How to Snare a Coyote & With What Size of Wire

Coyote trappers commonly use snares.

Coyotes are doglike canines that can live in a wide variety of habitats, but often are found in agricultural areas. While some people trap them for sport, others do so because coyotes are predators that eat the eggs of upland-nesting birds such as ducks and pheasants. One of the best traps for catching coyotes is a snare trap made of 9-gauge wire. There is no need for bait with this sort of trap.

Things You'll Need

• 9-gauge wire
• Stake
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Create a small loop in the end of a 4-foot piece of 9-gauge wire. The loop only needs to be large enough to pass the wire through it. Secure the small loop by wrapping the wire around itself several times.

2. Thread the free end of the wire through the small loop. The new, larger loop is the snare loop.

3. Wrap the free end of the wire around a stake five to eight times. Pull on the wire to ensure that it will not come unwrapped under pressure.

4. Insert the stake into the ground in the spot you want to snare. The best locations are along game trails that lead to fields and before or after holes underneath fences, which coyotes use to get into areas like chicken pens.

5. Create a 12-inch-diameter snare loop by adjusting the location of the small loop. Bend the wire so the loop does not move, and then maneuver the wire so the bottom of the snare loop is 8 inches above the ground.

References

• Simplesurvival.net: Good Snares
• Field and Stream: Six Primitive Traps for Catching Food in the Woods