What Kind of Traps for a Fox & a Coyote?

Foxes and coyotes are animals often sought by trappers. Their pelts have value in the fur garment industry. They are predators and are trapped to protect both wildlife and livestock from being caught and eaten. Both can be caught in similar traps using similar methods. Slight adjustments to traps and trapping methods must be made depending on whether you are targeting mostly coyotes or mostly foxes.

  1. Foothold Traps

    • The most popular tool trappers use to capture foxes and coyotes are foothold traps. These devises are locked open, attached to a stake or other device to anchor the trap at the location, and then they are buried under a thin layer of soil to hide the trap from the foxes or coyotes. Usually, a meat-based bait is concealed nearby the trap, fox or coyote urine is sprinkled in the vicinity or other special lures made of coyote or fox glands and organs are applied near the set to attract animals to the trap site. Once the fox or coyote steps on the trap's trigger, the jaws close across the pads of their feet, restraining the animal similarly to a suspect being handcuffed by the police.

    Cable Restraints

    • Formerly called "snares," the thin, stranded wire cable is formed into a loop and suspended over a trail coyotes or foxes often travel. A bit of camouflage is used to disguise the loop as just another branch or vine. When the coyote or fox travels the trail, it's head passes through the loop and it closes around the animal's neck, similar to a cowboy roping a steer with his lariat. The non-looped end of the cable is fastened to a stake or immovable object, restraining the captured animal until the trapper arrives.

    M44s

    • Government trappers and a few, specially trained independent wildlife control professionals are allowed to use M44s to control fox and coyote populations. These devices are buried in the ground in areas foxes or coyotes are likely to hunt. Bait or lure is affixed to the M44's trigger. When the animal attempts to bite, lick or pull on the trigger, a tiny explosion shoots a dose of cyanide into the animal's mouth, killing it in a few seconds.

    Set Adjustments

    • Though similar traps can be used to capture both foxes and coyotes, the animals are far different in size and strength. Coyotes often weight more than 30 pounds, and foxes often weigh less than 10 pounds. Expert trappers employ much smaller foothold traps when targeting foxes than they would use for coyotes. The sets for foxes are smaller, and the bait is usually positioned closer to the trap. When using cable restraints, smaller loops set closer to the ground are used to capture foxes.