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Post by primetime on Jan 10, 2006 8:39:33 GMT -6
I've got three of those square white buckets set up to hold 220's. I had them years ago, and decided to try them this season to see if I could get them to work. They have been set most of the season in different location along my line when I find coon sign. It's a quick easy set that doesn't need to be checked everyday here in Minnesota, BUT I haven't taken a coon in them all year.
Last Friday I seen a lot of Coon sign around an old farmstead, so I figured I'd set out the three buckets with 220's along the Coon trails and places where they are entering and exiting the house. I loaded the buckets up with some fish remains and walked away. Expecting to have at least two come Monday morning.
Sunday night we had a very very slight dusting of snow. First bucket empty, then in between my first and second, I came across some coon tracks in that light dusting of snow. Upon reaching my second bucket, I watched as the tracks just walked right by it, not 3 feet from the opening and the coon didn't even break stride. Second bucket was empty. I went around the corner and seen many more tracks, and followed a set that was heading right for my third bucket. About 3 feet before the mouth of my third bucket the coon took a hard right and looped around the bucket (off the trail)... Nothing in the third bucket.
So to you that use bucket sets effectively. What the?
I placed a foothold set at this location yesterday and I'm going to be hanging some snares tonight. I also lured one bucket with some Cachottier and tonight I'm going to toss an empty bottle of ProCoon in another bucket. I need to get these Coon before the next stretch of cold weather hits.
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Post by millerwoods on Jan 10, 2006 13:16:47 GMT -6
hey i am curious you been putting some bait sprinkled around the outside of bucket and dont be stingy I got my buckets elevated in the front also they are stabilized nothing fancy just some sticks so they dont roll them Im useing round five gallon buckets and location helps try and put them right on the spot I slaughter them just useing table scraps toasted bread and honey any type of fish should have no problems unless you dont want to catch cats bag of generic marshmellos messed around with that mixed with vanilla extract or anise worked great tell me what happens
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Post by primetime on Jan 10, 2006 13:21:41 GMT -6
We can't really sprinkle bait around, because I think that would be considered exposed bait. I just load the back of the bucket up with Fish or Muskrat or I have used Marshmallows. My bucket is not elevated at all and I don't really stabilize the bucket, but have never had one rolled over or even touched as far as I can tell.
I have heard how good these sets work, but for me it has been very very poor results.
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Post by Possum on Jan 10, 2006 13:40:50 GMT -6
I bought a stack of the square buckets at the convention last summer and agree they are pretty easy to use. I'm underwhelmed by the number of coons and even possums they catch. By FAR the #11 in front of a PVC pipe or next to a tree with some bait nailed to the tree 18 inches up (no exposed bait laws here) will catch more coons for me. I have used Griz and coon cuffs this year and have had some luck with them. I actually like the Griz, quick, easy and effective, but I don't have that many places I have to worry about dogs to make them worth stocking up with many more.
Anyway, I'm starting to think the bucket guys just don't realize how many they aren't catching.
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Post by JWarren on Jan 10, 2006 13:46:37 GMT -6
If the buckets aren't working you should be able to load the trails with snares and catch them easy. I use about 6" loop 7-8" high, seems to get most of the big valuable ones around the neck and they die fast without damage.
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Post by primetime on Jan 10, 2006 13:50:25 GMT -6
Either that or they got a touch for it that not even they know they have.
I have given it a very fair trial this season, and even when I say, "No More." I seem to toss them out again, just to see if I can make them work. (Now watch I'll have a Coon in all 3 tonight) ;D
I'm putting an empty, but still very smelly bottle of ProCoon in one tonight along with the fish. If it connects I'll be sold on the ProCoon - but not the buckets.
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Post by primetime on Jan 10, 2006 13:53:50 GMT -6
JW,
I made up a snare last night just for this location. When you say 7 - 8" high, is that from the ground to the bottom or top of loop?
It's higher then I've been placing snares if it's to the bottom. Mine are about 3 - 4" from ground to bottom of snare.
What are the Locks you use for head catches. I've been getting body catches while using CamLocks. The one I made last night was just a washer lock.
