I normally wait until Thanksgiving, but I'm getting the itch.
Are the coons still blue ? We had a cold snap, was hoping that would help...

Haven't dragged out my boxes yet.

Here’s an older vid where the grader says the skin side doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good.
[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/i3MHjaCxWqI?si=hc_q-BGnJhrF03E3[/video]

The Coon I have caught here a week and a half ago look pretty good but they were all adult coon . The mink on the other hand have been blue.

No harm in catching a few to see what they look like. A week can make a dig difference too.

I caught a big one last night. He wasn't 100% prime yet. Could have been fluffier.

As I recall, coon don’t prime based on the coldness of the weather but based on the amount of sunlight. A cold snap essentially means nothing.

Big coon do prime up earlier than small ones. One year I picked up a road-killed coon in late October and it was prime. But it was huge and that made the difference. Some late birthed coon don’t seem to prime at all their first winter.

I notice the same here. I usually start late to try and get the bigger older coon. A lot of the smaller ones are in the den when the weather gets colder.

I have caught 19 since October 31st. We have been warm and several windy days so the coon running has been more limited than anticipated. All my coon are from along the river while trapping rats. To date average size has been smaller and about 2/3rds females. The bigger coon don't seem to move as much when it is warmer. I have 2-3 big sows that did not have litters and they were hog fat. A lot of the smaller or younger coons are really searching for food as they need protein to grow and calories to put on fat and if they den too early while not ready for winter they may not make it.

Bryce

Shot 1/2 dozen to see how they look this afternoon. They were all 3 & 4X sized coons but they looked pretty good, white leather and decent fur too once I skinned them.

Jamie that shadow beside you is not in pewee football anymore, lol .

Two big coon yesterday, one a female. Both looked good. Had a mink given to me, still blue.