I am trying to insure a better turkey hatch this season and I am hoping to knock a dent in the coon population. I just purchased a dozen of these dog proof coon traps. Any of you guys ever had any experience with these type of sets. I decided to just use marshmallows as bait but I read where putting vanilla extract on them will help lure them in. Didn't use any this time around but wanted to know if any of you have any suggestions for bait. Also, do you have to be as scent conscious with coons as you do with coyotes wearing gloves and rubber boots and such. They don't strike me as too smart so I didn't wear any rubber gloves or boots when I was setting the first round of traps. If they work, planning to buy about 36 more and wage war on these bastages.

I don't know that it's a lack of smarts, with coons, some are pretty devious, but they're not afraid of human scent, or they wouldn't spend so much time eating people's cat food or stealing chickens! DP's are all I have, to protect ducks and chickens...I usually angle mine a little, and I spread a little bait around the trap like you've done. Good luck!

Yep, I probably should have put mine in on an angle as well. Just wasn't sure if I should go buy some sort of coon bait or just stick with marshmallows. Someone told me to let them dry out but I would think they would not be as good of an attractant if they were dried out, but I am novice to this trapping thing.

You don’t need anything special for coons…..the most important thing is to set your traps in well used areas…..creek branches are usually great areas.... I’m catching them on Lucky Charms and Corn Pops right now. Here’s an easy way to set your traps up. You just wrap the cable around a small tree and then stick the trap through the loop…..quick and easy to put out and take up.....no hammers and stakes to mess with.

Also, keep your bait in the trap. Just fill it up to the bottom of the trigger.......and set your latch with more of a hair trigger.......Put out traps in groups of 3.

Marshmellows and vanilla extract or canned jack mackeral/ sardines are my go to coon bait. I do prefer chain and quick links for anchoring though.

I have put a few pieces of cat food in the top after I set the trap. they reach and get it out and go for more.

Thanks for all the tips guys. I do like the cable system. I set out 8 yesterday and located most of them near ditches or waterways where I have seen several tracks in the past. I caught 3 out of the 8 that was set, so I felt pretty good about that considering it was the first night. CNC, I assume you painted your ORANGE, just to be able to find them more easily, is that correct. Once turkey season is over and we can fire back up our feeders, I would thing the numbers will increase substantially based on the pics I have of coons at our feeder stations. I going to have a total of 30 traps, so I hope that amount will knock a dent in the coon community.

That’s a good pull for night one.

If you’ve got the time to check the traps for a couple weeks and set up on some hot travel ways…..you can really put a hurting on some coons. Yes, the paint is to make them easier for me to locate. Seems to make no difference to the coons. They may beat it off when I catch one but it only takes a few seconds to put a new coat back on them. Those cables are attached with hammer-on clamps....very simple.

I just got around to checking my four sets on south tract and caught two more there, so I ended up with 5 coons out of 12 sets. Feel pretty good for the first night.

I've caught them using sardine, tuna, salmon, marshmallows, dry dog food with fish oil dripped on it so whatever you find theyre biting on use it and when that runs dry use something else

I've used cheap maple syrup or chocolate syrup to lay a scent trail to the DP's. Once you catch several, it'll get a little more difficult and it seemed as if that helped

Fish oil wears them out for me.

Cheap cat food worked the best for me

Put traps right in the middle of trail. I use marshamellows under the trigger, and sweet smelling lure like syrup or Canvens moonshine. Stay away from fishy type lure or catfood if you are near houses so you want catch somebodys cat. Tons of good videos on youtube. Good luck!

I’m not sure what I caught But it looked there had been a pretty good struggle and whatever it was eventually pulled the stake out of the ground and left with my trap in tow. The ground was a little wet in the area and I had Not driven stake all the way down. My guess is that it was a bobcat. Can’t see how coyote could get caught in one. I have Out several cameras so I may Get to see what it was shortly.

Muzziehead unless you like buying new traps and having animals suffering with a trap on them trying to survive invest in some chains.

Add 8 to 10 feet of chain to each of your DP traps and a quicklink to attach them around trees.

The trap you lost was more than likely a coon. They can be a handful. Now you're out a trap and an animal is suffering due to your efforts. It's preventable!

CNC your cable system will work as long as you inspect your cables after every catch and change them out as soon as you see twist and signs of wear. A big coon left for 12 hours will do serious damage to cable. If they set into chewing on it then you'll loose a trap.

I don't mean to be on my soapbox as they say but anytime a trapper looses an animal with a trap on it there's the potential for that animal to be found by someone who will use that against us! It's our responsibility as trappers to take every precaution possible to prevent painting trapping in a bad light.

I'll be sure to keep an eye on them. .......I'm using Z-traps that come with an extra swivel on the chain. I think that may be helping some with the twisting.

North40R, thanks for the tip on using a chain as opposed to the cable. I will Definitely look at using the chain. My question though would be is 8-10 feet necessary? Assuming I tie Off to a tree that is 3-4 in circumfance, do I need That extra 4-5 feet of chain.

I did the set correctly based on everything I had read. My only mistake would have been locating the stake in an area where the ground may have been too wet.

You don’t have to have all that chain, but when you have to use a bigger tree or need to set in a specific place with nothing close to anchor to it sure helps. You could start shorter and add on with a quick link if needed. Also, tighten quick links down with a wrench or pliers. They will open up on you if not tight.