Vetical Coon Box

With MO being one of those states that has restrictive rules on bigger body grips larger than 5x5, have been experimenting with elevated 160's and 220's inside barns. One set that I almost never see used is the vertical cubby box. Basic idea is outlined on page 15 of this publication....

https://www.fishwildlife.org/applic.../AFWA_Bodygrip_2017_final_compressed.pdf

I'm finding it works well......and seems to be about as safe as any way a body grip could be. About the only non-targets that could get to it are barn cats, and mine show no interest in it at all.

Have watched dozens of trail camera videos of coon working these......and while they will try to find just about any other way in, if the bait is something they want, all will eventually get down, wiggle under, raise up and go in. With trap set about 3 or 4 inches above bottom opening, coon will be pushing forward with back feet, pushing up with front feet when head encounters trigger wires and trap fires. Almost a perfect neck strike every time, which puts them down fast. Perfect strike as there is no way to avoid it. No other way in.

Only picture I have of box I'm using now has a dead coon under it. If that's OK, will put it up.

I'm interested

I have some good trail camera video of coon working these, but I am done with y-tube. Any alternative trapping friendly video hosting sites anyone can recommend? Only one I know of that has much of anything beyond political is Rumble. Lot of coon on Rumble but most are of the warm / fuzzy / cute type. Not sure that is the place for trapping video either. Only trapping video I found on Rumble was of rats and snakes.

Back in the day before dog proofs i used a lot of coon boxes mounted to fence posts and still use them from time to time mounted vertically in barns. I put the trap up and have a bottom to the box so the bait just piles up in the bottom and the coon enters from the top. This seems to work best for me. It is a solid setup and can be placed higher on a post with a crossing stick or something above it to prevent dogs from getting in it and be way out of reach. I also just mount it to trees like a marten set but with the trap on top like i spoke about before.

On that BMP website page I referenced before, they show plans for the open top version too. I looked at it, but have not tried it. I'd think that when they drop down, first move would be to place their front paws on the trap frame to let themselves down easy.....so might be standing on the frame when it fires.

With the open bottom version they literally have to get down on their belly to crawl under.....and in order to raise up at all, must have front paws still on the deck to push up with when head hits trigger wires. Since there is only 4 to 6 inches gap between bottom of the box and deck surface beneath it, there is no other way in. And no way for any domestics other than a cat or small dog to do it either. And since this one is elevated inside a barn, no dog can get anywhere near it.

Due to the bulk of the box, would not want to run a large number of these, but seems like it would be useful set for some ADC work, and nuisance work like around chickens. Once you get the box and mounting configured for it, it is fast and easy to set.

Shot new pics......



Design is basic cubby box. Sides slots for springs cut about 8 to 10 inches deep. Sides 3/8" plywood. Front and back is 3/4" pine board, back 3/4" longer than sides, so bottom lip extends past the sides. Trap and bait can are mounted on an inset of 1/2" osb (what I had handy) that is easy to slide in and out to load bait and set trap. Trap held in place and kept from falling out the bottom of the vertical slot by the mounting bracket and springs flexed against the side. In position, trap sits solid and will not move. Without the bracket, trap could drop out the bottom at any time. Bait placed in sardine can, which has lip all around edges, so bait will not fall out, yet animals can get to it easy.



Fixed mounting cleat is scrap of 5/4 deck lumber that box rests upon, in front is a raised cleat/lip to lock box in place to keep from falling off, insert slides down to rest upon the edge of cleat. Trap springs in the slot keep the insert from tipping forward. Whole setup is rock solid. Trapped coon drops out the bottom, box stays put.



When loaded, box is lifted into place and held in place with simple bungee. Trap is positioned halfway up the slot so when trap fires, springs can move up and down. If resting against end of the slot, top springs would have no where to go, so when trap fires, top springs would propel trap down and out the bottom. This way, it fires in place.

Simple, effective setup.

There was a post on here a couple years ago that a guy showed vertical coon boxes on trees. Opening facing UP. Maybe a search would find it.

If you are in a barn or house why not set the cubby in a regular horizontal alignment in the hay loft or on the 2nd floor or on a brush pile. It meets the letter of the law by being over 4-6' above the ground. I have used VC's (vertical cubbies) for 15 years or so and got it where I will use them BUT it takes a special spot to get one to work right where a DP will out shine it 99.99 X's out of 100.... my take ... the mike

I would agree. If the goal was to pile up coon, I wouldn't be fooling with this at all. DP's, cages, and CS's, are much more efficient in putting up numbers. This is about expanding the arsenal and learning new methods. And I should again mention for me to use anything larger than a 5x5, it must be both inside a building and elevated. So options and use are severely limited. I also looked into using 5x5's in trails and such, and after I watched a game camera video of a big boar struggle to get his head in one, I ditched any notions of those on the spot.

As for the BG's in horizontal boxes and buckets......put those to work and quickly caught several.....but not without problems. Moved on to this method and found it to be much more restrictive as to what can get in it, plus more effective at dispatch. Won't elaborate on the latter, other than to say while these traps are indeed lethal, the journey getting there is often not what we assume. Game cameras taught me that.

One other thing I found with horizontal boxes, and I've got dozens of game camera videos to document it, when working a box or bucket, a coon has an uncanny ability to screw up as far as me getting him into a position for a clean strike. Stunts they pulled with the horizontal box are not possible with the open bottom vertical box.