This was coon no.100 in buckets this season. Finished with 103 in this type of set.

This may have been covered already, but I like to wipe tracks on the trail right before and after my set, when possible. The tracks the next day tell me the story of what happened. An example is I found where a major, I mean major, trail crossed a gravel road, and then it split into 3 trails crossing through a muddy ditch and through tall vegetation over a levee into a field. I set a 220 and a 280 on each trail and wiped the tracks. I took 5 coons that first night. It's the most I've ever caught that close together, maybe 10 yards apart, but there were a good many tracks crossing back over the ditch, so I knew I hadn't gotten them all.

I also wipe tracks on trails crossing ditches, even if I don't set them. It gives me an idea how active that trail is.

How would you guys order the significance of sign for coons?

Tracks, scat, den trees, trails, etc.? Seems like den tree habitat is just as important as anything else. Or is it really just as simple as finding combinations of sign and setting up there?

Trails and scat are at the top of my list. Find trails beat down to the dirt and you're in good shape. Find places where there are piles of scat on the beat down trail and you're really on em.

As for den trees....remember that they don't always use trees. Abandoned buildings can be gold mines and so can high ground ridges that they use to travel and sometimes den in the ground.


Hedgerows can be great. This year, some of the easiest coons I found and caught were in hedgerows. At this complex, rosa bracteata AKA macartney rose AKA Cherokee Bushes grow along a canal/field road. If you've never seen this stuff it's some of THE worst stuff you're going to find when it comes to painful plants. I've been around cactus and cactus doesn't hold a candle to this. It has woody stems, hooked thorns, and its greatest strength is that it grows so thick. If it's left alone it creates a nearly impenetrable wall. You can't walk through it if it's thick. However, the coons here use it for cover. They were denning in the dry ground underneath, and their entrance/exit was so obvious. There would be a coon sized hole and multiple piles of scat. They'd come out to poop.

Simple setup.... Block the holes with 160 or 220. Didn't matter, because they weren't going to climb over it.

Are those Australian 'coon ? lol

A blast from the past ! I injoyed this early memorial day morning stroll through the world of coon trapping . It's good to be back on Trapperman .

Does any one make their own fish oil?

I've tried making it but don't really have the time to do it right. I usually buy mine from LT as he sells it pretty cheap.

Trails leading to and from a food source are your best bets. if you can find those coon toilets they are also a good bet.

But your food source Is your best bet. When one food source dries up they move on to another one.
Around here It's water based In ten early summer then It's off to the corn fields and the high hard wood ridges feeding On mast. Then In late fall early winter It's back to the water.
Den trees are hardly ever used In early fall a coon just rolls up In ball and sleeps close to It's dinner table.

If your going to be successful at coon trapping you have to trap the food source period.

Set fresh sign

I had some left over concrete, so I poured it some jugs with a bit of chain protruding. They weigh between 12-15 lbs. Would this be enough weight for land trapping coon (keeping them in place), and/or use on water line? Thanks!

hi oldboot im no pro but have caught several coons i would say a 15# pound drag or even 8 or 10 # would hold most coons in place and for the ones that do move it u would be able to find pretty easy u on the other hand you carrying them mite get heavy im sure u got a atv or something but some drags weight only a couple pounds so id say use,em if u got,em and u can get them to set easy good luck

yeah- they won't go to far. Start with about a 6' chain if they go a little too far go to an 8' one. I doubt you would need 10'

Thanks K9 & Larry!

Mostly used DPs last season! But I'm trapping a very long stretch of private land along the Bayou Barthomew in South East Arkansas. Very large population of coons in the area, the run this bayou to access the other foods from farm to farm! I'd normal place a DP every 20 yards about 5-15ft from the water depending on previous and future weather. Put couple pieces of dog food inside until hIts bottom of trigger then sprinkle little bit around it, squirt a little fish oil on lip of trap an call it down! Was very successful last year trapping this way! But a older trapper taught me a few thing for this year to try an I'm going to put them to the test! Good luck everyone!

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