Hello all,

Just started trapping last year; been reading and learning a lot from Trapperman posts since. So thanks up front for all the shared knowledge and advice.

Going to be my first time targeting coon this fall, mostly DPs. How important is it to control human scent when trapping coons? Do you need to be a careful as with canines? Even avoid chewing when in the woods?

Thanks in advance

Liam

Nothing is going to scare a coon.

I would not worry about human scent control for trapping raccoons.

Heck human scent might actually attract some coon. Humans = food in alot of places
On a side note : Bloodhounds can still pick up on human scent via skin cells ( which ,unless your wear a bubble suit your dropping everywhere 24/7/) for 12.5 days if not more . Don't know the specifics but I remember reading coyotes can smell even better then that. So long story short their gonna smell you. Guys down here are live market trapping during the summer in 90+ degrees sweating like pigs and there making catches within a few days usually so that should tell you something

[quote=Nittany Lion]I would not worry about human scent control for trapping raccoons. [/quote
This!
Just bait your DPs with something coons will eat and set them on coon trails.

What you need to focus on is WHERE to put those traps. You want to put them in a spot a coon would go even if you had no bait there. Spots with a lot of tracks are good.

Almost seems like they want to keep the coons all to themselves.

You need a $10,000 sent lock suit, rubber boots, that you only were in the woods Change before you get back in your truck, wear rubber gloves to set, then change to another pair to bait.






JUST KIDDING you have no worries on sent with.coon. That's just me laughing at the sent control deer guys. Like wolfdog said if a coon dog can smell you that well so can a deer. Well you may want to use a trailing sent in some places to up your odds of a catch but that's not necessary. Just set your trap on sign right on their paw prints for example.

If you wire your traps off to a tree make it tight to the tree not a loop that is loose around the tree. If it's a loose loop the cool may go up the tree and get hung up and stuck hanging from the trap if it falls . No fun to get down either. And use large enough gage wire. Stinks to find a catch circle broken wire and no trap or coon.

I've had the best results with cheap tuna mixed with glycol. Don't worry about scent!

Great, thanks guys. And appreciate the laughs too!

To me the trick is don't give them the opportunity to figure out X scent equals bad consequences and live to tell about it.

Bed your sets solid, make sure the cages don't rock (bed them as well), position cages to funnel them into the front door and protect the sides and back.

I much prefer dealing with dumb coons than smart ones.

Like warrior says but then I'll add to stake down your live traps so they don't roll them and escape. Also a captive raccoon will grab and pull anything it can get it's hands on into the cage.

Bed your traps solid. For coons scent doesn't matter. Human scent doesn't keep them out of trash cans.

This is my thought too.

The only scent problem I've ever seen with coons is if you get bait or lure scents on a dryland set foothold trap, they may find the trap, fiddle with it and set it off without getting caught.