PVC Coon

[Steve Gappa]

(Reprinted from March 2004 T & PC)

PVC Pipe- Taking coon trapping into the next Century

By Steve Gappa

If you are a coon trapper on either land or water- and you don’t make use of PVC pipes for trapping coon with footholds- you need to beg, buy or borrow some pipe and a hacksaw and get going! PVC is such a boon to the coon trapper that I would be willing to bet it’s inventor was in fact a coon trapper and the plumbing gig was just a sideline. I started using pipes a few years ago, and quickly saw the many advantages to using pipe.
To begin with- using a piece of plastic PVC pipe at a coon set is somewhat the marriage of two old time coon sets- the bait stick set and the ever popular pocket set. The bait stick set is simply wadding a bunch of grass on a stick, luring it and placing the stick in the water (or ground) and placing a trap under or next to the stick. And a pocket set is simply a “hole” into which bait or lure is placed. While both sets work- both have 1 major disadvantage for what I need. The coon can be hard to direct at the bait stick set- and misses and snapped traps can be common. Pocket sets are good- but in the winter unless they are made in just about pure clay- the constant freeze/thaw conditions make them a crumbling affair at best- not only does the pocket collapse- but worse yet, the trap often get snapped off by falling dirt and pebbles. Both sets also have problems with lure and bait retention- that is, they have to be lured and baited frequently.
The PVC pipe in reality simply combines the best features of both to make a set that out produces and outlasts either set. There are several things I like about the pipes. First of all - the visual attraction to a coon is top-notch. Whether sticking out from a bank at streamside or poking up out of the woodland floor- a PVC pipe is something that a coon notices. And in most cases- something that a coon notices and that it can’t figure out soon becomes the #1 interest for them. And if they are curious, they’ll check it out. And you not only have the visual of the pipe itself- but you still have the “hole” effect- which in my opinion is a natural draw for a coon. The white pipe with the dark hole in it…what coon wouldn’t check that out. Add to that effect a nice smell coming out of the pipe…viola- you got a coon to skin! Secondly- and to me the most important thing, is that the pipes are weather proof and retain the lures and bait smells for many days if not weeks.
The first thing to do is to get some pipe. If you are lucky enough to have a plumber friend- ask him. In a day or two he can give you more pipe than you can use. If not, a local plumbing shop would more likely than not give you leftover scrap or sell them to you at a nominal price. Worse case scenario- you are going to have to plunk out $2-$4 for a ten foot section of 1 or 2 inch pipe which would give you enough pipe for 8-10 sets. What size pipe is really unimportant. If you are buying pipe- go with the 2 inch, it makes baiting a little easier- but if you are getting it free, take what you can get. I use anything from 1 inch up to 6 inch. One advantage of having a few different sizes is that they will fit inside each other, thus saving space. I like to cut the pipe into pieces about a foot long. That lets you put 4-6 inches into the ground or bank and still have about the same sticking up. If you are going to be setting more on land than in water- go with a little longer pipe. A pipe of say 2 feet allow you to have a good 12-18 inches sticking up, which make guiding easier. A plain hacksaw or even a wood handsaw works good to cut up the pipe- it doesn’t take much. If you cut every other cut at a 45 degree angle, you will get a nice point on the end of the pipe- making it easier to pound them into the ground.
While I use more pipes in the water than I use on land- I do find a few places where pipes really work well on land. Sandy or muddy areas- rocky areas- areas where a dirthole just isn’t practical- pipes work very well. I like to look for area close to the travel ways that is in a cleared off area. A pipe in the middle of bare ground has a tremendous visual appeal for a coon- so I try to have the pipe placed so it can be viewed from all directions. On land- stick with the 1-2 inch pipe, simply because pounding into the ground will be much easier. You can use a dirthole auger to bore out a hole about 4-6 inches deep- then place the pointed pipe into the hole and give the end a good whack with the flat of your hammer. If you are anticipating freezing weather- pound the pipe in an extra inch or two- then pull it back up that distance. When you come to pull the set- tap it down into that space to break the frost hold, then you should be able to wiggle it back out. Put the pipe into the ground at least at 45-degree angle. If the soil is right, you can make the angle even less. The angle of the pipe is directly related to the angle the coon will work the set. Bed your trap so that the back jaw is directly under the lower lip of the pipe. Remember to add a guide stick next to the dog- about pencil sized placed vertically so about 3-4 inches sticks up out of the ground. Lure and or bait the pipe. And that’s it. You can either stake the trap or put it on a drag. I usually stake these sets solid.

