These are the step-down methods I have used and taught many students successfully for 50 years;
THE “OLD INDIAN” DIRT HOLE SET
The “Old Indian” set is an improvement over the commonly made dirt hole set. First, dig or chop out a trap bed the correct size for the trap being used. Make it deep enough that when the stake is driven or the grapple hook is placed in the hole and covered with one inch of soil, the trap will set one inch below the surroundings. Place the covering over the pan. Bed the trap solidly so it will not tip if the animal steps on the springs or jaws first. Always position the trap so the animal walks into it between, not over the jaws. The trap pan must be level. Selecting the finest soil, cover the trap with ¾ inch. Starting at the back edge of the trap bed and off center one to two inches to the left, dig a tunnel gradually deeper until it becomes a hole. The hole should be placed back of the trap pan six to eight inches for fox, and nine to eleven inches for coyote. The hole should be about four inches in diameter and at least eight inches deep, slanting back at a 45 degree angle so the animal must approach from the trap side to look into the hole. When the trap is covered the right depth, use more soil to build two ridges about two inches high. Start at the mouth of the hole and come back one foot just clearing each jaw with the ridges. Make another little soil pile just at the mouth of the hole so the animal must come in closer to peek into the hole. When completed the trap sets between the ridges, and just back of the little pile at the mouth of the hole. The two ridges and little pile of soil at the mouth act as guides. The trap is in the lowest place between the ridges and off center one or two inches to the right of the hole. Additional small weather-stained, natural looking branches may be used as guides on each side of the jaws. They must be firmly planted and pointing out from the jaws at a 45 degree angle. Place lure and urine as previously described. Place any excess soil, roots, stones, etc. on your kneeling pad to be carried from sight. Carefully examine the area and cover any signs of your having been there. All must look natural. Learn to make sets as quickly as possible to avoid leaving excess human scent at the set.
One can modify this same exact set by bedding the trap 2" or so lower than ground level so the animal must step down into the trap bed to see into the hole. I would call the conventional "Old Indian" set as a "step-between" set and when lowered 2" or more it becomes a true "step-down" set. I have used this set to harvest thousands of fox, coyote, bobcat and coon over the years, they are deadly sets that seldom miss! At most applications I use the conventional set with the hole dug into a backing such as a small hump or tiny bush. Where I find the advantage in lowering the trap bed to a true step-down is when no backings are available, such as out in a flat field. Once one has dug a deep trap bed, they now have created their own backing to dig a hole into at a 45 degree angle. The start of the hole entrance below ground level serves as a backing because now an animal would have much difficulty in seeing into the hole with out coming around to the trap side and stepping down into the depression. The hole being dug 45 degrees is important to me because the slant of the hole tells me where the animal's feet are going to be once they step between the sand ridges or down into the trap bed. If holes are too vertical, it is too easy for the animal to look into the hole from any position, from the side or back of the set. If holes are dug back too far horizontally, the animal has to crouch to see back into them. To me, it would take a sliderule to figure where the animals target right front foot might be if he were in a crouched position. Once I have taught the "Old Indian" method to many students, they all practically eliminated trap pan near misses.
Hope this is helpful! Ace
