Swing and a miss, what happened?

[jhawk13]

Alright so I pulled all my traps today and my last trap the door was down. Couldn’t believe it. Blood pumping for sure! Walked up and nothing was inside. Bummer! What’s worse is I missed something.

I had tracks inside the trap and hair everywhere on the sides of the trap. I am trying to figure out how I missed this animal and what exactly the animal was.

Hair is white with yellow/tan/orange tips and very fine. Mostly white. Hair is on both sides of the cage at the same height. I can make out 3 tracks in the dirt inside the cage. Looks like the animal pushed back.

Cage is a guillotine door 36” long with the triggers at 28”. Triggers bent forward another inch. Trap is 18” tall and narrow at at 11” wide

The way I made my locks when the door hits the bottom it has enough vibration to set the lock in the hole. It didn’t set the lock which makes me think the cage door hit the animal on the way down. Door slid easily in the tracks, wasn’t hung up.

The rest of the site was undisturbed. I also had coyote tracks up the road about 30 yards.
 






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[Eric M]

I'm not a fur expert but the coloration does sound like coyote. Might've been too big to it and was able to back out. Too bad you didn't have a camera set up. If that was a coyote that is a pretty rare thing.

[jhawk13]

I'm not a fur expert but the coloration does sound like coyote. Might've been too big to it and was able to back out. Too bad you didn't have a camera set up. If that was a coyote that is a pretty rare thing.

When I think of dog hair, I believe it has some rigidity to it. This hair was very very fine no rigidity.

The backing out part makes me think coyote, pretty sure cats jump forward.


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[jhawk13]

I'm not a fur expert but the coloration does sound like coyote. Might've been too big to it and was able to back out. Too bad you didn't have a camera set up. If that was a coyote that is a pretty rare thing.

When I think of dog hair, I believe it has some rigidity to it. This hair was very very fine no rigidity.

The backing out part makes me think coyote, pretty sure cats jump forward.


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Also, I have had coyote tracks up and down the road by my traps for the last 3 weeks. Nothing has been touched in those 3 weeks.


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[JakeLand]

Coyote! It's happened to me the door comes down on to their back and they just back out. The have fine hair too . But what gets me is every time with my cages they dig and excavate the ground all around

[Kit Carson]

Maybe you caught someone's dog and the person got it out?

Maybe a coyote backed out 
I caught a Coyote in a cage last year and I know Redi also caught one in the last few years (I'm sure other people too). It happens.

[Humptulips]

From the sound of the hair it makes me think dog. Whatever, too big for the trap, door lands on his back and he backs out.

Could be worse, I had someone turn a cat loose for me last week or at least I think it was a cat.
Wasn't a dog. They used a lot of forked sticks to push the door open and block it open. Dog they would've just let it out.

[bear hunter]

From the sound of the hair it makes me think dog. Whatever, too big for the trap, door lands on his back and he backs out.

Could be worse, I had someone turn a cat loose for me last week or at least I think it was a cat.
Wasn't a dog. They used a lot of forked sticks to push the door open and block it open. Dog they would've just let it out.

[jhawk13]

From the sound of the hair it makes me think dog. Whatever, too big for the trap, door lands on his back and he backs out.

Could be worse, I had someone turn a cat loose for me last week or at least I think it was a cat.
Wasn't a dog. They used a lot of forked sticks to push the door open and block it open. Dog they would've just let it out.

Yeah, that is definitely worse!!!


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[JakeLand]

Definitely canine by the track and since it's not all stirred up inside I'm guessing it just backed out    This why I'm thinking a coyote will go in a cage it's just our cat cages are too short in length

[huntingfool7]

I had a pair of the neighbors dogs messing with one of my cages.  Door dropped on one of them and he backed out and ran home.  The other one walked around the cage and urinated on it. 

There's a camera on it.  I'm not that good at reading sign LOL.

[Humptulips]

How heavy is that door? Does it drop with authority?

[huntingfool7]

I know the dog well and feed it when the owners need someone to.  She is fine.