masked seduction????? (and coon theory)

[thebeav2]

Well If your talking about DPs You can't make your bait /lure combo Inaccessible. In about 90% of the cases the coon Is getting a taste before It's caught. And If It tastes bad your not going to get that coon to take the second taste.
Now If Pro coon was In the least bit palatable I would be using It at the set. But I have witnessed to may dogs that got a touch of pro coon on their lip or tongue and they just about went ballistic trying to get rid of It. Used as a call lure or like Steve said keep It out of reach then go for It. But In my opinion If your going to use DPs and you want to catch large numbers of coon you need to work the curiosity factor and the taste factor.

[trappnman]

sure you can- if its liquid- just use a longer nozzle squirt bottle. I don't use a lot of dps, but with plastic on the bar, and lure combo below, I seem to do ok with them.

[thebeav2]

Sorry but a liquid just runs out the bottom of your DPs and saturates the ground. not a good situation. In my opinion you need to have something visible In that trap.
I run a lot of DPs and you need to get that coon working that trap and you have to give that coon something to keep him working that trap.

Coon are very seldom hungry and they play around a lot with the trap. A coon doesn't just run up to that trap and jam It's foot In there. But something that relates to His taste buds will keep him working that set till It gets caught.

[netrap]

I use prolly too much bait in and around mine. I use a little of everything. Last yr. fish, jelly, some commercial bait, cooking oil souped up for a trailer, I like give them a reason to hang around the trap until caught.

[trappnman]

we can only agree to disagree beav-

but I find your statement "coon are seldom hungry" to be an interesting one

[thebeav2]

During times of plenty I should have said. I have had coon walk by smoked salmon In late Oct and In to Nov. How do i know because I caught them In body grip traps on that same trail. How do I know they walked by and then got caught. Because I have this habit of checking out how I place the trap In the trail. So when I catch a coon I know what way It was going when It gets caught.

I run 100s of DPs my system works for me and If a good tasting bait will up my averages I'll use it.

[trappnman]

do what you have success with- but I also think that you have not tried what I'm doing- and what I'm doing, might work even better...... or it might not. but you will never know, until you try.

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interesting theory- not sure how I feel about it.

But you are well acquainted with my thoughts on late winter coon and food. But I was always under the assumption, that late Oct, early Nov coon were always hungry. I say assumption, because I use the same lure combo then as I do late winter, thus I have little experience on pure bait at that time of year.

but I do see evidence that coon can be single minded that time of year. Coon are notorious for feeding on singular items in spurts. corn, plums, sumac, etc all in turn and all exclusive according to the scat.

so the coon went by the salmon multiple times in different areas I'd guess.

That could mean a couple of things- one as you deduced they weren't hungry or two, they weren't interested in that type of food at that time.

interesting either way- and good info to have either way

this could be a real good discussion, on something I've never seen in print before.

so anyone, that has any insight or comments on this- post away!

[mustelameister]

Maybe 12 years ago or so I brought 3 dozen #160s with square buckets along to deer camp. On that Friday before the opener, I spread 'em around deer camp, minimum 100 yards away but no further than 200 yards, baited with jack mackerel. Fairly warm weekend before Thanksgiving, no snow, and even noticed 'coon snoozing up in the tree tops whilst placing the traps. Fresh scat on fallen logs all over. Figured I'd really score.

No 'coon, three days straight. Handful of 'possum, but no 'coon. Tracks showed they walked right by 'em. Fresh scat on logs.

That deer camp time gave me the opportunity to experiment. Every year I'd come down with two or three dozen traps and set differently. Didn't want to spend too much time at it as there was camp to set up on that Friday and folks to ferry across the river. Kept it simple.

Best sets for 'coon during those time periods? Blind on drowners. Or #160s in trails. PVC pipes worked okay. Think it was more the white pipe and the bobcat gland lure in the pipe that brought 'em close enough. But buckets with JM or whole fish in the back? Not very well.

Climate down here in SW WI usually has the deer opener on the weekend before Thanksgiving in the 20s at night and 30s to low 40s by day. Rarely do we have snow, and skim ice at best. 'Coon are out and about.

#160s on trails are definitely productive. And weather proof. How to incorporate them into drowning sets to make them multiple day checks is something I've been tinkering with for awhile. Steep bank, 'coon trail hugging the edge, deep water at steep bank's edge. Hmmmm . . .

Remember this stuff?



Worked on rabbits when I was a kid. Why not modify this into yanking a #160 off the edge of a steep bank into the drink below and call it a drowning set?

Or a fella could substitute a rather large, round rock held on the bank by the trigger mechanism. 'Coon fires the bodygrip trap, trips the trigger mechanism pounded in the ground, rock tumbles into the drink below bringing the whole shootin' match under water.



I think Red Green would be proud of that set if I incorporated duct tape into it somewhere . . .

[trappincoyotes39]

most coons are going to feeding when fall comes you can have variables in a smaller portion of a population but set fresh picked bean or corn fields and your going to hammer alot of coons. Sure warm spells can have them laid up for a small period of time but the days getting shorter food will be a primary mind set for the majority of those coons in the northern regions.

