So the situation I’m in, that I have 8 1.5 coil springs and 15 dps in central South Dakota so not many trees corn fields and feed lots. Any tips for keeping my line efficient such as traps per location “honey hole spots” and how to find such things and stuff like that. Also the best lure you all have found I use moonshine by caverns with good luck but always looking for better. Thanks in advance

Its scouting. Find areas with a lot of sign, pass one the spots that have little sign. Cant remember who said it, but the quote was, you have to be able to drive past one or two fox to catch a bunch of fox. Eventually as you trap the same spots over time, you learn which areas produce better and which ones that might look good are better off left alone.

If you don't have corn, look for orchards, and den trees. Look for strips of cover, brush rows, ditches, creeks, all these are travel ways. You may need to cover more ground. Don't overlook abandoned houses, old barns, old junk farm equipment, all are places coon live


This is breeding season, gland based lures catch the nose of them big travelling boars looking for love too. Good luck!

I would encourage you to find out more about your quarry in the OFF SEASON so you know an animal's habits in the areas you harvest them. What they eat at what time of year is a big hurdle to to get over in locating a coon/fox/coyote/mink, etc..Your landscape is going to be a lot different than a Missouri River bottom timber stand in Iowa and I am betting your furbearer population will reflect it. For folks who live east of the Missouri River (and even more so east of the Mississippi) its a complete change in searching for and evaluating sign. Your (South Dakota) K (Carrying Capacity) and hence the potential population for raccoons might be a lot lower than others realize. After living and fur chasing here in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana, in addition to chasing coons with hounds in Pennsylvania, and South Carolina I would guess that WATER is the big drawing card of the habitat you live in. It can be in a pond, on a farmstead, semi dry spring etc. but it is probably the limiting element of the habitat where you live (so many guys get Cover and Habitat confused in their talking its hard to decipher what they are trying to say).. When fur season rolls in, you know where a litter or a few coons will be denning based on their water needs and can set more traps there...... People in this business TALK about Management but have little experience with the life cycles of their quarry and how it affects their harvest #'s. Your "Crop" (of any animal) is made (highest) when it is born (usually in the spring). Knowing the when and where and Moma Nature's treattment from then til you head out with the 1.5's determines your potential success. Learn where they get their grub, water, and cover - check for sign - and realize you are in an area that does not have high potential for large catches. Guys that post those huge catches are no better than the guy who catches 10 animals per year. They have much better habitat (Higher K's), good weather and more important----- ACCESS ------- to those higher #'s. The work ethic part is up to you. When you can evaluate the Habitat (Food, Cover, and Water) and check for your quarry's sign, you will be years ahead of others in your "Harvest Efficiency" where you live. Taught classes on habitat evaluation for folks in an "in field" classroom setting for a few years and maybe this is more than you wanted... Off my soap box. .......................... the mike

Look for trails coming into those feedlots. If coon are using them there will be trails.
Same goes for cornfields early in the season. But once those fields are tilled those trails generally go dead. And since that food source is now gone, coon will take to the cricks and other waterways to look for grub, so concentrate there. Use those coilsprings in pocket sets in the water, and the DPs in trails to and along the water.
With the few traps you have, keep them all set all the time. Move them to other locations if you're not connecting, but keep them set somewhere. Doing so will help you learn where the best locations are and exactly where to set in those locations.
As for coon lure - I'd not waste much time worrying about it. It can't hurt anything, but I don't think its particularly effective either. The important thing is to be where the coons want to be and you'll catch them. Good luck!

As you continue to learn your line you will find the main trails that are used every year and many times by several family units. Off of these there will be many trails that can change seasonally or based on what crops or food sources may be grown that season etc. Many of these side trails may lead to den sites as well. When you have crops, water and woods you will have the base areas to really scout. The one thing I have learned in my trapping years is how much more animals move then I ever thought they would or did. There will always be areas that hold far more numbers than others and by knowing your species and signs you will learn where those areas are. While driving to school, work or where ever be looking for trails coming to the roads. It won't take to long to distinguish a coon trail from a game trail. Some times they are the same but coon trails get between down flat. Also look for cover nearest to the opening they are crossing or large trees telephone poles etc. Many times these are land marks the coons use to navigate to and from.

Bryce

The best I ever did on coons was 67 in one night and that was last year. How I caught those coons came down to some key factors. I'm still piling them up this year and again it came down to the same factors. I can't speak from where you are from but down here this is what I do to pile coons...

- I spend a lot of learning everything I can about them. I'm finally starting to understand where they are at a particular time of year and why there are there. I know there live cycle better than they do.

- Most of my coon traps cannot be checked from a vehicle, I have to walk, wade or pole a pirogue for most of my coons traps. The reason is I spend a lot of time preseaon, during season and post season looking for runways. I try to find well established trails that are going to and from den trees, feeding areas, etc. I have found some that have been there for years and are more worn down then an otter trail. The more off the beaten path the better the runways I find, also I think the coons don't worry about much moving on these types of trails as they do with ones along roads, food plots, etc.

- My trail and runway sets are blind. I set a ton of 1.5 CS, #11 LS, #2 LS, 160's, 220's and snares. I catch more on the runs without bait than I do with. Also, when setting and checking I stay off the trail. I have found if I walk it and open it up, the coons will start to make it wider and then I end up with a branch in the trail as they will make a new one.

- I find where they are feeding or hunting. This is where I use pocket sets, fish sticks, and such. They get hammered with bait as they are actually looking for food.

- DPs are not being put out on my line this year as they don't work that good down here. A couple trappers I know who run long lines like me are not using them anymore for the same reason, they just don't work down here. I know I will get the blah, blah, blah about using the wrong bait in them, but I've tried everything. You will catch in them, but not like using pockets and sticks. They are not worth the weight or room.

- Also, learn what time of year in your area is good for using coon lure. I find when they are rutting, coon lure hammers them.

But like I said, this is my observations trapping in my area.