Over the years I have relied heavily on the dirthole and flat sets when trapping coyotes and foxes. If I was told tomorrow that I had to choose only one set for the remainder of my trapping life — I would choose the flat set. Without question, most of my canine catches have come from a flat set.
One reason that I prefer the flat set more than the dirthole is because of all of the nontarget catches that I make at a hole set. I use bait at my dirtholes, which seems to attract every raccoon, opossum and skunk within a hundred-mile radius. When I make such catches I still manage to smile and remember that any catch will help during these days of outrageous gas prices. I still catch my share of coyotes at dirtholes, but my favorite is, and always will be, a flat set.
As the name implies, a dirthole set requires a hole with bait inserted in the hole. The trap is bedded and covered with dirt from the hole. A properly made dirthole set will appear as if the dirt covering the trap came from the
