Very cool Nick.

I mentioned yesterday about taking a pic of a coyote snare set. Everybody has their preferences. This is just how I do it, and I'm always open to improvements.

I'll make the snare loop roughly 40-44 inches in length. So then once squared-up it'll measure about a 10-11" square. I just eyeball that so it could be off an inch or so either way, and also depends on the spot where it's hung.

Since I want the Coyote on as short a leash as possible, I go with a 5' snare, which leaves 16-20 inches to work with on the swivel end of the cable. So if there's no nearby tree for anchoring, I can still use a ground stake directly below the support collar side of the loop. But if there's a handy tree nearby, I'll anchor directly to a wire wrapped on the tree, or use an extension cable. I prefer not to use an extension, to lessen collateral damage to the brush in the area. But sometimes that's the only option.

I use light steel wire, 11 gage, for the support bracket, and keep it short. I form a W-shape at the tip for the support collar, and angle the tip steeply upwards at a 45-60 degree angle. The "W" is what keeps the snare loop perpendicular to the trail, even if let's say a deer brushes past. I screw the spring support collar onto the support wire really tight. So tight that you can no longer pull the cable through it.

The 3/32 cable takes a kink easily, so I square up the top corner, kink down the middle of the top a little, and kink up the middle of the bottom, forming a square-ish shape. The micro type locks will slide over the kinks with ease, no problem.

Here's the finished product below. This one is anchored to a tree. When I brush it in, I angle the bottom end of the last few twigs towards the middle of the trail. This keeps yippy's paws centered on the trail, hopefully guiding his head to the middle of the loop.

In this particular spot I've caught one yote so far this year, but it's been good in the past. They tend to follow that wooded edge you see in the background at left, then cross the lane and barrel into the set.