Later - PT
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Post by JWarren on Jan 10, 2006 14:20:56 GMT -6
Definitely from the ground to the bottom of the loop. The idea is to let the junk under (rabbits, skunks, squirrels, etc.) and have the snares ready when a medium or large comes by. On head catches the lock doesn't matter because they wrap around stuff and die rather fast. On body catches I prefer a cam lock because it is streamlined and doesn't gouge fur. A body caught coon will suffocate if it can get up off the ground hanging. I believe that one can intentionally neck snare coon, but you always get a few by the body. At one time I tried short staking without entanglement but I didn't really like that method because I thought the damamge was worse, they will fight non stop trying to get to cover, if you let them get to cover they settle down and/or wrap up and expire. Overall locks don't seem to matter as much as cable length and the surrounding area.
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Post by Timber on Jan 10, 2006 18:16:17 GMT -6
Try just setting the 220's in trails. Put 2-3 in each trail. Shouldn't take more then a couple nights. I have caught a boat load of coon in buckets and boxes but am a firm believer that some coon just won't work them. Maybe their not hungry enough or what they are eating they prefer. I used to use a lot of bucket type sets but have gone a way from it since accumaleting several doz. grizz dogless traps. Much easier, faster, few non- target catches. They are spendy but if you buy them here and there eventually you get quite a few. I always tell my wife "Hey, they pay for themselves." Try calling them right at sun up or sun down. Coon in old farmsteads are suckers to a call and a blast to shoot. If you have a dog you can also den them fairly easy.
Tim
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Post by trappnman on Jan 10, 2006 18:16:34 GMT -6
My experience exactly on buckets. I was SHOCKED at how many refusals and how many walk by buckets gave me. Snow doesn'r lie. I know and respect several trappers that do very well in buckets. Not me however. Someasy screen in bakc, others say wodden cubbies- doesn't matter. Give me a Duke 1.5 and open water- I'll catch coon.
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Post by walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.) on Jan 10, 2006 18:44:49 GMT -6
primetime if you use jack mack for bait all ya have to do is throw some of the juice around the area and that will be bait enough for the outside of your bucket....like he said dont be stingy....no bait to be seen from just the juice of the fish...
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Post by primetime on Jan 10, 2006 22:05:15 GMT -6
We will see what happens tonight. I got two snares on a good trail leaving the house. Only problem is it's a coon/rabbit trail. So I hung them a little high to hopefully miss the rabbits.
I also placed my bottle of ProCoon in one of the buckets to give that a test.
There were some really good trails earlier this year before the snow knocked all the grass down and I had 3 220's in the trails at that time. "0" coon. You could see were they would walk around the 220's, knocking over grass and sticks on the sides. For some reason I have trouble with 220's in general. Don't get me wrong, I catch a few Coon, but footholds have FAR out produced for me.
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Post by trappnman on Jan 11, 2006 6:18:50 GMT -6
You could see were they would walk around the 220's, knocking over grass and sticks on the sides. For some reason I have trouble with 220's in general. Don't get me wrong, I catch a few Coon, but footholds have FAR out produced for me.
me too. Must be that our MN are bigger, tougher, smarter than any other coon in the world....or somthin' like that....
I'll blend them in, set in brush, etc. Coon just make trails around them.
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Post by primetime on Jan 11, 2006 8:13:02 GMT -6
On one trail I set in brush, and the coon went around the 220 to the right, so I placed an old metal milk bucket right on the trail it made to the right to block it off and some more sticks to the left. I then took some grass and sort of framed it in.
We got some snow and cold and nothing was moving. I caught a rabbit in the set, so I reset it. A few weeks later during that warm up, I parked the truck and as I was walking to the set I seen some fresh Coon tracks heading down the trail. I looked ahead and seen the trap was still set. When I got there you could see were the coon more or less crawled over the metal bucket to the right to go around the trap. The metal bucket was tipped a little so it must have tried to squeeze between the bucket and trap. The trap was wide open except for the wires. And I had it on a stabilizer with the bottom of the 220 being about 3 1/2" - 4" off the ground.
Well nothing this morning... I'll keep you all posted.
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Post by JWarren on Jan 11, 2006 11:33:53 GMT -6
I can't catch coon in 220 trail sets either. Makes a great skunk set though.
