Well, for most folks trapping season is coming to an end. Some still have a spring beaver season to get started on. Some are ramping up the nuisance work. Whatever situation you're in it's a great time for post/pre season scouting. The vegetation is dead and flat, the weather is starting to warm up (a little), most hunting seasons are closing, and you probably don't have anything much better to do this time of year. So...take a walk. Take your kids for a walk. Take your wife for a walk. Take your dog for a walk. Go Scouting and find some hot locations for next season. I took a walk today. Here's some locations I haven't hit in a couple years. Makes me look forward for next season. Let's see yours.....

Most of these are coon trails but everything runs them. Caught a lot of Grey fox and cats at these spots in the past. Even found a nice rat run in a ditch.....

Excellent post. Thanks for sharing.

Mac

Nice walk.Took the wife for a walk.That bare ground sure looks inviting

Oh I bet it does for you Bruce. Been thinking of moving up your way in a few years. Don't know if I can handle the snow though. I do like most of your trapping regs.

Usually 4 to 6 feet of snow on the ground this time of year.We had alot of melt off this year but there is still 2 feet of snow in the woods.

I checked out a couple spots today, and where I dug up my sets were a bunch of tracks/digging. Next season should be fun!

Here's a couple more for ya. ...

Cats, fox, and coon use this tree to cross this ditch when the water gets high....

I like to find these old beaver dams. Everything crosses over the top from one side to the other. Late in the year when the rut turns on you will get otter running up stream from the bigger tributaries checking these places out. I've caught many a otter setting the corners of old dams like this one.....

Them beaver dams are critter hotspots for sure and log crossings.Very nice.

Awesome

That’s pretty cool you have actual coon trails. Do y’all not have any deer?

I'm always looking for trapping spots no matter what time of the year it is or what I am doing at the time.

Wanna Be, we do have deer but they're very localized in the farm/field country. Bruce, I do the same but it's just easier this time of year. Don't have to deal with snakes, mosquitos, bee's, and squatters living under the bridges.
I watched a video the other day Justin (Iowa Trapper) put out. He was showing how the trials stand out when there's a little snow in them. He's spot on with that. Even a good mink trial will stand out with a little snow on it.
Speaking of....I made a scouting trip out to Iowa last summer. Even though everything was green and the grass was tall it was a good scouting trip. Wanna Be, you want to see coon trails take a trip to Iowa.

Good job and nice post.
Jim

I won't be able to send pictures like that for a month or so. But it is sure nice to see grass and leaves. Look forward to that time of the year.

Here's one of those summer Iowa coon trails. Actually watched a coon walk down this trail....

Look at all that nice green grass

Coon trails make it easy

Took another walk this weekend. Looking at all these places I did hit this year is bumbing me out that seasons over. Does make me look forward to the next....even if prices are tanked out.

Checked a few bridges for coon,mink,and cats....







Walked down a couple creeks just to check some hot spots.....






Even found a few good mink trails....here's one.

Nice pictures.Quite a few coon tracks

Bruce, that's mainly what I'm looking for. Although I do run some bigger beaver and otter lines, I'm a coon man at heart. Seems like folks snub their nose up at coon trappers now days but I like putting up numbers and coon allow me to do that in my area. It's not so much about the dollar anymore, it's about how far I can push myself and how much I can learn about the animals I trap. This thread is based on getting out there and scouting to learn more about whatever animals you trap so you become a better Trapper. I hope I can encourage someone to do that by sharing my scouting experience.

WOW!! Didn't mean to get started on that but there ya go.