I bought 100 if the original Griz Getters when they were first offered in '99 or '01. can't remember the year exactly, but Gary Bonnet brought them to the Nationals in Iowa. I had been working on a DP design too but when I saw his i threw my hands up in defeat. I used them for that year and he had a large add in the T&P Caller about the springs being weak. I sent 96 back and he replaced the springs and threw in 4 traps to replace the ones I lost. Good Business I thought. He asked me to write an article about my success (which I cordially declined) and told him he had the "better mousetrap" so it was only a matter of time (that I wanted to enjoy) before everyone in the U.S. was "made" a coon trapper. I have as many years experience with DP's as about anyone. There are probably smarter trappers and harder workers out there but year in and out I've paid a few dues. I have tinkered with them from the best stake/anchor, to best baits, to mouse exclusion, to positions, to push/pull etc. for 20 years. About 10 years ago I noticed what Beav is saying and have kept track of repeat catches (unofficially) and here is what I do now. I stun the coon with a rap on the noggin, release the foot and euthanize it at least 10 feet from the circle --- no muss, no fuss. I have some catch circles look like a badger catch and I use a small rake to spread and level the area. If you have an extremely high coon population like northern MO or southern IA then my dispatch method is probably a waste of time. If you have lower populations (like I have) then this procedure seems to work for me. If I get heavy with opossum catches I will replace the original and simply creek rinse the "opossum dirty" trap and then put it back in service. If I set 3 traps and they are all full at check time I am disappointed as I always try to have a trap open for all comers and if they are full that means I could have missed some. Sorry, I'll get off the podium...... my take the mike

Many times I will catch 2 or 3 coons in as many days in a DP trap then it may go dead. I will take the same trap and present it differently and catch more coon if they are there. I believe there are 2 reasons for this. First when I say if they are there, coon will be on a circuit. In areas where the coon is high in population densities, it is hard to see this, because there is so many coons running the same trails the trapper can not tell which coon is what coon, but where coon numbers are not high it is easier to see. There will be a bunch of tracks for a few days, then nothing new for a short time frame, then a lot of tracks again. or catches. Every area will have a different circuit depending on the food source and amount, time of the season and other factors. In my area, the sows and family units will be on a 5 to 8-day circuit and the Boars will be on an 8 to 10-day circuit. The second reason I believe this happens and really shows in the early part of the season before the den up is. I think the coon when caught will show negative behavior in the trap. So when at a bait station or in the family group, the other coon sees's this negative behavior at that spot. Watch your dog and how it acts if another dog it knows gets hurt when it is there. So after the 2nd or 3rd coon caught there in that spot, and the others seeing the negative behavior they avoid that spot. I see this behavior with cage traps also. I have videos of coon family groups where 2 or 3 get caught in the cage and the last 1 or 2 will not go in the trap. By changing the presentation of the trap or moving it a few feet down the trail they do not associate any problem. This is why I can set traps for 5 to 8 days make catches and goes dead, Pull, then I go back 3 weeks later and catch more coon. This is also why I change the DP trap presentation when I see the coon are there but not working the same stupid set.(advanced system) everyone blames the bait when things go dead but I just change the presentation with the same baits and the coon work the traps. Just what I do and think. Also turning the trap so the trigger is horizontal to the coon rather than vertical will increase catches at least it did for me. I can not own let alone set foot traps so all I have is cable, cages and DP traps for land trapping..

No circuit here It's a bunch of dilapidated farm buildings surrounded by a corn field. It's cold here now and the coon are staying close to home. I'll try moving the traps a few feet out of the catch circle and see what happens.

I sure don't do the numbers you guys do, but I have noticed that "dirty" DP's don't seem to catch like clean ones. This year I am swapping out the dirty trap for a clean one and I have noticed fewer days between catches.

Wife, I like that dispatch idea, might try that. I do believe the blood hurts in a DP setting.

DP's are sure different than footholds at dirt holes.

Caught another big boar today and that's 3 out of the same trap. The other thing Is that the 3 coon out of that one trap were all boars. Is It possible that the young of the year coon and the females may be a little hesitant to work a catch circle?


Ok so I moved a few traps out of the catch circles and used a different type of bait. Will see what happens tomorrow.

So was that trap in the same spot or did you move it out of the catch circle each time after a catch?

Same spot. Never moved It.

So, Beav, my question is the trap “clean”? Yes , I think boars are more aggressive and will hit a set time after time, but not with a bloody trap.

All 3 coon were killed by a BG over their head. No blood so the trap was clean to a point.

I really think that’s the key. If you have the inventory, throw a new trap in there if the old one gets messy, take the dirty one home that night, wash it up and get it ready to put back out the next day.

Got two more this morning, both are 3rd coon from same DP same location, all dispatched at the set and I reset both and expect more from these two sets. I dont clean up blood or anything just reset the trap and rebait it, jam it right back in middle of the catch circle.
As mentioned earlier I'm not an huge fan of DPs usually other traps out produce coon for me but so far this year the DPs are carrying their weight fir some reason. It's almost mid december and as season gets later DPs usually do nothing here for me so I'll switch to 160s, and my catch rate usually goes back up. There's a point in the season that food doesnt seem to be as interesting to them here. A good coyote or fox gland lure at flat sets, or just plain blind trail sets with 160s are my go to late in year.

I’m being a smart butt here but I don’t see any snow! It’s gotta feel good not having to deal with winter yet.

Yep, hammer coon here before it flies...and our corner of state has been lucky so far.

Jim, I was raised in the Southeast corner AND you are always "LUCKY" weather wise in the winter. Summer not so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. the mike

Caught another big old boar coon today. It was In a set where I had moved the trap out of the catch circle.

good job!

Just curious what your ratio of boar to sow is? Looking back over notes, in an area that gets trapped heavily, I generally catch 8:1 boars to sows. And boars mean any male...young or old.

I catch more boars then sows, but I use gland lure at the sets so that may be a reason.

Out of the 11 coon I have caught 7 were boars.

That’s pretty good then...almost 50%. Down here I’m trying to rid the properties of coons...all it does is make more for next year. Don’t know if they realize the population is down and spend some productive time in the den or others move in to an unoccupied area and set up shop. I can catch enough that landowners wont have any on camera for about 3-4 months then they start sending pics of 6+ at their feeders. Never ending battle.