i tinker at some trapping here also i mainly catch coons using a live trap with squeeze grapr jelly put some on the trip pedtal and leave a trail of it for about 30yds.
for groundhogs we use pieces of lettuce in the trap.
for foxes i use dead chickens bury them under trap leave one leg sticking up out of the ground

Trapping is a lot like bowhunting, you must have intimate knowledge of where the animal is going to be. With trapping you must know where the animal is going to put it’s foot. Like bowhunting, you need to find or create a type of funnel and control your scent to put the odds in your favor. In other words make the set and place the bait so that the critter has no choice but to step on the trap. I often used a simple hole set placed among rocks or logs using said rocks and logs to funnel the animal to my set. The final trick I was taught was to place a stick in front of the trap which was placed about 9 inches to a foot in front of the bait. Animals won’t step on the stick and will step over it onto the trap while slipping closer to the bait.

The area around the trap must look and smell undisturbed to the animals, particularly coyotes.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on trapping techniques. I suggest a trip to the library, bookstore, or preferably a visit with a grizzled old trapper.

Hi Chris
We may be a world away but a few things hold true, new traps hold that man made smell for quite a while I used to weather mine over the summer, and bury snares for a month before using.
For bait try cat food our foxes can’t resist it.
Like Jonny says as little disturbance as possible, if this is not possible place the trap without setting it go back after a couple of days when your scent has disappeared and it has had an opportunity to blend with its surrounding then set the trap, when checking traps I always try to do it from a distance to reduce scent and disturbance.
Good luck, Mark.