reducing human scent at coyote SET locations

[AlbertaAl]

Does anyone practice any method of reducing human scent while checking or setting snares?
I was thinking about thoroughly washing the bottom of my boots with hot water and not wearing them till I get to the SET location.

I've dragged a dead coyote behind me eliminating my tracks and possibly the human scent.

There's all kinds of scent elimination products on the shelf at Cabelas to spray your clothes and footwear....do any of them work ?

[goose slayer10]

I personally feel that it’s all or none. And all is near impossible...so I just go with none.

[tomcat]

I don't use gloves, or any other kind of scent control, setting coyote snares or traps and have no problem catching them. As long as you are relatively clean you will leave very little scent from your hands. Most of the scent will be from your body. Just have confidence, get in, set and get out as quickly as possible and you will have little problem. Coyotes are generally quite familiar with human scent and will know that you were there; you just don't want to leave a bunch at the set.

When setting and checking snares leave things as natural as possible. The more time you spend at the set the more sign you leave especially when there is snow on the ground. Set up snares from the side of trail. Do not walk around or make set and turn around and go back. Either follow thru on the trail or cross over and depart the area in a different location than your entry point. When checking snares walk thru the same route each check.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Agree with Tom Cat on your human scent. Watched my Springer dog trying to catch up to me. He did not follow where I had walked, he tracked my scent trail that slight breeze had moved it about 50 feet. I guess we need to shower more often.

[204ruger]

I agree and disagree all the same. Human scent not a huge deal but as you start killing off coyotes and their buddies have witnessed it which they do. That’s when you gotta be a little more careful as they have become less confident of a spot for free food and will move on.

I personally don’t use same gloves to bait as I do to set snares. And dragging a dead coyote isn’t really the thing to do to cover your scent as coyotes walking that trail aren’t dumb they know what a dead buddy smells like and will come into your bait more cautious if they don’t back out all together

Dragging a dead coyote on your trail is almost as red flag to them as the kill site left by a coyote caught in a snare if you’ve ever seen coyote tracks back away from going the same place their buddy just died two days earlier.

Get in do what you need to and get out with as little evidence you were there.

[KegRiver]

I always figured time at the set location was more important then scent elimination.

I did boil and wax my traps and snares. I did hang them in a spruce tree for at least a week before setting them out.

Then I would do as much setup away from the set location as possible.
Close to the final location but at least a hundred feet away, preferably downwind.

Snares were attached to a drag and set before approaching the set location.

Traps we set and only necessary equipment carried to the final location.

I always approached the final location at 90% to the anticipated direction of travel of the target animal.

I also try to choose snow days for making Coyote sets. It make you trail in seem older then it is.

That's how my dad taught me and he was said to be the best Wolf trapper in the neighborhood.

I don't know if that was true but I do know his method worked for me and for those I have taught.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Keg I agree your tracks around set very important. I watch my springer spaniel dogs, they check out every track, much like us moose and elk hunters. I imagine wolves/coyotes do the same around our snares. Snow fall would help to cover tracks.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Keg I agree your tracks around set very important. I watch my springer spaniel dogs, they check out every track, much like us moose and elk hunters. I imagine wolves/coyotes do the same around our snares. Snow fall would help to cover tracks.

Dad used to toss snow on the first few tracks at the set to fill them in so it would look like you stopped well short of where the set actually was.

He'd gather snow from just the top layer of snow and at least ten feet back of where he stood to make the set.

In the end where his tracks had been now looked like where snow had fell off a tree.

[KegRiver]

I should add, the measures dad took were to catch trap shy Coyotes.

One does not need to go to all that work for a Coyote that hasn't encountered traps before.

One neighbor, a man I have worked for in the past caught a good many Coyotes in exposed traps, with no scent reduction actions taken.

The set was meant primarily for Fisher and Wolverine but it caught much more then that.

His method was ridiculously simple and effective.

His sets consisted of a large chunk of Beaver meat hung from a low branch and a adequate trap place directly below the bait.

The animals would see and smell the trap and easily avoid it, but, it would try to get the bait and wind up forgetting about that trap and accidentally step on it and get caught.

However I would not recommend the set in any populated area. It is totally indiscriminate and will catch just about anything. Including Wolves.

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by tomcat

I don't use gloves, or any other kind of scent control, setting coyote snares or traps and have no problem catching them. As long as you are relatively clean you will leave very little scent from your hands. Most of the scent will be from your body. Just have confidence, get in, set and get out as quickly as possible and you will have little problem. Coyotes are generally quite familiar with human scent and will know that you were there; you just don't want to leave a bunch at the set.

When setting and checking snares leave things as natural as possible. The more time you spend at the set the more sign you leave especially when there is snow on the ground. Set up snares from the side of trail. Do not walk around or make set and turn around and go back. Either follow thru on the trail or cross over and depart the area in a different location than your entry point. When checking snares walk thru the same route each check.

This is bang on in as far as how I go about setting and checking my snares as well. Catch over a hundred every winter doing it this way. Try to stay clean, get in and get out, and don’t walk on their trails.

[Jim Blake]

Interesting topic and also applies to hunting. Don't laugh to hard but would ozone treat snares and traps?

[HunterDave]

Scent doesn’t effect my farmland coyotes too much but it usually takes a couple of days after hanging snares before I start catching them. I’ve found that hanging snares when it’s snowing or just before it does helps with that. Other than that, I wear clean boots and gloves when handling snares and setting them and stand to the side of the trails.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Jim Blake

Interesting topic and also applies to hunting. Don't laugh to hard but would ozone treat snares and traps?

It's a reasonable question.

From what I understand the simple answer is yes. But.

Ozone carries some significant risks.

For one it's highly corrosive and would likely cause excessive rust issues on steel products.

Second, it can have devastating health consequences if not used with the utmost caution.

Another possible issue could be access to the gas.

I doubt home ozone generators would be effective as they are designed to produce very low levels of the gas in order to avoid the health issues. And as such they aren't very effective for their intended use much less a more demanding task such as scent elimination on trapping equipment.