Nice job to Hal Sullivan for his recent article on using *DPs for 'coon. Specifically, he addresses the problem we all have with mice eating up the bait before the 'coon gets to the set.



*Note: though they're widely regarded as dog proof traps, the fact is, they're not 100% dog proof. The term enclosed trigger trap is more correct, but just not that catchy.

It’s the little things we learn along the way. Sometimes small changes yield big results and we question why didn’t I think of that before? It never ends....

I wonder how much mess there is when the coon is done if any?

Depends. All my DPs are hooked up to drowner cables and away from the set they go. A 'coon with no where to go might think about making confetti out of that aluminum foil. Good question for Hal.

I've used small paper cups with the same results. A 'coon staked at the site tears 'em up. A baptized 'coon usually leaves it intact for the next one. And paper eventually biodegrades.

Thanks, I never thought of using them on drowner. Great idea!

In regard to Paul’s post. Years ago, Wilson was President, a tip in FFG recommended wrapping foil on the pan. Place a little under water. Coons gotta play. Still works.

Great idea and need to get a subscription to that magazine. As for golf balls, PITA. This was my first year using DP and lost 50% of the balls. Keep thinking balls rolled down hill then up hill. They must be under and in catch ring. Spent much time looking for missing balls. Then had couple sets not hit and ball now ware to be found. One in dry lake bed with no vegetation and realized animals where hauling them off.

now that's funny right there ^^^

I 2inch fender washer with a old nut or little stub of rebar tack welded to washer works good. Lay it on top of trap with nut facing down. I had a 5 gallon bucket full of them and it worked real well

Lot of useful info on this forum. Thanks

I make caps that are similar but use plastic. Cut a disc out of old plastic bucket lid with a holesaw, then drill a hole in a pop bottle lid then bolt it together with a 1/4" bolt.

Nice! ^^^

Sure beats finding this on your next check.

All my sets are rigged to drown. The extended day check allows for multiple lines without having to check again the next day. You can easily check a hundred plus DPs over the course of 3-4 days on the river during mornings or afternoons.

DPs set up on drowners . . .







Look for tracks along the river bank. I prefer the V-bow to the jon boat for river trapping. With current, the boat never stays squared up perpendicular to the bank. Took me years to find this particular boat. Built in the 80s, the Alumacraft T-16XL has a 40 horse rating and functions just like a flat once you get up on plane. With the boat loaded down the V-bow is what you need for waves and rough weather. The 35 horse Go Devil does a fine job of pushing this rig.



Look for places where the slope of the bank peters out and the 'coon either continue on their way by swimming or crawling up on the bank. Here's such a spot.



You can see where the 'coon continue along the mud along the grass edge.



Getting closer now you can see a 'coon at the end of the drowner cable. So many issues taken care of this way: 1) critter is dispatched 2) set is not tore up and 3) if you have another DP set there you still have a working set.



Rebait and reset. You can see this is where the mud trail ends and the 'coon are going to head up on the grass instead of swimming.



Meanwhile, the boat waits behind you.



The terminal end of the drowner rig. A 3/8" stick of rerod that is hammered into the substrate with a steel pipe just a wee bit larger in diameter than the rerod. The smacked on nut stops the pipe. This will not pull out by a critter, but easily pops up vertically when pulled up.



Occasionally the river drops enough to expose your catch. The eagles down here find the carcass a nice perch while they snack on your catch.



One more thing . . . you can rig your drowner cables to terminate at one location. In this pic from above the upstream cable is probably 20 feet long, while the downstream cable is 15 feet long. They both end up at one rod that is positioned to be sure both cables are taut. Since taking these pics I've added a stop 24" up from the double ferrule at the end to keep 'coon from accessing the vertical rerod. Occasionally I found an empty DP at the end before I added the stop. Probably a big 'coon that powered out.

Rather have that than nothing.

How often do those cap disappear?

I've lost a few, not many since I quit putting a smear of lure in the cap though.

I like not worrying about mice. Kills efficiency when mice beat racoons to bait.

Good post Muskrat!

If they aren’t dog proof, what dog could get in one? I know a Grey can but my Dachshunds have paws bigger than a fox.

I’ve heard of one, maybe 2 dogs that have stuck their tongues into push-pull trigger models and got caught. Out of the millions of DPs set with only a couple dog related catches, I consider the trap “dog proof”.

To hit the 1% of catches that were dogs, we’d be looking at 10,000 out of 1,000,000 set traps. This isn’t happening. Seriously folks, stop worrying about a catch rate of less than 0.0001 % for feral dogs as a reason to not use DPs.