I still don't understand you snare loss issue, as I use no swivelling at all, and believe me, some get checked later than 3pm that first week when I am going hard. The only thing I can figure is it must be an entanglement VS stake down snare thing, because that is the only difference overall in what we are doing. Kill pole coon is getting cinched up against the pole, and is sometimes dead if necked VS staked down coon who is spinning round and round.

As far as the water is concerned I am not being mean here, because Jamie you help a lot of people out, and you provide some good information. But when you make the bold statement, and you took the trouble to make your letters bold, to stay away from the water, you are going to get called on that. Yes you avoid dinks when you stay away from the water. You also greatly reduce your catch. I have done it both ways, setting only land and setting water, and I personally want a combination of both on my line. So you are telling people, who will take you very seriously because you have helped them in the past, to stay away from the water. I guess the question is, are you taking your own advice? if if not, why?

Cause the coons are in the water. Yes you will catch bigger ones on land, but less of them. You will catch a mixed bag (size) in the water but more of them. If you are driving by water you are driving by a lot of coons,it's just that simple.

Yes our buyer is liking those 2x on up coons. But as far as snare marks go:

"It is very difficult to neck snare coons so in order to make maximum catch numbers you should just target the body catches which are much easier and use the right snares to virtually eliminate snare damage to the coons."

I hate so say this but you are getting pretty loose with the words "virtually eliminate". The mark is there on a hip or chest snared coon. You might minimize it but it is there, and your furbuyer knows it. It is there on the leather side too.

If I can see it, so can the furbuyers. We are not re inventing the wheel here, it is what it is.

I may try Tex's idea on the deer stops though, just to see how it treats my hipped coon. I am also going to focus even harder on the neck snaring, as the more I mess with it the better it gets. That is the way to virtually eliminate snare marks.

You have convinced me of one thing though, entanglement rocks.

I have to agree with nearly everything ADC has said. ADC revealed one important point to reducing snare marks, make sure to rub down the snare mark when the coon is warm. My basic procedure is to shoot the coon, cut the cable, rub down the burn mark, and toss it in the truck. This really reduces the snare burn.

I have sold to several different buyers as well, I have been docked for snared coon, but the two buyers I use most frequently do not dock my snared coon, or at least don't make it obvious. There are a infinite number of snare set-ups that can be used to catch coon. As ADC knows my set-up is nothing close to anything described on here and it has worked thousands of times. The key is to find what it most time efficent without reducing effectivness.

Bruce I don't know how else to say it but perhaps your correct to reduce chew outs then use a kill pole. I'd like to see the difference between the snaremarks on a hip caught coon on a killpole vs. a hip caught coon in my most used set up. I'd think the brusing and severity of the mark especially on the leather side would be much more pronounced. Then again with our buyer that may be neither here nor there.

How often do you have coons chew the area where the snare is cinched onto it leaving bald spots or worse? I get that one in 75-100 maybe.

As for the water.... AGAIN, lol. I don't set any snares near the water except beaver snares. I do set foot traps in the water for coon but only so I can catch mink too, I love catching them.

Fact is the water sets slow me way down and I'd likely not set any for coon only a few for mink but my partner likes them. If I were running alone I'd never step foot in the water to catch coons. I could get out more snares. I catch more bigger coons high and dry vs. the dinks in the water.

Good luck on the neck snaring. I just do not think you can neck snare them all without missing alot of coons. For a guy like me who uses coons as his bread and butter of the line that's a big deal. That is why I had high hopes for the kill pole set up I showed you at the ITA, I thought "if it works" it would be perfect. But It wouldn't work 100% for me, although it was nice looking.

iacoonkiller do you ever have coons chew the cable and get away?

~ADC~

I would estimate that 1 in 75 to 100 coons chew throught the cable, at most. I would say between jacking the stake, chew outs, and ruined coon (coons chewed on by something or by themself) I lose about 2 or 3 coons out of 100. Of course that's not ideal, but it's number I can live with. To me it's just the nature of the beast.

As far as neck snaring goes, to be honest 95% of my coons are body snared. My system doesn't offer a lot of opportunity for neck catches and since it doesn't bother Smith or Davis, it doesn't bother me. I get the same or better money for body snared coon as guys get for 220 coon. A lot of that is volume and size.

That is almost identical to my results as well.

~ADC~

Another thing to concider, I don't miss red fox with my set up either. I caught several red fox in snares last season that most snare guys would miss with smaller loops closer to the ground. They are anouther added bonus, plus no skunks, and only one possum (still not sure how that happened) all season in snares.

I have an occasional damaged hip when they cinch up, but I have seen that with staked down setups too, so it is neither here nor there to me on my line. I oculd not put a number on the hip damage where the cinch up occurs because it is just not that regular of a thing. I will estimate one in a hundred, but that might be a bit high.

I used to have abit more of that, and think I figured out the problem. I was using a lot of washer locks, and was reusing them. After a few catches they start to wear out the hole and the snare does not cinch properly, allowing the lock to move aorund a bit in the hip area and not settle in properly. I still use some washer locks, but am quick to throw them away when the hole starts to wear. I am slowly going to all cam locks, and the cam cinchs down and stays there, minimizing if not negating hip damage.

