PREDATOR ISSUE
SETS
The Dirt Hole Set
Although it requires a bit of preparation , the dirt hole set has consistently produced fur year after year . It is designed to imitate a food cache that another predator has buried . It will appeal to the sense of smell with a food bait and urine as well as a visual attractant of freshly turned soil . Select a spot with a slightly raised backing like grass or a mole hill along a travel route . Dig a hole roughly 1.5 – 2 ” in diameter and about 6 ” deep angling under the mound to force the coyote to have to approach from the front to inspect for the bait . Using the edge of your trowel scrape a “ V ” pattern , roughly twice the width of your trap , in front of the hole fanning out from the hole as if a dog had dug it . I prefer to place my trap toward the right side so I clear that side clean of debris to prepare a clear spot for foot placement . Grass , shrubs or a piece of feces on the left
will help with that as well .
After clearing the area a trap bed is dug . The bed should be roughly 8 ” back and slightly off center and just large enough to accommodate the trap . It must be deep enough to allow for a trap stake and the anchor chain to be placed under the trap while still allowing the trap to be slightly below the surface of the set . A section of waxed paper is then placed over the trap to keep soil from under the pan . Dirt that has been thoroughly dried previously is then sifted over the area to create a smooth and level spot to step .
The set is then baited with a food lure at the bottom of the hole . A light mist of urine can be sprayed over the area with a liberal amount on the surrounding vegetation . This will help eliminate suspicion . A long distance call lure applied to a tree or fence post nearby will increase the sets range .
27 Wild Guide . Winter 2017