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Coons - Shoot or not? #6543152 11/14/16 06:44 PM
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Murr Offline OP
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So the hunter in me tells me not to shoot anything I'm not gonna eat. But I'm telling you I have at least 6 HEALTHY coons eating up my corn. I have a few deer on the cameras that still come in when the coons are there, but apparently they aren't getting much.

So, my question to you is, would you shoot the coons, or let them keep eating?

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543154 11/14/16 06:45 PM
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rifle

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543162 11/14/16 06:51 PM
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I'd pull the trigger on them. Every year prior to deer season, and after the feeders have been spreading corn for a few weeks, I always have a buddy over for a NV coon and yote hunt.


"Sometimes hunting isn't about hunting at all"
Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543168 11/14/16 06:56 PM
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I don't mind having a 'few' coons around the feeder, but when they become too numerous or start climbing the feeder, they have to go.

Don't get hung up on 'eating' nuisance animals or predators, they have to be controlled.


Spartans ask not...how many, but where!
Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543171 11/14/16 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted By: Murr
So the hunter in me tells me not to shoot anything I'm not gonna eat.


Then try eating them. It really isn't bad if it's cooked right. The hides make a cool wall decoration in a hunting cabin too.

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543188 11/14/16 07:11 PM
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At some point it becomes clear that the time has come to start reducing the numbers. That point varies by person. I did it this spring on my place when I had 6 or 8 coons in my feeders. I still have a coon on occasion but don't worry about it.

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543197 11/14/16 07:19 PM
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There was a time when corn feeders were a great place to drop the tailgate on a bunch of coonhounds. Most deer hunters don't know that deer are considered "trash" to any respectful coon hunter and despise with a passion, any hound that will run them. And there isn't a better place to verify a hound is truly "broke" from running them than a corn feeder. Most deer broke hounds will return immediately to their houndsman as soon as other dogs in the pack begin running trash. That is, unless they pick up the track of a raccoon, hog, cat, or other game they are broke to run.

Many years back when I ran coonhounds, I can remember often "removing" multiple raccoons from areas around corn feeders. But that was long before folks went deer crazy over antlers.

Yeah, it's rather funny, but you would likely offend any houndsman if you asked him to trail your wounded deer for you. You might just as well ask the man who owns an expensive racehorse if you can borrow it to plow your field.


"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543224 11/14/16 07:31 PM
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Choot 'em!!

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543233 11/14/16 07:34 PM
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Go buy 4 dukes dog proof traps and place them around the feeder toss in a little corn and maybe some small marshmallows and trap them it's much more effective than shooting one and educating the rest

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543236 11/14/16 07:35 PM
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Eliminator plate AND coon guard. I have both and the coons have given up thankfully. My corn does build up a little directly under the feeder with the cage, but it's the lesser of two evils by a LONG shot.



Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: kdkane1971] #6543240 11/14/16 07:40 PM
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Originally Posted By: kdkane1971
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Shoot, trap, kill them anyway you can. 6 can turn into 12 pretty fast.


www.jaranchhunting.com
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Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543295 11/14/16 08:15 PM
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I'm on a raccoon killing mission - I've got every bit of 16 coons at each feeder having a party - I've managed to kill 5 so far with minimal effort since I'm focused on deer hunting. They will be exterminated by this spring or severely reduced unless I run out of beer between now and then...

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543303 11/14/16 08:21 PM
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Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543313 11/14/16 08:28 PM
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It's illegal and wrong so don't do it...but if you got yourself some "Golden Marlin" fly poison mixed 2 tables spoons with big red in a sturdy cup in the ground...you might wake up to 5-6 dead raccoons around each feeder within 20' of the feeder.


Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543327 11/14/16 08:38 PM
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I'm like a couple of others who've posted here: if they don't become a nuisance, I'll just take out the ones that get after my chickens and garbage cans. As soon as their population gets large enough that I start seeing 6-packs of them under my deer feeders and all over the property, I go to trapping. This year I went the trapping route for about 10 days and removed enough of them that they are no longer "messin' with my stuff." Seems like about every 2 years or so we experience a population explosion. I guess they don't have too many natural enemies. I've tried a couple of different recipes over the years, and have decided that eating raccoons must be an acquired taste that I'm unable to acquire. The buzzards and Mexican eagles love them and when I place the coons out in my boneyard, they are always the first to go, generally in less than 24 hours.

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543362 11/14/16 08:58 PM
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shoot them. you can't completely eradicate them even if you tried


"We dont Rent Pigs"
Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543376 11/14/16 09:08 PM
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Had a record-book coon come by Saturday morning. I didn't figure the 6.8 would do him any favors so I let him leave.

Any idea what hides might bring this year? I'd skin one for a 10 dollar bill, but any less than that likely wouldn't be worth it.


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Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543389 11/14/16 09:13 PM
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Is there any market for coon hides anymore? When I was in high school we made extra money by trapping them. Good hides brought $15 to $20 each. That was enough to run my truck most of the week.


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Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6543625 11/14/16 11:36 PM
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too early to be selling hides. fur season doesn't start until Dec. 1 (unless they changed that, haven't looked lately) checked, Nov. 1 for commercial harvest. if you were to shoot one now and put in the freezer, any fur buyer worth his salt will laugh at you as the fur is not set and won't be until a good cold snap hits. Likewise, you are supposed to have a trappers license to "sell" to a registered fur buyer. I started headlighting around 7 years old with my uncle back in the 60s, he had his license and sold my furs. later I started trapping and had about a 200 trap clover leaf pattern line that I ran every morning before daylight that my dad would drop me off and come back in about 2 hours around 7:00 am to collect me and whatever I had trapped. by high school, a number of ranchers were contacting me to come headlight their ranches as the coons were knocking a dent in their feed storage for cattle. I did this up thru the late 1980s before the fur embargo to Europe came into play, getting $20-40 per good fur without rubs. I made a LOT of money (for a newlywed early-mid 20 year old). once the prices dropped to $5-10 and kids came along, I didn't have the time or desire to stay up all night hunting & skinning having to go to work the next day.

I have heard prices have rebounded some the past few years, $15-30 for good fur but most, if not all, the old landowners have died off and their family doesn't have any desire to have someone other than "paid" hunters on their property.

I was out SW Ozona this past week, set out live traps and relocated several as the LO doesn't want any killed. had one crawl up in the bed of my truck early one morning trying to get to spilled coon in the bed ... should have set a trap back there... LOL

anyway, use caution if you plan on shooting them to sell. you need a trappers license and season is Nov. 1 thru March 31 but the fur will likely not be anywhere near prime after mid Feb. unless there is an extremely cold winter, rubbed and starting to shed, therefore bring much less money.

TPWD Fur Bearing Regulations

Last edited by PMK; 11/14/16 11:38 PM.

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~PMK~
Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6544438 11/15/16 03:00 PM
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Murr Offline OP
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Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm just gonna kill off the bigger ones, and hope the little ones get the hint. If not, then they'll be next.

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Texas Dan] #6544455 11/15/16 03:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: kdkane1971
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Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
There was a time when corn feeders were a great place to drop the tailgate on a bunch of coonhounds. Most deer hunters don't know that deer are considered "trash" to any respectful coon hunter and despise with a passion, any hound that will run them. And there isn't a better place to verify a hound is truly "broke" from running them than a corn feeder. Most deer broke hounds will return immediately to their houndsman as soon as other dogs in the pack begin running trash. That is, unless they pick up the track of a raccoon, hog, cat, or other game they are broke to run.

Many years back when I ran coonhounds, I can remember often "removing" multiple raccoons from areas around corn feeders. But that was long before folks went deer crazy over antlers.

Yeah, it's rather funny, but you would likely offend any houndsman if you asked him to trail your wounded deer for you. You might just as well ask the man who owns an expensive racehorse if you can borrow it to plow your field.


