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School me on trapping

I think a coon dug under or attempted to dig under the new duck house last night. Going to try trapping it, are the normal live traps( to me, hardware cloth with the door) or the dog proof ones ( like a can on a stick) the better bet? Neighborhood dogs shouldn't be an issue, they don't belong here and hardly come around ( pretty rural area). If no luck I might have a stake out tomorrow, my new bow needs some action anyway lol

Thanks
 
Horn said:
I think a coon dug under or attempted to dig under the new duck house last night. Going to try trapping it, are the normal live traps( to me, hardware cloth with the door) or the dog proof ones ( like a can on a stick) the better bet? Neighborhood dogs shouldn't be an issue, they don't belong here and hardly come around ( pretty rural area). If no luck I might have a stake out tomorrow, my new bow needs some action anyway lol

Thanks
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If you have both I'd use both. If you have multiple nuisance individuals you might be able to get a nearly-clean sweep in one night.

If you live-catch a skunk, don't try for a headshot, because they'll spray. Body shots with large-caliber centerfires (ballistic disassembly of the back half of the skunk before it can spray) or injecting acetone into the chest cavity seems to work best. One seems more humane, the other has a better shot of preserving fur. Or wrap the Havahart in a tarp and drown it (if both you and the game warden consider that to be humane and ethical).
 
Horn said:
I think a coon dug under or attempted to dig under the new duck house last night. Going to try trapping it, are the normal live traps( to me, hardware cloth with the door) or the dog proof ones ( like a can on a stick) the better bet? Neighborhood dogs shouldn't be an issue, they don't belong here and hardly come around ( pretty rural area). If no luck I might have a stake out tomorrow, my new bow needs some action anyway lol

Thanks
Click to expand...
Cage trap is your best bet. I don't like misses and DPs miss a lot.
 
Would marshmallows be the consensus for bait? I bought a couple cage traps, might buy the dog proof too. Also not 100% it was a coon. Best guess on a partial track. Have seen possum here. Skunks a few years ago, but they dug up the yard not actual sightings. There's a woodchuck around who doesn't bother anything and gets a pass from LadyHorn
 
Horn said:
Would marshmallows be the consensus for bait? I bought a couple cage traps, might buy the dog proof too. Also not 100% it was a coon. Best guess on a partial track. Have seen possum here. Skunks a few years ago, but they dug up the yard not actual sightings. There's a woodchuck around who doesn't bother anything and gets a pass from LadyHorn
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We use a combo of dry cat food, little marshmellows and a little swipe of bacon grease with our dog proofs. Dont know how many we miss but in the last 3 seasons we are at 92-93 coons, possums and skunks combined at my buddy's place. We have run about 50% spray no spray with head shot skunks.
 
I went with a big marshmallow and a handful of duck food last night. Got robbed in the small trap, did get a coon in the bigger one. It did move the fence and dig back under the duck house. I did put a camera out so we'll see if I got any pictures
 
Samcirrus said:
Pop question: Who has been "caught" by their own trap before? Any tips for the newbies on how to self rescue!?
Man, getting both hands stuck in a 330 is not a fun time! But I found you can manage to release with just yr feet and a conibear opener! Footholds can be nasty too. I think I got caught about 10 times in my first season of trapping....now I'm way more careful, lol.
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I caught my hand this year with new K9 Extreme 4 coilspring foot holds. I was adjusting the pan tension and got distracted. Because of the location of my hand, I could not self rescue and luckily wife was home and able to help.
 
I catch coons near my chickens in DP with feed corn. I tried the cat food soaked in bacon grease and dried but it turns into a mess when it rains. The corn doesn't make a mess.
 
Samcirrus said:
Pop question: Who has been "caught" by their own trap before? Any tips for the newbies on how to self rescue!?
Man, getting both hands stuck in a 330 is not a fun time! But I found you can manage to release with just yr feet and a conibear opener! Footholds can be nasty too. I think I got caught about 10 times in my first season of trapping....now I'm way more careful, lol.
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Self locking setters for 330s. Caulking gun type setters are also great for those stuck in a bodygrip or those diminished strength.

Better off not getting caught to start with. Know where your hands are. Don't fool with the triggers when you don't have a trapper safety pin locked into the jaws.

Footholds... Just don't panic. If you're running traps on sliders I highly recommend having a quick disconnect from the slider is invaluable if you catch yourself. Also makes resetting beaver traps a lot easier.
 
2nd coon last night. How long will the streak continue? Lol
 
Horn said:
2nd coon last night. How long will the streak continue? Lol
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Depends on how many are there. This time of year you don't generally have big groups of raccoons unless you're close to a major generational litter raising den site or someone's feeding them.
 
SNIPERBBB said:
Depends on how many are there. This time of year you don't generally have big groups of raccoons unless you're close to a major generational litter raising den site or someone's feeding them.
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3rd today, a little smaller. I see tracks around sometimes but almost never see the actual animal at the house

What kind of habitat makes for a good den?
 
Horn said:
3rd today, a little smaller. I see tracks around sometimes but almost never see the actual animal at the house

What kind of habitat makes for a good den?
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Man made structures mostly. Houses, barns, etc. Old trees, rock piles, abandoned groundhog holes. Lot of these places are generational so if there's space, the daughters will return to use the place they were born for their own litters.
 
SNIPERBBB said:
Man made structures mostly. Houses, barns, etc. Old trees, rock piles, abandoned groundhog holes. Lot of these places are generational so if there's space, the daughters will return to use the place they were born for their own litters.
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We see a lot of use of big hollow trees.
 
SNIPERBBB said:
Yep that's the natural site but females can't resist houses with nice, fluffy insulation for the babies and convenient food supply next door
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Any reccomendation for catchin groundhogs that are burrowing under the farm house? We normally snipe a couple with 22 every year but they keep coming back too.
 
Samcirrus said:
Pop question: Who has been "caught" by their own trap before? Any tips for the newbies on how to self rescue!?
Man, getting both hands stuck in a 330 is not a fun time! But I found you can manage to release with just yr feet and a conibear opener! Footholds can be nasty too. I think I got caught about 10 times in my first season of trapping....now I'm way more careful, lol.
Click to expand...
If you haven't seen the 'rope setting' trick you should check this out:


Lots of videos show the same thing. If you use bodygrippers you should carry a piece of line as an emergency, self-rescue, 1-handed trap release. Of course, as a stylish saddle hunter, your line will be a hand-spliced length of rare imported hand-forged Amsteel, and not something as pedestrian as paracord or utility line.
 
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