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Thread: Another trapping question

  1. #1
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    Default Another trapping question

    Trying to figure out what I did wrong. Friday I made my first coyote sets - dirt hole sets with MB-550 offset traps.

    Saturday morning I go in to check them and the first set had caught a coyote but it had evidently pulled out of the trap. The coyote was obviously caught for a while as it had torn up the ground around the trap pretty good. The tracks where it ran off were clearly coyote tracks.

    I assume it was caught by the toe and did not grab the entire foot? What do you do to prevent that?

    The traps had been died and waxed. I set the center of the pan about 8-9 inches in front of the hole. The trap was bedded pretty good, no wobble or movement. I used a mesh pan cover and sifted dirt back over the trap, wiped the pan clear, then sifted back over the pan to create a depression over the pan.

    I'm pretty sure the trap was night latched. I noticed some of them don't "click" quite as much when you push down on the pan to night latch them. I have not tried to file any of the dogs as of yet.

    Obviously don't want to be educating them. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if it is just the way it goes.

    Do you set right back in the same set, move the set a few feet away, or leave that area alone for a while before going back to it? I had another trap set 20' away on the other side of the road that was never worked.

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    I'm new to this myself. Had the same thing happen but I believe that's just the way it goes. They will also dig up your traps. I set mine like yours but 2" to the left or right of the hole and back 9". I have caught one already but it was a young juvenile. I would leave it and remake the set. Theres scent already there and hopefully you will catch a different one cruising by. Mine are set up with four coil instead of two. They are pain to set by hand because of the tension. Some of them I have to set with my feet. So that may help with holding them.
    Last edited by rodandgun83; 02-06-2017 at 05:11 PM.
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    They don't need to be four coiled.

    It happens. Make sure you don't have too much material covering your trap or anything that could interfere with the closing of the jaws (sticks, rocks, etc.).

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    Sometimes those 550s get wax in the night latch notch. Try peat moss instead of a pan cover or some pipe insulation under the pan. Don't cover it too much either. But sometimes u get a toe catch. It happens. Just reset it and wait


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    With put the peat moss do you let it get under the pan? They don't react to the smell of peat moss?

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    Peat moss or polly fill works great stuffed under pan. Keep the dirt from getting packed under pan. I just recently went to using wax paper over the pan. All of them work well. Like bcastin said make sure wax isn't clogging up the grove

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    You can get a big bag of polly fill at walmart cheap. Just tear some off and stick under pan.

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    I sift the peat moss and put it in a separate container. At the set I put a handful between the jaws. Clear the pan off and then sift dirt. I don't try to get it under the pan but I'm sure some does.
    Used polyfil for a while but had issues with it when it rained. But it will work just fine too. It's all preference once u get to a certain point I guess


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    10-4. Thanks for the feedback.

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    Poly fill under the pan. Walmart has a big bag that cost hardly anything and will last you forever
    "They are who we thought they were"

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rem11-87 View Post
    You can get a big bag of polly fill at walmart cheap. Just tear some off and stick under pan.

    This here
    "They are who we thought they were"

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    I put this on another recent trapping post bit figured it may be better answered in this thread:

    I have never trapped a coyote before but recently bought some MB 550's and plan on giving it a go. I have watched some videos on trap sets and wanted to see what yall use bait wise. The reason I ask is because I have been able to bait the yote(s) in with duck carcasses, chicken, chicken soup, I would guess any aromatic food source would bring it in. I have them on camera and it normally takes them 2-3 days to find the bait. Does anyone try baiting with human food and have you tried suspending some sort of food/bait several feet off the ground and having foot holds set underneath? I know that the F&W used this method to trap the red wolves that escaped bull island. It seems like it would be pretty effective as the yote would come in and in theory be trying to stand/jump up to get the bait and be moving all around the trap sets. I would think a few footholds underneath would pretty much guarantee a catch. F&W was using chicken parts suspended from tree branches and had their rubber lined footholds attached to cinder blocks. I feel like I could set up a feed station and get them accustomed to a spot before I start working them over and would have pretty good success? Also, I bought non offset traps after reading on trapper forum and I see some of y'all recommended offset. I think some states require them? Beyond that, Is this kind of a personal preference thing? It seemed like some people like them and others dont. I saw that the offset allows a stronger hold but also saw plenty of posts where people had no problem w the non offsets. The offset also has a small gap when closed? That may allow certain critter to escape? School me.


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    Most guys that live trap use offset jaws with inside lamination sometimes. Keeping good feet is a must if selling to the live market.


    I'm sure you can bait a coyote in with just about anything but why not use what you know will work so that you arnt wasting your time starting off.

    No human food. Not saying they wouldn't come in to it but more so saying you want to keep all human scent to a minimum. Don't touch brush around your sets. Use a rubber kneeling pad and boots and gloves when dealing with anything. Check by vehicle or four wheeler to cut down on human scent being placed in the area.

    You will have one pull on a toe catch every now and then. It does happen but very rare. If your set gets dug and flipped it means it wasn't bedded without movement.

    Just do it for a while and get your feet wet.


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    Cut em', maybe the yotes I am messing w aren't super spooky. I have been regularly catching them on cam (every ~3 days) with the previously mentioned things. Have them on video coming in and taking ducks one by one, as well as other food, and the soup(can included). I started all of this just out of curiosity during duck season w carcasses and game cam. They seemed to be hungry enough to take the risk. I want to kill them so it sounds like non offset will be just fine for my needs. I will let you know how it turns out. Still waiting on traps in the mail.


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    MC did you check the pan tension on your traps? If you get a lot of toe catches it's usually because you don't have enough pan tension. I try to set all my coyote traps at 3-3.5 lbs of pan tension.
    Quote Originally Posted by Birddawg View Post
    I dont know how it was done. For all I know that weird bastard that determined it's gender licked it.

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    Them 550s should be good to go as far as tension is concerned but if u want more then 4 coil them. It'll add a little more and make them fire faster.


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    Quote Originally Posted by bcastin View Post
    Them 550s should be good to go as far as tension is concerned but if u want more then 4 coil them. It'll add a little more and make them fire faster.


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    Most of the time they come with pretty good tension "out of the box" but I had to adjust some of mine up and down to get them where I wanted them. 4 coiling will increase the pan tension but you don't have to do that to increase pan tension. You can adjust the pan tension on the MB550's by bending the dog up or down.


    This is a pretty good video, little long but he shows how to adjust the pan tension on a trap with a Paws I Trip pan system just like the MB550. The pan tension adjustment part starts at about the 8 minute mark.
    Quote Originally Posted by Birddawg View Post
    I dont know how it was done. For all I know that weird bastard that determined it's gender licked it.

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    Default Another trapping question

    Yeah I've bent some down before after 4 coiling but I was just thinking it might be easier for him to just add the extra springs. I've actually been adding more dogless to my arsenal. I love the 550 but a modified bridger 2 dogless is hard to beat.
    I think toe catches might have a lot to do with a set shy yote or maybe just the smell is too strange and he gets caught before he gets confident. I think a yote that works a set for a few mins before getting caught helps get them to step more solidly. But I have no scientific evidence to back this up lol


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    Last edited by bcastin; 03-12-2017 at 03:37 PM.

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