Could be beav the wind was wrong on your smoked salmon sets or little eye appeal, yet maybe those coons where satisfied for a short time frame, yet I have never had problems with coons over all working baited sets in November in northern climates. You will have that rare few days when the temps rise far above normal and slow activity but again over all coons are scavangers/ opportunist and food smells will create a great response.

[jim]

I used to bucket set 220s , one year didn't seem to be any coon. After about a week coon just like always they didn't run in the full moon on cloudless nights. Jim

[trappnman]

I think the more coon you have, the less "finicky" they seem to be.

I've noticed what you have jim more times than not, but a couple of times in boom years, I'd have great catches on just such a night.

[thebeav2]

Could be beav the wind was wrong on your smoked salmon sets or little eye appeal, yet maybe those coons where satisfied for a short time frame, yet I have never had problems with coons over all working baited sets in November in northern climates. You will have that rare few days when the temps rise far above normal and slow activity but again over all coons are scavangers/ opportunist and food smells will create a great response.

Not with the baited coni box 3" from the trail. And setting up at a angle so the coon didn't even have to get down on all fours to get In It.
A fat and happy coon can be very finicky when It comes to committing to baited bucket or cubby. I think there just plain lazy.

[makete]

These coon sure came in hungry.







And them somemore came in. Not sure if they are some of the earlier ones.

[ohioandy]

Those are either tubby coons or a little deer.

[Rally Hess]

I believe animals get "fixated"(sp) on a food source. Particularly one that is ever present, but can and often is seasonal. I believe they will run by a food source they are not familiar with to get to a food source they have become acustomed to. I had a situation like Beavs in SD, where coon would run directly by my cages until I actually put them in their trails. They had become so accustomed to feeding at a feedlot they would run by baited sets without even slowing down. I had promised to use only cages because the lady of the house had 17 Angora cats. Took 37 coon out of that feedlot, mostly with cages, used like conibears, by setting directly in the trails. Caught some also in snares away from the house, that were coming from quite a distance to get to that feedlot.
What I found interesting was on the south side of this feedlot, the owner stored lots of round bales and had about 4-5 semi loads of corn , just covered with plastic sheeting and tires to hold it down. I had three traps there tucked into the round bales and caught a few coon, and a few cats(which got the shake test). The majority of the cattle were being fed on the north end of the feedlot, where the food was"shot " into cement feed troughs, along the fence. Ofcourse there was some spillage, on the outside of the troughs where the cattle couldn't reach. The roads in the feedlot had constant tractor traffic, and was quite muddy, so tracks were new everyday on the trails the coon were using. Most of the coon would run by that corn to get to the feed troughs. I never asked what he was feeding but the coon definately preferrrd it to corn. I tried sweet baits, fish, jack mackeral, marshmallows, etc. Had my best luck catching away from the feedlot with fox gland lures in dirtholes. The trails going to that feedlot were impressive but took awhile to "educate" the cats.

[calvin]

I had similar responses to coon in DPs and PVC sets last fall. Was a weird one as they had no interest in what down the hole (even after 5 different bait combination...all food based, maybe I should have gone the gland route). Had a few walk up and right back out. No commitment. Turned on the caller and shot a few so they were right there...just not interested in bait. This was last week of Oct. They "should" have been hungry...but weren't.

[thebeav2]

Last week In Oct? Those coon are as fat as a tick at that time. If there Is standing corn In the area they just lay up In the corn field and never move.
In my opinion bait Is best used later In the season. Or I should say more effective.

[trappincoyotes39]

Rally that is a great point at times all species have directional brains deer, turkeys coon are no different but they are still feeding and laying up we need to adapt to where they are not where we think they wil be, can be said for any species.

Doesn't make them lazy per say, makes them want one food source over another. When we did deer depredation they would come from miles and would pick out the best hay to feed on and leave the rest alone, the best hay most of the time was the furthesy away yet they went to it and walked by alot of other bales to feed on the 2nd cutting hay the ranchers had close by.

Corn and been fields at the end of Oct or first part of Nov are being worked and that will keep many coons moving between picked fields to get the best and easiest food.

[trappnman]

I've often seen the same Rally- take setting around sweet corn- its darn hard to interest coon in much else except sweet corn.

TC- here, once corn/beans are picked, the coon traffic stops almost immediately.

reading the comments, and my own experiences, I tend to think its more of a singular "hunger" rather that a not hungry.

Which is one reason, why I feel that for me, I'd rather trap without bait, than without a good lure.

I used to bait and lure all my coon sets. then oen year (maybe 15 or more years ago) I decided to not bait any coon set,s and use nothing but lure. No difference in catch ratios was what I found, using just lure from oct to march. but by that time, I had forsaken most coon lures, relying on hardcore as all I needed to do the job. the only reason I switched from hardcore, is that it freezes- an important consideration for winter trapping.

[trappincoyotes39]

in NW Iowa I hammered a pile of coons for 2-3 weeks after harvest my keys where fields seperated by tree groves cottonwoods great lay up locations and they would work them fields for weeks and also travel to and from water sources along those edges of timber.

In larger fields there is plenty of waste to pick through for awhile.

IN SD you had very large sun flower fields same can be said those coons and deer would utilize them for quite some time.