Seemed like I didn't have as much trouble with theft as I did with "damage" in this area. A coyote standing in a set seemed like good target practice, I guess. I lost a few traps here and there, but when I switched to cross-staking or earth anchors, the new fun seemed to be in how many times can a trap be run over by a truck tire? In really bad years, I actually had someone shoot and leave the coyote but take the $15 trap. In better years, they took both coyote and the trap. Staying low key helps tremendously. So does set placement (out of sight, out of mind, and try to look the set over from a distance or the road, too. IF you can see the bouncing critter in your set, most likely someone else can, too). I never could prevent the trespasser from finding my stuff in middle of a section that I supposedly had "exclusive" rights to trap on, but I just did the best I could and hoped for good results. In this area, we have a few groups of "hunters" who pursue coyotes late in the season on just about anyone's land they can drive on. Nothing seems to be sacred or deserving of respect from them, either. The multiple tracks, the high power shells, and numerous footprints around the destroyed coyote told me all the story I needed to see. The following weekend when I saw the "army" of trucks bouncing along the timber in the neighbor's section made me sick to my stomach...'cause I knew they didn't exactly ask to go through his property. He is fairly particular about any driving across his land.
