Setting snares for coyotes or any other animal is much simpler than most think. Basically you need to find trails, funnels, gullies, log crossings, fence holes or any other area that forces a yote to go through. They are no different than any other animal and will take the path of least resistence.
I use an earth anchor system called Berkshire Heavy Duties for staking 90% of my snares. The snares I'm using are made out of 7x7 3/32 cable and are 42" long with a 10" loaded loop. The cable used for the snares has a lot of memory and when it is run across a rod, you can form a loop that will retain that shape and size. I haven't learned to load a snare yet so I buy mine preloaded. The advantage of a loaded snare vs a regular is the loaded snare will have a uniform, circle loop that blends in well in most surroundings and will snap shut when bumped compared to one that must be pulled tight around an animals neck. For coyotes I run the bottom of my loop 10"-14" off the ground.
I buy the Berkshires, cable and other hardware in bulk and build them to the size I need for each situation. You can buy them premade in different lengths, but it's cheaper and more practical to build them myself.
Here I have a length of cable, Berkshire, aluminum ferrules & stops, snare, quick link, name tag, support stake & wire, and cable cutters. You can cut the cable with side cutters but you will get a cleaner cut with the cable cutters.
After cutting my cable to 24" I have attached the anchor and crimped the ferrules and stops in place. You need to leave a loop on one end for your quick link that will attach to your snare. This leaves me with a 20" earth anchor that will hold most coyotes in most soil conditions.
Here's the finished rig with name tag attached and deer stop crimped into place. Ohio law states our snares have to have a stop to prevent the opening of the snare from closing to a diameter of less than 2 1/2 inches in diameter, or a relaxing lock system with a breaking point of not greater than 350 pounds.
The anchor has a pointed end with a little dimple for the end of your driver to fit in. You can buy a driver or make your own as I did. The anchor is pushed into the ground all the way to the snare connection. Most of the time you will have to drive about half of the anchor by hitting the driver with a hammer. i added a strike plate to my driver just for this. Once the anchor is driven you pull the driver out and give the cable a short tug. This forces the anchor to cam itself horizontal in the ground, and will be next to impossible to pull out.
Next I have attached a 24" piece of nine wire to a 12' wooden stake for my support. I carry about a dozen of these with me along with spare wire that can be wrapped around a fence post, tree etc instead of the stake. You can use smaller gauge wire but the nine wire makes for a very stiff firm support that won't get blown over or nocked down.
The support wire will fit snug into the support collar on the snare. These snares have a short piece of rubber tube for a support collar.
I'll carry about a dozen snares, support stakes, hammer, driver, side cutters, extra wire and rubber gloves when I'm setting. Compared to a dozen footholds, you are not carrying much weight.
Here's a trail that leads into an overgrown orchard that the yotes travel through. There's a small anthill behind the weeds on the left and a small tree to the right that funnels the yote through this spot. I can't stress enough to look for pinch points like this. Also when setting the snare, approach the trail from the side so you leave as little scent and disturbance as possible. You want the trail to basically look the same as when you found it.
I hung the snare roughly 10" off the ground and used a few weeds to blend it in. Don't get carried away with trying to hide the snare as you might make an obstacle out of an open trail. This was a brand new snare set for a demo and really sticks out compared to the snares that are treated.
I'll try to get some pics in the field the next time I hang more snares.
I use an earth anchor system called Berkshire Heavy Duties for staking 90% of my snares. The snares I'm using are made out of 7x7 3/32 cable and are 42" long with a 10" loaded loop. The cable used for the snares has a lot of memory and when it is run across a rod, you can form a loop that will retain that shape and size. I haven't learned to load a snare yet so I buy mine preloaded. The advantage of a loaded snare vs a regular is the loaded snare will have a uniform, circle loop that blends in well in most surroundings and will snap shut when bumped compared to one that must be pulled tight around an animals neck. For coyotes I run the bottom of my loop 10"-14" off the ground.
I buy the Berkshires, cable and other hardware in bulk and build them to the size I need for each situation. You can buy them premade in different lengths, but it's cheaper and more practical to build them myself.
Here I have a length of cable, Berkshire, aluminum ferrules & stops, snare, quick link, name tag, support stake & wire, and cable cutters. You can cut the cable with side cutters but you will get a cleaner cut with the cable cutters.
After cutting my cable to 24" I have attached the anchor and crimped the ferrules and stops in place. You need to leave a loop on one end for your quick link that will attach to your snare. This leaves me with a 20" earth anchor that will hold most coyotes in most soil conditions.
Here's the finished rig with name tag attached and deer stop crimped into place. Ohio law states our snares have to have a stop to prevent the opening of the snare from closing to a diameter of less than 2 1/2 inches in diameter, or a relaxing lock system with a breaking point of not greater than 350 pounds.
The anchor has a pointed end with a little dimple for the end of your driver to fit in. You can buy a driver or make your own as I did. The anchor is pushed into the ground all the way to the snare connection. Most of the time you will have to drive about half of the anchor by hitting the driver with a hammer. i added a strike plate to my driver just for this. Once the anchor is driven you pull the driver out and give the cable a short tug. This forces the anchor to cam itself horizontal in the ground, and will be next to impossible to pull out.
Next I have attached a 24" piece of nine wire to a 12' wooden stake for my support. I carry about a dozen of these with me along with spare wire that can be wrapped around a fence post, tree etc instead of the stake. You can use smaller gauge wire but the nine wire makes for a very stiff firm support that won't get blown over or nocked down.
The support wire will fit snug into the support collar on the snare. These snares have a short piece of rubber tube for a support collar.
I'll carry about a dozen snares, support stakes, hammer, driver, side cutters, extra wire and rubber gloves when I'm setting. Compared to a dozen footholds, you are not carrying much weight.
Here's a trail that leads into an overgrown orchard that the yotes travel through. There's a small anthill behind the weeds on the left and a small tree to the right that funnels the yote through this spot. I can't stress enough to look for pinch points like this. Also when setting the snare, approach the trail from the side so you leave as little scent and disturbance as possible. You want the trail to basically look the same as when you found it.
I hung the snare roughly 10" off the ground and used a few weeds to blend it in. Don't get carried away with trying to hide the snare as you might make an obstacle out of an open trail. This was a brand new snare set for a demo and really sticks out compared to the snares that are treated.
I'll try to get some pics in the field the next time I hang more snares.
