So I'm completely new to trapping.
Have 80 acres with lots of coyote sign. See coyotes on game cams in middle of the night. Even saw one at 10am turkey hunting this year.

What I am looking for is the simplest way to set a trap say on Friday evening and hopefully have a coyote Saturday morning. Is that even possible?

What trap would be best to start with? How do you determine where to set it? Easiest bait options.  

Looking to just thin the pack down so other game animals thrive.

1, coyotes can be very hard to trap, they are not stupid.
2, there are laws you know, in most states you need a trapping license and to get that you have to take a course.(maybe just here IDK)
3, there is generally a season for them and it is not spring.
4, shooting them is much more fun especially if you can do it at night in your state.
5, it is almost impossible to box trap coyotes so that leaves you leg holds and conibears. Incidental catches are hard to avoid.
Some states you can snare them.
If you want to just do it despite any laws snares are the best bet but you damn well better check them by daybreak every day so someone else does not find them.

A screaming toddler left in a field should work pretty well. Screaming rabbits do too but that's mean.

ETA: Do not try to trap coyotes before you learn to just shoot them. A dedicated thermal scope and a .223 is all you need to thin the shit out of a pack.

Thanks for the info thus far!  

Recommendation on entry level thermal scope?

Another option. In OH there are lots of people that will gladly setup at night with NV to shot them for you. I would guess MI is the same.

Snares will kill what they catch, including your neighbors puppy.

With some cash outlay, you could probably pick up traps, scent, watch YouTube videos for a few hours and maybe catch a yote the first night.

But without the ethics it would be more likely, some other poor critter would get dedded or the man would find you and love you.

Bering Optics Hogster.

Thermal hunting is fun

This is true...very, very smart.


Not in my state...to both. No trapping license on your own land and no required classes to get a license except the general hunter's ed classes if born after 1986.


Open season in my state (you can hunt/trap all year) if you are the landowner or have permission from the landowner.


But not nearly as effective. My traps are always hunting, even when I can't be. I snare far more than I could ever hunt because the 'yotes are VERY call shy here so you can't call them in, you have to bait them or just get lucky and encounter them. That's awful odds.

FWIW, I snare only on my 50 acres, I have about 3/4 mile of fence line but only 1/2 mile of it is really good for snaring (woven wire).
My 1st year I got 3 (started late and there was a bit of a learning curve)
2nd year I got 22
3rd year I got 16
4th year I got 9
Last year I was SOOO busy at work I never got a snare out. I've noticed the population is back up. This year will be another good year I'm sure.

ETA, even if trapping year 'round is legal, don't leave snares out all year. Fawns won't be able to jump fences for the first few months, they will use the same holes through/under fences that 'yotes use. Pull the snares when it gets close to fawns dropping.


Snares are definitely the ticket IF OP has a lot of good funnel points (woven wire stock fences are the BEST) and the risk of snaring domestic canines is super, super low (no close neighbors etc)