Dog proof traps and mice.

[se_mntrapper]

How does everyone keep the mice from cleaning out the bait from their dog proof traps? Usually for me after about the 3rd day they find mine and clean them out every night.

[RdFx]

golf ball or the like on top of hole of DP...or piece of screen wrapped around top that mouse cant enter but coon takes off easily....

[braveheart]

I have always found that when you coon numbers are down like you caught them all or just are not that many the mice are thick.One thing I aways thought of doing was getting some of that dry poison powder and sprinkle in some of the bad hit traps to kill the mice. I usually just move the trap a few feet and start over. Found the caps you get way to many refusals.

[trappnman]

I think Jordon told me about using Dixie cups over the trap- punch a couple of holes in them if you are worried no scent is getting out.

My personal opinion is that one gets a lot of refusals in DP traps. like anything, if a good population, refusals often go unnoticed.

I envy those that have good success with DP, and buckets/boxes too for that matter. I thought boxes/buckets was going to be my silver bullet for winter coon trapping by avoiding water freeze ups- but in snow, the refusals were staggering.

[braveheart]

Dp's are extra tool. You can not beat water for big numbers. Cups are more trash to pick up when the coon shreds them.Buckets and wire cubby are great for late season when they hit they flat out get it done but until the coon want to work them, they are the best grinner set ever made.

[mustelameister]

Zip tie short piece of lath to 'em, stick 'em in the water just off the bank, leaning towards the shoreline. Works best where you've got that low bank with lots of 'coon tracks. Squirt fish oil trail from up on bank towards DP. Mice won't swim to DP.

These are S-hooked to drowner cables. Sometimes lath is missing, but I keep extras in the boat along with a jar of zip ties. Easy enough to replace at set. Also don't get as many 'possum this way.

Unfortunately with 'coon prices being the way they are, I haven't used this set for awhile now.

[trappnman]

sometimes they get shredded, sometimes they don't- most times the cup can be reused as its out of circle or still has most of the cup. any scraps, are compost very shortly.

let me ask this- does anyone who uses DPs, question whether refusals are ongoing? Both from my observations in snow, and countless cam videos posted on the web, it seems to be quite high.

people often talk about using them in farms, and I too used to say that- but IMO trying to catch a farm coon in a DP, often can be a time consuming process, if success is garnered at all.

[RdFx]

No problem catching coon in DPs no problem as coon eat anything everywhere in barn or nearby. At least this is my experience. If farmer wants cats protected , i use cage traps which doesnt happen very often. As mentioned DPs are just another tool, use it as one can. Never thought about Muskrats idea but sounds good. BUT ive seen many a mouse swimming in water on my mink lines.... maybe Muskrats mice cant swim >>>>>> L O L <<<<<<<

[braveheart]

I don't see any more refusal to work than a conibear that has been catching and staked solid.I run my dry bait and have a lot of days caught 70 to 80 coon in them in one day. I rotate my bait every 3 days between berry - peanut butter and butter scotch.Each one get 3 days and I have creamed and move on. I have found coon drown easy with a dp in the water but I like them dry and fluffy I set early 3 -4 in a trail and late winter I would like them 3-4 all on a different trail when coon wonder.I don't like the having to shoot all of them and pile them warm in your truck when it is hot out.They are a blood mess.

[mustelameister]

Mar 2, 2017 8:51:46 GMT -6 RdFx said:

Never thought about Muskrats idea but sounds good. BUT ive seen many a mouse swimming in water on my mink lines.... maybe Muskrats mice cant swim >>>>>> L O L <<<<<<<

You funny GI. I just grease up the lath with Vaseline and they can't climb up to the DP. Seriously . . . didn't ever notice the clean out factor on those posted in the water versus the ones up on the bank.

Here's a thought . . .

Got to talking with a kid in class the other day (subbing this month), he's new to trapping and therefore able to try new stuff without being told it ain't gonna work. Know what I mean?

Anyway, told me he's making dirt hole sets for 'coon that past season. He's collecting plastic soda bottles and cutting the bottom off, maybe a couple inches, to make a plastic cup.

Said he takes and pours Mountain Dew into that cup, and sets it down into the bottom of the dirt hole.

And that's it for bait and lure. And according to the kid he's catching 'coon that way. Well, we've heard of the flybait/Mountain Dew formula. Apparently 'coon do love the Dew, and here's a delivery system.

Hmmmmm . . . .

What sort of "cup" could a fella slide into the bottom of a DP that you could pour Mountain Dew into? I don't think the mice would be able to lap it up enough to clean it out.

How 'bout those little ketchup cups like you see at fast food restaurants. Slide one of those down, pour in the Dew, and maybe a jumbo marshmallow on top for an attractant.

Dunno. But it just might work.

[trappnman]

I don't see any more refusal to work than a conibear that has been catching and staked solid

I'll agree with that, but probably not for the reason one would think.

they say the best coyote teacher is to trap in snow- and I'll echo that for coon. Extensive trapping in dec/jan/feb on snow showed me just how truly finiky coon can be, in certain seasons of the year OR when they are singular food source orientated. Going back to farms RdFx, when they have fresh silage on their minds, cage traps, everything except trial sets are almost futile for me-

mt dew- trouble with liquids is they freeze. one good reason for a Dixie cup over dp- keeps the rain out. I understand pre freeze its not a concern, but oct/nov in the northern tier is open to freeze at any time. if oyu wanted to use mt dew, I wonder if you could make a gel?