Ok, I have to respond to this...my grandfather was a BIG time hunter and hunted everything. He was a renowned hound trainer for the running of DEER! He was paid quite handsomely for training hounds in AR years ago! So don't be talking bad about deer hounds! banana

Last edited by Deerhunter61; 11/15/16 03:06 PM.
Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: PMK] #6544549 11/15/16 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted By: PMK
too early to be selling hides. fur season doesn't start until Dec. 1 (unless they changed that, haven't looked lately) checked, Nov. 1 for commercial harvest. if you were to shoot one now and put in the freezer, any fur buyer worth his salt will laugh at you as the fur is not set and won't be until a good cold snap hits. Likewise, you are supposed to have a trappers license to "sell" to a registered fur buyer. I started headlighting around 7 years old with my uncle back in the 60s, he had his license and sold my furs. later I started trapping and had about a 200 trap clover leaf pattern line that I ran every morning before daylight that my dad would drop me off and come back in about 2 hours around 7:00 am to collect me and whatever I had trapped. by high school, a number of ranchers were contacting me to come headlight their ranches as the coons were knocking a dent in their feed storage for cattle. I did this up thru the late 1980s before the fur embargo to Europe came into play, getting $20-40 per good fur without rubs. I made a LOT of money (for a newlywed early-mid 20 year old). once the prices dropped to $5-10 and kids came along, I didn't have the time or desire to stay up all night hunting & skinning having to go to work the next day.

I have heard prices have rebounded some the past few years, $15-30 for good fur but most, if not all, the old landowners have died off and their family doesn't have any desire to have someone other than "paid" hunters on their property.

I was out SW Ozona this past week, set out live traps and relocated several as the LO doesn't want any killed. had one crawl up in the bed of my truck early one morning trying to get to spilled coon in the bed ... should have set a trap back there... LOL

anyway, use caution if you plan on shooting them to sell. you need a trappers license and season is Nov. 1 thru March 31 but the fur will likely not be anywhere near prime after mid Feb. unless there is an extremely cold winter, rubbed and starting to shed, therefore bring much less money.

TPWD Fur Bearing Regulations


Yeah, we need some good cold weather before the hides would be worth taking. I trapped/spotlighted in high school and we didn't get rich but certainly made a little gas money and had fun doing it. I haven't had a fur license in years but would definitely get one if we decided to go after them.


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Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: QuitShootinYoungBucks] #6544666 11/15/16 05:41 PM
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yep ... lots of fun. I had 5 or 6 ranches that we would alternate between, maybe hit two in one night. One was a 6800 acre ranch with the north San Gabriel river passing thru it with a bunch of big pecan bottoms ... one night that stands out till this day, we took 25 coons out of one big pecan tree, looked like Christmas lights when we hit it with 2 q-beams with red lens and they all just stared at us. Ended up that night with 65-70 coons off that one ranch, mostly down along that river bottom. Then we spent the rest of the night until day break skinning those suckers ... We would normally average 15-20 per night and take in to the fur buyer every other week with 100-150 furs when he passed thru town. Not bad money at $25 apiece.

you can shoot them and leave them lay without a trappers license ... just have to have if you intend to sell.


"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."

~PMK~
Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6544687 11/15/16 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted By: Murr
Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm just gonna kill off the bigger ones, and hope the little ones get the hint. If not, then they'll be next.


Traps are inexpensive and work a LOT better. Get those ones that are dog-proof that you put a marchmellow in.

Plus, you won't be scaring deer off with shooting

Re: Coons - Shoot or not? [Re: Murr] #6544713 11/15/16 06:15 PM
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You are lucky you only have six. On my lease at any given time I have at least 30. You are supposed to have deer run in when the feeder goes off, well I have raccoons do the running. I don't like to shoot anything I don't eat. I make an exception if the animal may kill deer like yotes, harm me or my family or corn thief's. I don't like traps either. Even with a raccoon I like a quick kill.


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