I have a friend that traps coons to check for rabies and he said he could trap every coon from any city until he can't find a track anywhere. Then he could wait 3-4 months and go back and catch as many as the time before. If you have a good food source you will have coons.

Well, I got one more last night for 6 total so far. That's off of a 200 yard stretch of one little creek branch. I think just about everyone of them have been small female coons. There was one that I didn't check. It'll be interesting to see how many I catch before it goes cold. It's no wonder I never see any of these nesting turkeys with any poults.

Here’s what I was really wondering though……Could I effectively trap a larger area by only setting up a line along a short stretch of the bigger creek bottom? If I trap for two weeks along the line on the map….would I pick up all the coons using the beaver swamp or would I have to move along the bottom to efficiently get them all. This is a really similar setup to what I’m doing right now. I’m wondering how big of an area I’m clearing out with this trap line.

I would do it the way you have drawn out if I was trying to get a quick check in every day and was able to leave traps out for a while. After a few days with no action move them around and rotate 2 or 3 spots that are easy quick drive by checks. It may not be the best way if you were trapping for fur numbers and had a short time to catch them but for predator control and long term it sounds good.

I think what I’m gonna do is leave my traps out like they are now until it runs cold and I don’t get any more catches for several days in a row. Then I’m gonna move them a few hundred yards and see if I pick up any additional catches around the beaver swamp. If I don’t then I’ll know that I likely got them on all with the original line.

Do you see how addictive trapping can be yet?

Oh yeah!.....I wish there was something more we could do with them though after we catch them. I’ve looked around at the possibility of selling the fur but it seems like southern fur is pretty worthless. Maybe I just don’t know the right people or something. I may have to open up a coon meat market here in Macon Co.

Make sure you leave one foot on a coon to sell it for meat.

10-4.....I guess folks want to make sure you're not selling them a possum, is that why?


Speaking of......No coons or yotes last night but I did catch my first grinner. I was beginning to think that I was gonna have to use a few live traps with sardines to these guys. I need to set my camera up and see if I have any yotes passing through. I think the one I had visiting got run over. They’ll for sure be some in here later in the summer when plums start ripening.

Nope its to make sure you arent selling them a house cat

Dang, I didn’t think about that. Ewwww, I bet cat meat would have a little whang to it. I hear they make good yote bait though.

Beginner question. Is a license required to trap coons and yotes just to get rid of them? As in not selling skins or meat. If yes, what about resident landowners on their land?

Its my understanding that you don’t need one for just trapping around your own property but you do need one if you plan to commercially trap for others or sell hides and meat.

Definitely gonna have to look for a permanent solution for the trigger. I didn’t put any shiny locknuts back on the triggers and 4 of 5 traps were cleaned out with no catch last night. One trap was even knocked over. I may see if I can hot glue a nut or one of those pieces of cork on them when I bring them back in. For now I think I’ll hunt up a few more locknuts like before and catch another bait thief. You wouldn’t want this to happen on a real trapping run. It’s basically a wasted run that should have been fruitful.

The land owner where I hunt and I are halving the cost of some Duke DP's. He needs help protecting his 12 chickens. Since there's no commercial purpose I think we aren't required to have a license just a catch pole.

CNC,

Here is my thoughts.

All the above, particularly the corn is a small item. The coon has delicate hands and reaches in and between the trigger and uses the side of the trap to wedge the corn, mush, what ever, up and out, never touching the trigger.

I use sardines and break the sardine in long pieces to where they are long chunks, and place them perpendicular under the trigger. I also find a larger semi-dry leaf, and fold it flat, to where it is the size of the tube, and place them on top of the sardines and under the trigger.

The coon has to pull the leaf out of the way to get to the bait, which catches the trigger.

ALSO, I do not latch the dog in the trigger all the way to its notch in the bottom. I pull the trigger up and place the dog on the upper edge of the notch. The trigger this way doesn't have to be pulled up much at all to set the trap. This is on the DP traps.

I wish I had some traps, I'd post pics for you to make it easier to understand.

I know sardines aren't cheap, but neither is your time in going to check an empty trap. Wear rubber gloves as Sardines are stinky and stay with whatever the juice gets on. I buy mine at Sam's club.

God Bless.
David B.

I have some of the ZTraps and the trigger releases pulling up or pushing down. I have never had the bait stolen from one them.

I have never had trouble with traps being robbed but I never use corn either. Some dps need the trigger notch filed a little to make it trip easier. Marshmallows are my go to bait, easy to carry, spread a few around for eye appeal ,and hard to get out without tripping the trigger. A little fish oil around the trap and maybe some lure on the lip of the trap and I am set.

I appreciate the advice fellas. I may have to switch baits or traps. Corn is just simple, clean, wouldn’t attract ants was my thoughts….as well as being cheap. I can probably bait up 10-12 traps with no more than a Solo cup full of corn. I did what BOFF is recommending on this round and set them to be a lot more hair triggered this time. I put some lock nuts on the triggers again for now. They worked fine last time but they just came off after being triggered.

I think I’ve found my solution to my triggers and still be able to use corn.....an artificial grub (fishing lure…the little crappie jigs)….it’ll slide onto the trigger and stay when fired. I don’t think the coon will be able to resist grabbing it due to the texture. We’ll see. I read a lot of people saying the marshmallow can get sticky and nasty in the traps if it gets rained on. Have y'all had issue with that?