P Skinny

One of your photos reminded me of this kid I got my first season.. PVC Set in a creek.

They just have that "Hand in the cookie jar" Look. BTW.. call it foolish but this one was released alive on gamelands. You could have fit two of him in a shoe box..just too small for me to mess with.

I didn't see any pics of ADC's block set....is it on here!
That is one that I was impressed with because of it's simplicity and effectiveness.

Are these pictures too big for the format or is it just my computer?

Sorry LT must be you 'cause I can see them.

something i just thought of when cage trapping coons where you can't discharge a firearm. It's a drowiing method meant for a steep sloping bank. Set the trap in the bank with the opening facing the water and pointing "down-hill". drive in 2 rebar stakes or heavy wood stakes found near by on either side of the cage. then take another wood stick and run it through the cage so that it makes contact with the 2 rebar stakes and holds the cage in place. given the destructive nature of a coon in a cage trap it won't take long for him to shred that stick running through the cage thus sending the cage slidng into the water. no cage or coon to be seen and stolen.

The stick holding up the cage must be small enough to fit through the cage wire so it won't take long for the coon to chew enough to release the cage.

This method can be tweaked for setting the trap a little off a ledge and moving the location of the rebar stakes. use your imagination.

Livetrap, that is a great idea!

I can't see the pics LT.

I can see all the pictures fine, sorry if you all can't. The block set is on there LT.

~ADC~

for the guys asking about the bait not slideing down the pvc pipe
i just use a squirt of spray foam down about 3". it will expand and nothing will slide down it and is easily punched out with a rebar stake. water sets with possilble high water such as alot of rain or tidal waters i make 3-4 1" holes verticly in the bank
a few inches apart. if the water rises a bit and covers the 1st 2 holes i still have 2 working......

problem I see with foam in the pipe is the pipe being boyant and floating away.

I have all my pvc's wired to something like the slide wire above the drowning lock.

I just stuff my pvc's with cotton balls and a squirt of fish oil. The tape at the elbow just keeps them from sliding down the pipe, you could also run a screw through the pipe if you go that route.

Wad of dry grass shoved into pipe.

Was that to put your lure/bait on?

the pipe only has a small squirt of foam, they still sink.its just to keep the bait near the top. most times iam useing a squirt bait/lure.....

Hey wildman, get that salmon yet?

here is a spot that screms set me




spots liketh produce things like this , i'll try to get some more pics up as time allows

lt, not yet, they are just starting to move into the rivers

Guys, there is your contact to some of the best 'coon and mink bait available.

OK wildman...how much to send us all a 5 gallon pail of ground salmon off the "racks?"

they are just starting here also wildman most are stacked up waiting for the rain to start up river

First of all great post. Reading through all this great info on trapping brought back memories of T-man some years back when there were many long threads on trapping and many people debating methods back and forth.

For coon let me say for starters I have never been a long line big numbers guy, but I did trap plenty of them through the years growing up in MN. Still take leave some years during trapping season and go home and do some trapping. All that being said I have gained some knowledge over the years from my own experiences and things others have taught me. So here goes...

Pocket Set: This set flat out takes coon. Where I trap in MN a good pocket has a chance of taking not only coon, but mink, and rats as well. Back in the day there were plenty of long liners operating throughout MN. Many of these guys racked up huge catches of coon and mink with nothing more then a simple pocket set baited with a chunk of fish. I won't go into details on how to make this set as there has been much written about it over the years. I will just say try it....it works.

Dirtholes: A little more time consuming then some other sets, but they have always worked well for me. Not too mention a well placed dirthole stands a shot at catching a fox or coyote as well. That fresh dug hole seems to hold a real attraction for the old ringtails. Put a shot of shellfish oil down the hole and the old coon can't seem to resist.

Conibears on trails: A good fast system to nail coons is 220's or 160's (if legal in your state) on trails. Pretty simple, no bait or lure required. If you are road trapping ditches and right of ways you can string out quite a line just using Conibears. Look for those coon trails and set them up. The coons are dead when you get there which makes for quick remakes also. If you haven't checked it out watch Ron Hauser's video on trail trapping coons. Good system and a lot of info there. I set mine up just as he shows in the video and it works. I will add please be careful when using 220's or 160's on land. Place one of these in the wrong spot and nail someones pet or prize hunting dog and we have a bad deal all the way around. Again great tool just be careful.

PVC pipes: Good set, quick and simple to make. Coon really seem attracted to the white pipe. I have experimented with using the pipe on dry land with some success however, when used on dry land this set seems to really nail the possums. Some people don't like carrying the PVC pipes around but by keeping the pipes no longer then need be and trapping near my vehicle I have never found this to be an issue. I cut my pipes about a foot long and find this works for me.

Dog Proof Coon traps: Never tried any of these, but the more I see and hear about this Lil Grizz the more I am convinced it must be a great trap. The speed and versatility in where you can use them look like a big plus. I plan on trying some Grizz's in the future.

Traps: I like a 1 1/2 coilspring. Great versatile trap and it works. The 11 longspring is a good trap as well.

Lure: To be honest I think most lures out there seem to hold some attraction to coon. I like good old shellfish oil myself. Caught a lot of coon on it. Caught plenty on Red Fox gland lure and Red Fox urine in dirtholes as well. I have even heard of guys catching coon using a minty mouthwash as a lure. Certain lures probably work better in certain situations. A couple that I know work well are Tim Caven's "Moonshine" and Mike Marsyada's "Coon Food and Call." Try taking your favorite coon lure and mixing it with fish oil. 4 oz of lure poured into a pint of fish oil gives you a versatile lure that can be applied quickly and it is cheaper then using straight lure. Also don't be afraid to experiment with different smells. If you set an area up heavy with your standard sweet or fishy smelling lure or bait try punching in a set using Bobcat or Coyote gland lure. Gives em a little something different.

Bait: It seems nowadays there are about as many coon baits and bait formulas as there are ways to catch coon. I still like a chunk of plain old fish. I like bullheads myself, but use whatever fish is available and abundant for you. Here's a bait trick I like....Get out and catch some fish. Chunk your fish up and place the chuks into an old milk carton. Fill the milk carton up with fish chunks and then add water to your carton to finish filling it up. Seal the top of the cartons up with tape and place in the freezer. When you need bait pull out as many cartons as you think you might need and thaw overnight. Put the fish chunks into whatever you like for transporting onto the line. Don't throw out the water from those cartons. Pour it into a squirt bottle and giving your sets a shot of it. Not as strong smelling as some of the commercial oils but it has a fishy odor and it is a free by product of your bait. If you don't have time to fish and put up your own bait there are a lot of good commercial ones out there. Marsyada makes a great Shellfish Bait that I really like. Find something that you like, but don't be afraid to experiment.

There are many ways to catch coon. Find what works for you and use it. Learn all you can from other trappers and develop your own system. Work hard and enjoy your time on the line.