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Things You'll Need
Instructions
Check with the appropriate department in your state to find out what regulations affect the use of snares to trap coyotes. In Missouri, landowners and farmers must obtain a special permit to trap coyotes and can only do so if the animals have been a demonstrated nuisance on private land. They can only use snares on their private land.
Give your snares a sniff test. They should not smell of anything. If your snares have an odor, such as a food smell, immerse them in a pot of boiling water for five minutes, then pull them out and allow them to dry. The odor could repel coyotes.
Inform your neighbors you intend to use snares for coyotes. Since the snares could trap other animals, they will want to keep dogs on a leash while you are trapping coyotes. Avoid setting snares in areas where livestock roam, since you could catch an animal accidentally.
Wash your hands before you set out the snares to remove your human scent. Apply the scent-masking product.
Look for coyote trails under fences, since these animals prefer to squeeze under a fence rather than hop over it. Evidence to look for includes coyote hairs on the fence, coyote tracks or signs of a trail or path under the fence. Try to positively identify coyote tracks or coyote fur, since other animals might also crawl under the fence.
Set snares under fences, since coyotes like to squeeze under fences. To do this, place your snare about one foot away from the fence so the bottom of the snare rests just above the ground, and secure one end of the snare to the fence. It should be perpendicular to the ground so a coyote trying to sneak under the fence will pass through your snare.
Cut a length of black #9 wire -- this type is hard for coyotes to see -- to secure the snare. Push each end of the wire into the ground several inches to create an arch where the snare will go. Leave a few inches between the top of the wire and the ground, so you can attach the snare.
Hold the snare in place so it sits the right distance away from the fence and about 1 inch off the ground. The snare should also touch the #9 wire. Wrap a 5-inch length of baling wire snugly around the snare and the #9 wire to secure your snare. For the snare to work properly, you need to wrap it between the slide lock and swivel.
Check to make sure the snare is level by the lock, rather than sloping. Leverage the snare against the arched #9 wire until the lock sits perpendicular to the ground. This helps ensure that the snare does not trip prematurely.
Attach the swivel end of the snare to the fence. If it is not long enough to reach, use baling wire to connect the fence and the snare.
Check your snares daily to see whether you have caught a coyote or other animals. Rain and winds may trip snares, so reset a snare that has been tripped by weather. Release other animals that have been caught.
Consult your local conservation agent if you catch a coyote, to learn how to dispose of the animal.
Stop using the snares once you have caught coyotes. Let your neighbors know when you are no longer using snares.