In this Backyard Life video, world-renowned hunter Michael Waddell discusses his top trapping tips. Learn how he prepares and sets traps to protect his farm from coyotes and other predatory animals.
Michael Waddell’s Trapping Tips
- First, Waddell shows viewers the bin where the materials for building leg-hole traps are kept. One of his trap preparation tips is to keep bait separate from the rest of the materials. This prevents coyotes and foxes from smelling the bait underground and digging up the trap.
- Waddell’s second tip is to make sure to have a well-stocked bait bucket. He keeps a variety of meats, urine, and even peanuts on hand to bait his traps. Waddell then discussed everything he uses to build a leg-hole trap. Namely, items like shovels, a broom for sifting dirt, and various pliers and tools.
- For his next trapping tip, Waddell walks to the back of his truck and pulls out a long metal stick with a wire loop at the end. “I call this my trapping stick,” he says. It’s a tool that enables him to safely wrangle an animal free from the trap.
Setting the Traps
Waddell demonstrates drilling holes with his auger, then setting his traps (making sure to bury them and sweep away the dirt). After the traps are buried, they’re then scented. For another trapping tip, Waddell reminds viewers to not, “use the gloves that you’ve used to handle bait on anything else.”
A few days later, Waddell successfully trapped a coyote. While he knows trapping can be controversial, there’s no argument that predators like coyotes and foxes can harm pets and wildlife. “Hopefully you’ll see why we do it,” Waddell concludes.