-------------------------

I'd be interested in this answer-

take 2 types of coon populations-

a very high population
a very low population


you have 5 traps.

You can have 5 dps, 5 footholds, 5 conibears, and yes even 5 snares.

you had 1 week to catch as many coon as you could.

What type of trap would you choose?


hard to get a coyote discussion going past basics, but some good coon men here and maybe we can get a more far ranging coon thread going?

[RdFx]

Mix terra sorb with Mnt Dew, the sugar content in Dew should keep fm freezing except for really down cold temps WHEN coon will den. Using the cut off plastic bottle is good idea. I always tell my trapping ed students im always learning from them even after trapping 65 years.... good to have open mind.

[flathead40]

very high population 1.5 dukes in the water
very low population 1.5 dukes in the water
I do like DP's on land, even in the water. I can still catch more coons in footholds. The mouse issue really isn't that big a deal.(for me personally. Not saying anything about anybody else) I would usually set enough traps on good sign so if 1 got cleaned out by mice it doesn't matter. If I had too many cleaned out by mice, I'd take a look at the sign I was seeing. If I was on good sign, enough coon should be getting caught to keep me there. If not, I'd suspect the coons were gone, dead, somewhere else, it would be time to move. That's just my experience, how I'd handle it. I don't claim to be an expert or professional. Lot's of ways to catch coon.

[braveheart]

Down here in the land of coon. On permission ground I set only for 1 week of checking traps be it in the water or dp. I only set 3 main spots line fence ant both end and in the middle.In the water on big water 3 water traps each side of if you wade across and high bank 3-4 in a row on trails.I let the coon and mink work in to me.Like Bud Hall I set at least 2-3 new spots everyday.Keep moving. Same as coyotes try to set at least 1-2 to a loop a day.I run all my coon crunch in the dp mice I never worry about.In the water I run coon bait and in the mink pocket started to run ground fish and lure.

[trappnman]

I think the lower the population, the more I'd use footholds. Its been my experience both on land and water that a pocket or a dirthole IF lured with the right lure/bait gets very, very few coon to pass them by. But contrast that with dps and buckets/boxes-

where, using the same lures and baits, plus some ones I never use with footholds ie tuna, dry types, dog food, marshmallows/sweets- I certainly caught coon, but the misses were unacceptable to me for the period I was trapping- late fall and winter.

the same lures/baits got consistently hit in pockets/dirtholes even pipes-

I can't tell you how many times I've had coon tracks up to the box, or around the dp- but never trying for the bait.

this goes right back to my belief coon aren't the all hungry all eating machine so many think they are. Except for 2 periods- early fall (or late summer) and spring are they that way. the rest of the time, once fat and stupor overtake them.....not so much.

[flathead40]

I've probably never given buckets and boxes an honest try because I don't like them. In fact, I'm not a huge fan of conibear's for coon at all, but would prefer to trail set with them if I'm going to use them. Seems like even a really hot trail goes dead quick with 220's for me. I do notice refusals in pockets sometimes. It's always after I've been set up for a while and already caught a bunch of coon. If you watch the edge of the water, you'll see where they are walking around your hole. Don't know if it's hole shy, bait shy, or they seen too many buddies dead or caught in that spot. Just doesn't really matter because it's happens. It's funny how different a few miles can make things. If I tried to trap coon how you do Tman, my traps would be under 3 ft of ice. Just no way it could work in normal winter. My favorite bait for coon in the water is ground fish. (salmon)My favorite bait for coon in in DP's..exactly the same w/ a drop of lure. If I had to dryland coon trap now, I'd use DP's just because they're so easy. I still think footholds are more efficient if I don't have anywhere to move to.

[trappnman]

the cold springs make all the difference.


It's always after I've been set up for a while and already caught a bunch of coon. If you watch the edge of the water, you'll see where they are walking around your hole. Don't know if it's hole shy, bait shy, or they seen too many buddies dead or caught in that spot. Just doesn't really matter because it's happens.

question-

is your bait being eaten? on a 3 day check, with a coon down the slide- is the bait gone? every time, or no?

[braveheart]

I know I set way back on punch in's and slap and goes. And when mink get prime put a pocket in and slide trap up tight.

[flathead40]

Nope, baits not gone after they start walking around the holes. Bait is gone if I have floater coons usually. Blind setting will pick some more up once that starts happening usually. But I don't like blind setting as well, because it makes checking tougher if the water lever changes much. Just depends how long I'm going to stay there I guess.

[trappnman]

I feel the reason for this- the bait left untouched- is bait fatigue.

they know it is there, but aren't interested. consider that a coon down the slide, means (for me anyways) 1 or 2 nights being able to check out the bait, and not get caught.

I firmly believe a good curiosity lure, one that hits their buttons (and these lures are rare) will keep them sticking their noses in over time, and multiple appearances.

when the streams get to the river here, they get very shallow, sand bottomed and not a whole lot of food choices- coon tend to walk the edges (2-4" of water) and trail sets work well- key is stable water, shallow, and having to work for food.