People say coon are land and others say they are water. Which is the best location to set for them? I caught a few coon by creeks and water but never made a pocket set for em or anything like that

They're a land animal that visits water occasionally.

I prefer to trap em on land because skinning wet coon sucks. Find the trails is the easiest way to catch them.

I always liked to slide them out in the water away from hunters and dogs.

Every critter needs a drink time to time. I trap on water and away from it.

the Latin name for racoon, Procyon lotor

Lotor translates to "the Washer" they frequently wash if given the opportunity they use creeks and river banks like a highway

they will be found in many places but concentration with a water source around seems to be higher.

muddy coons are a Mess and extra work if your skinning

trails near water , near den locations are ideal for catching dry coon

water sets can be very effective as well and will catch mink a more desirable fur

hiding your catch under water while more work keeps it your catch if it is a busy area.

Coon are where you find them. They don't stay put, they move with the food sources. Early on, that might be corn fields and trails, later, it might be on the edge of the water. The only way to know is to scout the area.

I find a higher percentage of larger, boar coon the further I get away from water.

Both I trap them where they are. Easier to find around water because wet dirt leaves clear tracks.

Around here (Generally speaking) Coon start out more on land and in the fields where grain and mast crops are common. As those things become more scarce, picked over and tilled under, they gravitate "More" to waterways hunting creeks and rivers.

It's all about the available food in each specific area.

Around here during the rut there are MASSIVE (25+ Lbs) boar coon during the rut in the most random places

I look for trails coming from groves of big cottonwood and crossing roads going to corn fields and set 220s. Dead dry coons. I find the trails and mark them with a piece of brick so I can see them in the dark. Set the traps after dark and pick them up before daylight. Nobody exercising their dogs after dark and very little traffic. Can even trap culverts along state highways. Very effective way to harvest coons. And an occasional bobcat. Its hard to get on private land.

Most of their food source is in the water in the majority of areas where they live. Family groups are in the water a lot. Those big ridge runner males go to water from time to time but I have definitely caught most of my largest male coons away from water.

I do not like to foot trap them on land, they chew on their toes too much. Snares and bodygrips were the way to go for me. Although if I was trying to trap numbers of them today I would have a big box of dog-proofs in the back of the truck for sure.

Yes, during rut the males will cover a LOT of ground. But I am not setting traps in RANDOM places. Set traps on sign. In travel ways.
I trap both water and land for coon. I tend to catch more big males on dry land and more females and dinks in water sets.

Land animal and an opportunist lol garbage can panda

Look for tracks along sandbars on waterways & on woods roads and trails in muddy spots.
Check out the base of any large trees along waterways or edges of fields for droppings. Coon love to use these spots as toilets

I catch more “land” coon than near water coon. But that’s just are area. Set cams or traps and see what produces. Move more sets where you’re catching and figure out why you’re catching there.

^^ Yep, dead, dry, fluffy coon in 220's...This is the way.

If only conibears were legal on land in pa that would be my go to set using buckets

Body gripping trap is a conibear right?

Yes, conibear was a brand name of body grip traps.

How does PA define "watercourse"?

I believe like a crick

Make your best fox set. A raccoon will find it

Hopefully a fox first

Only if a possum doesn't beat them to it.

Frank Conibear invented the bodygrip trap and sold the patent to Victor. I think.

yes

i trap coon wherever they are, i like trapping trails right beside the rivers but not in them

Most of the coon I have caught the last few years have been all high ground.

I have a very good spot that's on low ground by a creek.

Ik when I set a trap there the next day I will have something. And I was correct every time last season.

I land trap 99% of my coon line.
A mix of DPs, footholds, and body grips.
Most of my line is a coyote and cat focus and around here that will also mean a ton of coon whether you want them or not as target catches. They always pay something and always worth it to me to work them every season. Most of my coyote locations are out a ways from any water. Coon I catch are dry and fluffy, and generally big boars too.
When I am targeting coon I look for trails. Trails for coon always connect them to the important things to them. Den/shelter, food, and water. Look for the biggest tree next to a crop field and it should have a trail or two at its base. Culverts are good, old ponds in pastures, old barns, creeks with cover and timber or tall grass. Coon can be found in lots of places. Got to find the sign. Once you find the sign, set them hard and go sharpen your skinning knife. It’s not complicated.
I run quite a few dirthole and or blind trail sets with footholds. Nothing larger than a 1.5 coil or #2 long, and keep the chain short with lots of swivels. Been doing this for coon for over 40 years. Never recall a problem holding them if you use a good stout trap with jaw spread no larger than I mentioned above. Swivels are VERY important. If the trap has one one end of chain and another at the trap, add another swivel somewhere mid-chain and that will work.
Can never have too many swivels on coon land traps.
Careful where you make sets too. Don’t give them much to grab onto (weeds, brush, etc) and that could also bind up the swivels. That’s about the best advice I could come up with for coon, bud. At least that’s what I do for my coon line.
Jim

I personally can't stand trying to water trap coon ,

Back before the barn cats all died off, I was feeding 5X more coon than cats, and they had a well worn trail beat down to the barn. One day....on a whim.......I thought it would be fun to get on that trail and follow it back to the source....just to see where it went. Followed it over half a mile. It was mostly dry land, but travel route detoured to pass by every wet spot and body of water there was. Each of those spaced out about 50 to 100 yards apart. Like a connect the dot deal in a kids coloring book. They connected the dots. And same on dry land. If there was a small tree in a fence line or even out in the open, trail went right past it.

Once tick season has passed, OP ought to do the same. Find the trails......follow them. Let them tell you where to set your traps.

K

how many days did you trap the spot last season?

Just for 5 days because I found it on the last week

jabne, you said you make dirtholes for coon and that is what i was wanting to do next season because i like footholds more then dps but anyway, how do you bait your dirtholes for coons?

I use fish or sardines wich is a fish. And I'm using a 1.5 or 1.75 because a possible fox might come along

i was bouta say if you trapped for awhile it would be hard to believe ya

Lol

This has been my experience too.

Interesting with different regions. Here a lot of the females and YOY are near the streams and water. We have a lot of winter wheat (harvested in August) alfalfa/grass (harvested several times? but not coon food, corn silage (harvested from late August till end of September? Snaplage and HMSC harvested before mid Nov. so there is not much for food on the land and we don't have a lot of oaks in our wooded areas. I am trying to find more dry corn grain farmers but there is not that much near by. We also have lots of veggie crops, like sweet corn, beets, green beans etc. and they are gone by mid September. Our coon habits are quite different here then in many more cash based farming areas.
Lots of feed stored in bunkers, piles etc. and coon are hard on the plastic. They also feed in the larger free stall barns, but farmers have taken measures to control wildlife and really don't rely on trappers to keep the populations down.
Bryce