I am not setting all my coon stuff up for neck catches. I started several years ago trying to, and the more I catch that way the more I tend to set that way. However a lot of mine are still set up the normal way. I am getting more confidcence in the neck catching, and one of these days may go to all smaller loops.

The older and more experienced I get, the smaller the loops I use for coon.

The only thing that slows me down with water trapping, is I am catching coons there. Got to kill the coon and remake the set, and that takes time

One other thing to consider before I go out and stretch some coyotes that are left ovrer from last winter. I do not know the answer to this, because to me the snare mark is about the same.

Which will mark himself more>

A coon that is walking round and round in circles and hitting the end of the snare.

Or a coon that cinches up against entanglement and is held relatively still?

Having never snared Iowa.(Maine,Indinia,New Jersey,North Carolina,Mississippi,Maryland,Virigina,and Tenneasee) I'm gona stay out of this therad. But will continue to read it.
The main reason is I dont like or use. #9 wire supports,Rerod stakes ,Washer locks or 3/32" cable.
From reading this thread thats what everybody uses in Iowa.

K9 and ADC you guys keep referring to your fur buyer not docking for snare caught coon. If you wouldnt mind could you tell us who your are selling to? Are you selling on the carcass, skinned green, or put up dried and sretched. Thanks for all the info!

I sell to Jim Smith in Tama/Toledo and he is an honest buyer.

I sell all my coon skinned, occasionally a stretched one when I get in the mood, but mostly in the grease.

Hop in Newt. I have tried other cables but keep coming back to 3 32. Most of our snaring here is road ditch snaring on trails through grassy/brushy ditches.

I owuld be very interested in your opinions on snaring, stakes, locks, support wires, etc.

We sell to Jim Smith in Toledo, I sell green or on the carcuss.

"Which will mark himself more>

A coon that is walking round and round in circles and hitting the end of the snare.

Or a coon that cinches up against entanglement and is held relatively still? "

I don't know which one leaves a more severe mark, the one with a loose loop on it like a leash while he frolicks around in the grass or the one wrapped up so tight on a pole that he can't hardly breath. Depends on how you look at it I guess. I'll ask Jim if he knows when he's over here this week end.

Newt throw your two cents in here anywhere. We like debating, it's how people find choices and weigh their options. There is more than one way to skin a cat. If you want to skin yours the hard way, no big deal to me. lol

~ADC~

k9, What size wire do you use to support your coon snares?

If I remember correctly, it was several small strands of wire, as I remember struggling setting that one snare for you on the highway.

As I said. I never snared Iowa ditch banks. There,it sounds like your using a snare set up thats "site specific".They must work out there.

ADC, We nead to get you out of Iowa.And in the woods,marshes,swumps,and boat trap/snaring tide water creeks and rivers. Then I could see you fight with your rerod and #9, and tow rope 3/32" cable

I run two type of supports. One with the very thin wire that you have seen, braided by twisting it and then one with very thick wire, a hair thicker that #9. #9 would be fine, but I get this thicker wire for free off of old political signs. It will barely fit into a whammy.

ADC I predict Jim will have ahard time answering that,without going out and trapping 100 coon both ways and comparing them side by side. Also it is all in how you pose the question. I don't think a coon would agree that he is "frolicking" when heis in your snare.

I saw Jim asparagus hunting the other day. he said coon did all right so far, and he has a big sale coming up. I have about 15 coyotes that I did not have time to put up, and he wants to buy them so I am getting them ready.

I have used some thinner cable and like it. I actually bought a dozen or so pre made snares from the snare shop last year, first time someone else has made my snares for me in a long time. Very fast little snares and nice little neck snaring unit other than the whammy was worthless. I may get more or make some like them, as I do like the speed/sensitivity of those little snares.

Newt when is your snare video hitting the market?

I have snaring videos/DVD's on the market.
MASTER RACCOON SNARING
MASTER BEAVER SNARING
CABLE RESTRAINTS
Soon to be releasted MASTER MINK and MUSKRAT SNARING

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Videos/DVD's I did with Clint Locklear. Both have a lot of snaring in.
RIVER'N
OTTER'LY SIMPLE
and one about turtle trap'n
TURTLES BY THE TON
I also did a Snaring peice for TRAPS 4 KIDS

I thought you had a new snaring video coming out. I am aware of some of your others. Good info. Must have been the mink one I am hearing about.

So if you don't mind me asking, your thoughts on an entangled coon VS a coon spinning around in the open in a snare?

I thought "frolicking" was a good touch.

Yep Newt tell us about your set-up and why you like it. You don't think K9 and I are going back and forth on this for our benifit do ya? The more info we put out there the more people can see their options and figure out what will work for them.

" ADC, We nead to get you out of Iowa.And in the woods,marshes,swumps,and boat trap/snaring tide water creeks and rivers. Then I could see you fight with your rerod and #9, and tow rope 3/32" cable "

Is that an invitation?

K9 I buy most of my cable, locks and ferrules from the snare shop and was told by Ronda that the snare portion of the bussiness was sold to one of their employees.His name is Jeromy Sommerfeld. I havent heard where he is goona locate the business yet.