Pipe Dream Set For Coyotes, Fox, And Bobcats

Has the weather where you are trapping ever been so bad that you could not keep the traps working. In extreme wet or freezing and thawing conditions, the Pipe Dream Set is the best set for coyotes.

The Pipe Dream Set was invented by Mark Zagger to solve the issue of traps freezing closed and not being able to catch a coyote. The trap is bedded over a narrow hole just smaller than the jaws of the trap and covered with grass. A PVC pipe is placed where a dirt hole would have been dug pounded into the ground and filled with bait.

Similar Trapping Sets

Dirt hole set

How To Make A Pipe Dream Set

The Pipe dream set was designed for use in bad weather or specifically freezing and thawing conditions. It can also work in good weather.
Dig a hole just smaller than your trap that is about five inches deep. The hole is used to keep a lot of water away from the jaws of the trap.
Use an earth anchor at the end of your trap to secure the trap. Stake the trap at the bottom of the hole. A drag can also be used on the end of the trap.

Place the trap at the top of the hole. The leavers should stick out the side of the trap and may need slight depressions to get the top of the trap to sit slightly lower or right at the ground level.
Use the hammer to pound and pinch the sod and dirt around the trap. This should bed the trap so that it does not move.
Use a screen wire pan cover to keep trap covering, usually a very light covering of grass on top of the trap. This allows any water to go down through the trap and drain into the hole. This will make it so your trap does not freeze down as easily.

Pound a nine-inch PVC pipe in where you would usually put a dirt hole leaving two inches exposed. Fill the pipe with bait and put urine and lure at the base of the pipe as you see fit.

Pipe Dream Set For Bobcats

Can you catch a bobcat in a pipe dream set? Yes, bobcats are not commonly caught in a pipe dream set because most trappers are setting them for coyotes. But a bobcat can be trapped in most sets that a coyote can be trapped in.

Pipe Dream Set For Fox

Probably the second most common animal to catch in a pipe dream set is a fox. Fox can be trapped just as easily as coyotes in a Pipe Drea Set and it is a common occurrence if they are around.

What Traps Will Work For A Pipe Dream Set

The pipe dream set requires the use of a foothold trap. Most some of the most common coyote sets will work with this set. Square jaw traps are what Mark Zagger uses.

If you are looking for a list of coyote traps that would work for making a pipe dream set checkout the foothold section of our list of coyote traps.

PVC Set For Coyotes

Many people have heard of a PVC set and don’t know that it was invented by Mark Zagger and is actually called the Pipe dream Set. It is made by bedding a trap and then using a PVC pipe to hold the bait for the trap.

Follow the instructions above for the Pipe Dream Set. They are the same thing.
This set can work for furbearers such as fox, coyote, bobcat, and badger.
Check out all the other coyote trapping sets we recommend in our trapping sets article.

You can use a foothold trap on a flat set such as the MB 450 for fox or the MB 550 if you have lots of coyotes. Check out our article about MB 450s.

Mark Zagger

So who is Mark Zagger and what is he famous for?

Mark Zagger is known for coming up with the Pipe Dream Set for catching coyotes. After decades of trapping coyotes and fox he published an article in the Trappers Post in the November and December edition about the set and became famous among trappers for coming up with it.

As a trapper Mark has a very short season for trapping in New York where he lives. It is short because of bad weather and not because of a short season.

Only using foothold traps he averages catching 130 coyotes in a three to four week period of trapping each year. He is famously known for his pictures with a barn covered in all the fox and coyotes he catches each year.

Later in his trapping career, Mark has been passing on his trapping experience to other trappers. He started teaching at many events and then started his own class.

Coyote U is Mark’s class on coyote trapping and fur handling. He teaches small classes and holds the events at his house for several days.