I have recently developed a very serious problem with coyotes. I've always be a live and let live kind of guy but I have had it. I have two big packs I have been hearing up and down the river bottom. Worse than that I have two coyotes that have decided to invade and eat my cats, the neighbor's cats and chickens. We also have 11 does that primarily live on my place and my neighbor's place. They are rather tame. I can step onto the porch and they will all raise their heads. I yell my dog's name "Rascal" and they all go back to eating and pay me no mind. They all had fawns this year. None of the fawns made it through this coyote epidemic. I kick myself in the butt. I drove to my blind in the ranger and parked. I opened the door and put my shotgun in the corner. I grabbed the speaker to my call and I walked to the river's edge to place the speaker. Right there looking at me was both of the problem coyotes standing there. With 65 pellet #4 buck in a 12 ga 3.5 mag I can kill them at 50 or 60 yards. I had to just watch them walk off. I hunted them hard but never called them in.

I decided to switch the program. I went to the coop and bought some good quality leg hold traps. For the most part I don't like them, but I have to do what I have to do. I made sausage the other day and kept the shoulder blade out of the pork butts. Yall tell me if I am doing this right. I took two traps to the place I know these two killers frequent. It's where I know they got two of my cats. I boiled the traps and the chain. I dug a shallow hole just large enough and deep enough for the trap. I chained the trap to a tree and buried the chain and covered the trap with dead leaves. For the bait I took two pork shoulder blades, made a hole through the shoulder blades and ran a metal wire through the bones. I hung those bones about 3 feet above the trap. My thoughts is they will want the bones that have meat on them, try to get the bones to carry off and step in the trap.

I checked the traps at daylight and nothing yet. Yall tell me if I did right or did wrong please.

I am no trapping expert, but, I understand that you must be crazy vigilant about your scent. Did you wear rubber boots? Also, need to set up some branches or something that will force them to step directly on the trap. Good luck!

You'll want to have a smooth trap bed with dirt
sifted over your trap, and not leaves and sticks.
And it might take several nights to catch anything.
It doesn't always happen overnight.
Sometimes canines are wary of an obvious
exposed bait. Some things depend on your area.
Watch wolfernation clint Locklear on yoofloob
to see how to set canine traps

I wore rubber crocs. Where I set up was next to a very dense yaupon mott. To get that bait they will have to step on that trap.

Headed there now. Thank you for the advice.

For coyotes you have to have that trap bedded solid. It can't rock or move. They will leave or dig it up if they feel it move.
I have gotten lazy as I get older and like to use pan covers especially if in sandy loose dirt. I think it allows me to get in and out bedding and screening the trap faster leaving less scent.

^ ^ ^ yes ^ ^ ^ absolutely ^ ^

I usually use the brown paper windshield towels, or the fiberfill
stuff from wallyworld sewing dept. , or the brown coffee filters
like the trappingoklahoma guy on yoofloob
Used a couple of big dry sycamore leaves once like the
old country men used to. Kept the debris from under the
pan ok, but I didn't make a catch. It happens

You may not hear it or see it anywhere, but don't put
urine in the trap bed itself. A canine will roll in it and
fire the trap

Makes sense. I am hoping I get home today and I have at least one caught. It would be nice to have both of them in the traps.

I didn't trap a lot of Coyote but I learned a thing or two along the way.

Human scent is a killer, if it's at the set.

I let my trapping clothes and traps air out for a month before the season. I'd clean them and hang them in a pine tree before use.

I always wore a face mask, the covid kind, just in case my nose dripped.

Coyotes come across buried steel all the time, broken bolts, pieces of hay wire, you name it they've found it, so I never worried a lot about the trap itself.
Clean and lightly waxed is enough.

Wear rubber instead of leather where ever possible.

Stinky bait works best. I used to cut a beaver into fist sized chunks then place them in a gallon jar with screen over the top to keep flies out.
When it started to smell rotten it was ready to use. Note to self, don't keep the jars in the house.

Bury the bait. They may shy away from exposed bait but they find other Coyotes buried stash often enough that buried bait seems natural to them.

Trap bedding is critical. I use dried ant hill dirt whenever possible. It is naturally frost resistant and does not pack like regular soil can.

I'm sure others with more experience can help you more then I can.