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[Steve Gappa]

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While PVC pipes work good on land they really shine when used in water trapping. As stated earlier, one problem with pockets during winter coon trapping is that the constant snow, rain, freeze and thaw really do a number on pockets dug into banks. The pockets crumble, fill with mud, and the traps are inoperatable more often than not. And ironically, the warmer it becomes and the more the coon move- the more the pockets would break down. A real Catch 22 situation. Pipes solve all those problems and more. Not only do the pipes stand up to weather- they also offer a couple more advantages. We talked about the visual aspects- and no more so than on the water. A white pipe sticking out of the bank really stands out. And in winter with snow- I splash water all around the bank surrounding the pipe- so now you have a 4-5 foot black circle on the bank with a white pipe in the middle- now that’s eye appeal. The pipe also serves as the perfect lure holder. The dirt plug keeps the lure from running out the back- and the horizontal pipe allows the lure to lie on the non-absorbing plastic- making it very long lasting. One other important benefit is that PVC pipe sets don’t freeze up like pockets do. The pocket itself provides a calm pool of water- allowing ice to form more quickly. But the pipe set can be made in a vertical bank with faster current- resulting in sets tat stay open longer and more importantly- open up quicker after a freeze.
You can use pipe sets several ways in the water. On sandbars, very shallow or marshy areas- make the set similar to a land set. The angle and trap placement would be the same.
But more often, I use the pipe sets in areas where you would normally make a pocket set.
I look for vertical banks coming off shelves. Water depth is somewhat important, but the set works in water from a few inches deep to 8-10 inches deep. While a coon will certainly swim to work a set- it’s hard to get a coon to do so in mid winter- but he doesn’t seem to mind getting his feet wet. Ideally, I look for a location where there is a shallow water shelf next to a deep-water area. I like to put the pipe up on the bank about a foot and straight into the bank so that it is horizontal or perhaps a slight bit tilted upwards. Not too much of a tilt, but enough so the lure doesn’t run out. Again, pound the pipe in those extra couple of inches and then pull it back out- or that pipe will be there until spring. I like to have the pipe sticking out 4-5 inches- any more than that and the coon sometimes will climb on the pipe to work the set. Again, put the trap so that the back jaw is directly under the lip of the pipe- so that if you placed a ruler over the end of the pipe down to the streambed, the edge of the trap would touch the ruler. Remember the guide stick. I can’t put enough emphasis on this point- its an important “secret” in coon trapping. You can solid stake, use branch drags or use slide wires. Be aware that if you stake solid, the set will be ruined and the pipe will be dislodged. If in deeper, faster or muddy water- you might want to drill a small hole in your pipe, attach a wire to it and wire it separately to something, or you will be replacing a lot of pipes. In shallow clear water- I don’t bother as the pipe just sinks and is readily retrievable Slide cables or wire is the perfect solution- they take the coon down and away from the set and the pipe is seldom dislodged. You then simply slide the coon back up the wire, reset the trap, give the pipe a shot of lure and you are on your way. Remakes take a minute or less. When using slide wires- extend your trap chain as far down the cable as possible- get the coon started in the right direction. As far as lure- I like to use fish oil with a good lure mixed in with it. Add about 1 oz of lure to a quart of fish oil. Use it liberally- giving the pipe a good squirt. With coon in winter, it is important to lure often. With the cold/warm patterns associated with winter coon trapping, I try to lure in anticipation of a warm up- that way the pipes are set up and ready when the coon are.
One other place that pipe sets are a good tool is on beaver dams. You can go to the shallow water areas of the dams and pound a pipe right into the dam- luring and setting the trap as at a vertical bank set. I often make blind beaver sets or even castor mound sets on dams- then after the beaver are caught, I add a pipe and it now becomes a coon set.
Pipe sets aren’t for every situation- and their strength is also their weakness. That is, they are much more visible to Johnny Sneakum so in high theft areas you might want to be careful. But for most other situations, I think you will find using PVC pipes adds another dimension to your coon line.