Does harvest affect coon movement? Ive never had trouble catching coons like i have had this year. All my good spots that i can pull 4 out of in 2 checks i have only got maybe one in 4 checks. Its crazy this year. I cant seem to find them this year and their tracks are there to prove im on location. But we have had a lot of harvest activity going on. Is that why they arent seeming to run or does anybody have any clue what is going on? My friends are also having the same troubles. One is catching a few where he normally doesnt and not catching any at his good spots.

I've also been having a hard time catching raccoons, I'm not sure if it's the weather we've been having here in NY or what's going on. I've had good sign at locations and set traps along trails, but I've only caught 7 raccoons since Halloween. I've noticed the nights that I have caught coons its been on cool nights with no rain. One location I caught 2 coon the night the farmer combined it, then 2 more within a couple days of the field being harvested. I have traps on another field with standing corn and that has produced 3 coon since saturday, Nov 3.

Probably Layed up all fat not eatting much. This coming cold snap will get them moving. I've caught them in Fresh harvested fields not long after its picked.

I've sure seen a ton of them this week when I've been checking a few beaver snares on a damage job.
I'm waiting until dec 1st to start, it's just a little early yet for quality coon right now.
Mix up your sets, try blind sets with 220s or 160s too. Got a lot of coon in those in well worn trails when they wouldnt touch other sets.
I get a few in DPs but they are definitely not my biggest coon producing set by any stretch.
Dirtholes, flat sets, both with bait and lure, lots if we appeal, and set right on sign.
Blind sets though with body grippers by far are my best coon taker last several seasons. Find tight spots on well used trails and set em up. Grassy ditches and draws through those picked corn fields should be real hot spots. Look for drain tiles emptying into those weedy ditches and draws too. My 160s in blind sets at locations like that I know out produce all of the other sets I make about 3 to 1 easily but I get a few in those other sets plus an occasional coyote or two so I set them for the variety.
I only had four coon in DPs last year but just one 160 in a trail theough grassy draw by a field drain tile produced a coon every check for 7 straight checks. And I only set it on a whim it looked like a good option. Was a real nice treat to pull a coon out of that each time, made me smile.
Jim

lotta food in the world this time of year is what i try to tell myself.

Maybe there is a coon issue, talking to the fisher trappers indicates the coon catch is off in the cubby and ground sets, the coon being caught are big with lots of fat. I travel 100 miles a day and have only seen 3 road killed coon on 86 since season has opened. Harvest ratios are off, does look good when you are catching adults and not many yearlings. i caught 4 reds 1 fisher 2 possum and 2 skunks and only 2 coon and they were well furred fat and big; during the 6 day fisher season with 24 sets in farmland country, lots of rain and mud. I think distemper got them, if the young dont have the fat stored up 25 days out of 30 of rain makes for a wet coon that cannot get dry. The young have to move and put on the fat. Good luck and do not give up just sharpen your skillset of reading sign, you will do good.

Possum, our k9 catch here seems to be down, but my incidental coon and possum are up like crazy compared from last year. We have had so much rain here that the farmers can't even cut their soybeans and corn, the fields are too muddy. It has been raining here probably 4 or 5 out of the seven days steady for a just about all summer. We have a little bit of a cold front coming in though, so that should put some of them away for a while. I am not trying for coon, but the ones I caught were huge. At least 5 of them were 20+ pounds.

Nice catch then

Been catching a lot of small coon. Really small (young) lactating females and their kits. This is new in my area as I haven’t caught lactating females this time of the year. I’ve been releasing a lot of coon.

To answer the question, YES - harvest does affect coon movement. Especially in/on the Mid-West/Great Plains where agriculture crop types changes food and cover types annually. Son-in law's last pass (combining) through an 80 acre cornfield one night this year caused him to count 20+ coons in front of the snoots. That's 1 coon for every 2' of row he was traveling. Think they might still be there or do you think they moved ? This is the first time in a few years we had a wild plum crop here in Northeast Ne. and they (coons) and coyotes both worked those over for about 3 weeks in September around here. Other years no "customers in site. So if the "grocery store" changes locations so to the customers. Folks in other areas that have a more stable yearly food source probably don't see the shift as much as we do. Our home ranges for coons are partly larger on account of this.

My dad's been hauling grain for a guy for stalks for his cattle. He said there are places they are hitting the end of the row, and 10 or so coons are running out of the corn. It's been wet, warm and plenty of corn to go around. They have water in the field, food in the field, and it's been warm enough they've just been sleeping in the field. There's no reason for them to leave. That's probably changed with this last cold front, but it's what I am attributing my low incidental coon catch too.