First ever dug up trap

Had my first ever dug up trap this morning. I know it was a coon because I saw it on camera. It was really pretty cool. He dug it up and flipped it over without setting it off.
We are so dry down here that the top soil is like powder and six inches down is like cement. I “thought” I had the trap bedded as solid as all my others, apparently not.
I’ve got it reset “solid” at least I hope solid. I moved it offset about 6” from its previous spot and hoping for the best.

Yep I know the feeling .It is super dry here too.Had a dig out from a coon also.

What’s bad is when we pulled on this property to set it I stopped and put my truck in 4-wheel drive and my son who was behind me to put his Ranger in 4x4. When we got to the first “wet area” and it was dry I knew something was up. We got to the creek and it was bone dry. We walked it and there was not even a wet spot in the creek…and it had just rained for almost 4 days on and off. I posted a video recently on IG of a Gopher Tortoise sticking his head in what little water was accumulating on the deck trying to get a drink before it soaked in during a recent afternoon thunderstorm.

Yep, those coon are a real pain in the butt! However, these days with the price of coon I would rather deal with a flipped trap than a live coon!

I get paid to catch…a flipped trap doesn’t put money on the tab.

Live in the corn belt and flipped traps are a common occurrence. You pass up some locations here if coyotes are your target species due to the probability of a coon catch or digging up a set. Skip the loud baits/lures and set where the coyotes are hunting for a meal and not traveling is the best experience I can give. When "a coyotes has his nose turned on" hard for him to NOT find your set. When YOU try to attract him with some nose candy, the Try will attract most other critters also. My take.................................... the mike

Most attribute a dig up to a trap that's not bedded solid. I disagree with that thought, especially with coons. They dig because of the difference or disturbance of ground material.

My neck of the woods ive seen way more traps dug by coyotes than coons.

Skunk will dig traps looking for worms in fresh dug dirt. I bet coon might do the same.

There's no way to totally eliminate coon from digging at the trap bed. Trust me I have tried. They will even dig up a well-blended blind set. They are stimulated by the loose dirt and the smell of fresh digging, even without lure or bait or urine. Plant a DP at your location to draw the coon. It just adds to the attraction for coyotes. Reducing pan tension nabs a few at trap sets. Or 2 traps per set, coon can't count LOL...

Sure there is, so what I did and move to a place where there isn’t a coon within 200 miles lol

Coon = $$
Misses = 0

Been doing a little metal detecting. At many digs the sod plug is dug out by coon the next night. No trap, no scent or bait, just dirt.
Though I have had a few, most of these digger k-9s are coon and skunk.

One season that sticks out to me is, when I had stick welding done to traps. Coyotes dug to the weld spot. Or so it seemed.

Prolly the only way LOL