(coyotes, fox etc...) Do have a sense of smell unlike no other. I have had fox walk up to me as well while out calling. But its a different story when your trying to trap something. If you have any sort of human scent, lard, goose fat, chicken fat, your doing nothing but going to either one, run the weary animal off with your scent, or two, snap a fox in the nose when checking out the scent on the trap and I can guarantee you you'll never see him again.
Kathy, if you need a hand Sue had a great idea, contact your local trappers Association. We have done many of these sets for folks who have had predators on their property. A mink box is another great idea, but if its a fox, you'll never catch him with a mink box. Do both! you'll likely catch something!
The mink in my trap was just imaginary then. Put an imaginary bullet into it too. I had just been in the coop and came back with a bucket of feed, 5 minutes tops had elapsed. He wasn't afraid of me. He was watching nearby. Waiting for his chance.
Had an imaginary one attack once while I was in the coop with a firearm in my hand, years ago now. Couldn't shoot for the panicked chickens but I did play baseball using a 2x4. Hit a home run. It leaped past me at a roo on a perch and I whacked it right out the door. It ran off but never returned. Safe to assume I did some damage.
I was talking to a few ladies I hadn't seen all winter last week. They had mink/weasel problems too. One lady got a weasel. The other was still on the hunt. Her birds were all gone. I really think it had something to do with that record breaking snowpack. I've still got a little ice here and there. Don't know if I want to see another winter like that again. Even my ski fanatic teenager was hating the snow by the end.