Coons on Drags

Been watching Clint Locklear videos and noticed them using drags with dog proofs. Anybody else do this? Tips or Tricks? I really like the idea of the speed of them and not needing to carry a driver or stakes, downside is weight obviously.

O boy you mentioned two things that are gonna make folks loose their minds....
Any how I do I like it. How ever
1. Use a good drag. Not a grapple, now some bent up piece if rebar, not a stick a good ,sharp drag that's gonna hook him up within a few feet. And I'm talking about in dirt not a thicket or shrub or something, if it can't do that your gonna have coon up in trees. That drag has to be digging and plowing every time it's moved or flipped.
2. Use a good bit of chain,at the minimum 5' 8' is much better. Honestly one that drag digs in here gonna circle and get that chain wrapped in more stuff and not go far but you still want that drag catching and digging EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
3. if theirs a possibility of stolen traps just pain don't
4. Carry some tbars if the ground or conditions look too iffy stab it though the deflection bar to keep him pinned.

It's a good system but not universal imo and you CANNOT half butt it. Not all drags are made the same not all work the same .
That being said if you have alot of trees the cable loop method works basically as fast

With all the being said it's a system optimized for working out of a vehicle. Trying to walk a like carrying a bunch of good drags is just a bit ....no

The weight is to big of an issue for me and how cumbersome drags are. A driver and a few dozen or more Earth anchors are the same weight as one drag.

You can cut them out on the line most of the time for coon. I use a small bow saw that fits in my bucket or basket. Carry an extra blade

Here's the drags I'm building to use. They are 3/4 rebar with sharp 3/spikes at 30degree angles. They dig hard and with make my 60lb lab work hard to get them anywhere very far. No where that I have will I be walking more than 50yds from the truck so the weight isn't an issue, just grab trap with drag and bait. At least that's the plan.

On dps I put a cabled earth anchor, with a quick link at the ready...if I can't clip to a tree, I drive the anchor. They go nowhere.

Word of advice if you double your material you can make a heavier more compact drag. My coon drags are only made of doubled half inch. Also I'd reccomed smooth 3/8 rod for your prongs . Rebar prong don't work as well.

I often use 1 lb mini drags or grapples BUT I pre-hook to a sapling so I don't have to hunt for a catch. Avoids the weight problem. Use this for ALL species.
Also, use 6 ft of chain so WHEN they climb, dispatch is normally head high and not 10 ft up.

FWIW on DP's this yr, I used 2 ft t-stakes of 3/8" smooth rod without a hitch this season. Only for 2 wks though and caught 24 coon and 4 opossum.
Left 2" of stake outa the ground so total swiveling could occur.

Tips-
-Put a swivel at drag/chain end
-Tie flagging on drag, with long tag end
-Wrap chain around trap. Then place drag shaft thru (under) jaws. Carry/hold eye of drag to keep chain in place, you will have a compact bundle to carry or pack away.

Drag flagging-


Wrapping, carrying, storing trap w/drag-
Mink trap (example), chain wrapped crisscross, then drag under jaws


Handle/carry by eye of drag, nice, compact bundle-


When ready to set, push drag from jaws, hold drag, trap unwraps itself



P.S.
pictured is Mink drag, not Coon drags. Use 2lb. or 3lb. drag for Coon, & 5'-6' chain.

Most (not all) responses have been from states which have smaller coon. I don’t think I caught one smaller than 17 pounds with the majority over 23. Bigger coon = more pulling power. For my money, it’s a 2-ft rebar, earth anchor or cabling to a tree.

My son had his rotors replaced on his truck so I decided why not. I have them wired to DP’s with each rotor in the water and the DP’s on the edge of a pond and creek. Waiting for a catch now to see if it works or doesn’t. I would think lying flat in the pond and creek that they would have a seriously hard time getting anywhere except deeper in the creek or pond and they won’t swim forever with a DP on their paw. I will let y’all know how it works out.going[align:right][/align]

I cable to a log, tree or a stake. I like to use decent size logs if one is a available at a set and there is nothing else to cable to. We have very large coon in Michigan but they can’t make it far if you pick a nice clog. Fast to make sets not pounding stakes. I never used a steel drag for anything except coyote. I like clogs better for them as well.

I quit using drags for coon many years ago. Got tired of climbing trees, or having them hang up out in open, or if it rained heavy going for a swim.
Stake or drown them and they are right where you expect them every check. No time to hunt in dark for big coon searching all over the county on a drag around here. Make sets where they are hidden after a catch and save some effort.
Jim

I run two types of drags for coon on dogproofs. each depends on the surrounding structure. If in scrub brush I use pcs outdoors swivel drags. They are super cheap and when prehooked do not go anywhere. I can set dozens of traps in minutes and they do not move. If in open ground or trees i use brake rotors. They are usually free from auto repair shops and they work great. I use them for drowners and drags for a lot of different animals.

Where my water line is I use wire and find something laying around to make a drag out of, less weight then a bunch of drags.

Many people these days don't use rocks for drags anymore, yet they do work . . .and well.