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Post by primetime on Jan 11, 2006 11:37:18 GMT -6
You can't forget possum! It was my go to possum set this year. ;D
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Post by ducktrapper on Jan 11, 2006 22:24:31 GMT -6
Buckets are just another tool to use in the arsenal. They work good for me. I have never seen refusals via tracks in the snow, but I'm sure there are plenty that won't work it.
I take that square bucket and cut the end off it (I buy them with lids). Then the lid goes on the big end and I cut the slots in the small end. I use 160's, which makes this legal to set on the ground in Wisconsin. I drill a hole in the back of the bucket and secure the bucket to the ground with a rerod stake (the nut on the stake should pin the bucket to the ground nicely, stablizing it). The springs on the trap get cranked all the way up or down, stabilizing the trap within the bucket.
I typically set the buckets about the time of first ice, so I can bait the inside of the bucket with fresh bluegill heads. I set around old abandoned buildings that have consistently produced 2-3 big coon each for several years in a row. I also use coon gland lure on a stick resting on top of the bucket (an attempt to get the large males interested). It seems to work, I have caught 100% all males in these sets the last two years.
Seems like these sets will do nothing for 2 weeks, then the weather is just right and they will be full every day. This year one particular set produced two big males deep in the woods where I had a fisher set. That bucket was baited with moose meat and Caven's Gusto. Two days in a row I got coon. Each day the coon was dead, rolled out of the way and the bait was gone. On the third day, the set held a large male fisher.
I will admit anything I get in a bucket, a good foothold trapper could have caught, plus more. Buckets get used too often where they should not IMHO. It is not a good set for beginners to use without guidance, due to problems with non-target catches. I'm using them on private land where the landowner doesn't have (or want) pets running.
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Post by Muskratman1 on Jan 12, 2006 4:23:08 GMT -6
Good info ducktrapper. I do about the same with my buckets and wouldn't trade them for anything. Hole in the back w/ rerod "T" stake (easier to twist and get out in frozen ground) to stabilize, I've now went to a 2" hunk of wood under the front of the bucket to get it off the ground and I use a fist size rock inside the bucket for a visual along with a small stick to dip a Jack Mac and Beaver Castor mixed bait. Castor seems to make a difference. The trigger wires need to be spread out to make an obvious hole wheter it's a large squar "U" with the trigger on top, the trigger slid all the way to one side or an inverted "L". Lastly I drill a 1/4" hole and cut a "V" to the outside of the bucket to snap the Coni in place then either lift up or pull down the springs too stabilize - depending on trigger placement.
MM1
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Post by Drew on Jan 12, 2006 5:51:55 GMT -6
i've found with my buckets the coon avoid the "sweet" lures like procoon, marshmellows, and so on. They love the fish or muskrat meat. One thing i have found is that some of the buckets, i cut the back of the bucket out (bottom) and put mesh in...if i run those without lids on, i catch very few coon...not sure if because they can see straight throught the bucket. The buckets that i run lids on with small openings (4"x4") i seem to catch the older bigger coon..i think it just depends on how curious they are. I have also had better luck with my buckets painted than the white ones...i just camo'ed them to blend in and not stick out. I also bend the triggers into a "L". I do agree you miss some with buckets...but they work well at the dairy farms and near town for me. good luck -Drew
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Post by trappnman on Jan 12, 2006 7:22:21 GMT -6
I have tried fish bait, fish, canned fish, muskrat (a lot of rats), vension castor mix bait, and procoon lures. ALL have the same result for me. And this is over a 15 year or so period. AS primetime said, I caught coon, but nothing near what I should have.
Different strikes for different folks. I do not believe its the bucket- I tried a special made bucket by rk who uses them successfully a lot, I've tried every suggestion I have heard, and here at least, maybe population, maybe the season I used them (snow and winter, cause on bare ground I see no need for anything but footholds), make them an unreliable set.
Now, I have not tried camoing the buckets and I do not trap near any houses or barns.
Just like trapping yotes on bare ground vs snow- the things you see. So perhaps there are as many misses on bare ground, but the higher populations make it unnoticible.
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