pure, dumb luck. Sorry I can’t be of more help but after messing with these animals for decades, I have a great deal of respect for them.

Sorry to be the party pooper but you are only allowed to use cages in Washington state without a special permit. From what I can gather you can dispatch them on your property but there is a question as to if you need a small game license to cover all your bases. Make sure you do all your research and if let’s say someone was to use a foothold to take care of the problem they probably wouldn’t want to draw attention to themselves on social media. Not getting on the op just trying to prevent possible issues

Demo I filmed from a great trapper down here . Mabye it will help

A lot of great advice here, and maybe look into deleting this post? If I was setting a foothold trap I would make sure that there is no dirt under the pan, Insulation, cotton balls, dry leaves, anything that will compress but keep the dirt at bay. I have done ok with just covering with grass and nothing else. Works well in muddy situations. I make a mouse hole and set the trap back about 8-10" and off to one side of the hole. Nothing to guide them other than the angle of the hole. I try to make a very shallow angle. Now if you're in an area where you cannot discharge a firearm, you should think about how to dispatch the critter if you happen to catch it. If it's a trail they use regularly, bait may hinder more than help.

This is a coon trail, but a blind set is a blind set. That's probably 75% of my sets. Can u see where the #2 DLS is??


How about now??....


Don't think that only one thing travels them trails... I've caught Bob cat on trails like that.

Dirty D, how many times a day you have to reset due to deer?