Another vote for the Duke DP coon traps

Got tired of complaining about coons invading corn/protein feeders and bought 6 traps and 2 set tools.

Tried them out this past weekend.

Baited with mini marshmallows and fruit loops.

Had a coon in all 6 traps on the first set.

Caught 2 more Saturday night. This was at one feed location. We ordered 12 more traps and plan to make a dent. With 4 protein stations and @ 20 spincast feeders going, we'll probably end up with more traps but this should make a nice dent.

Just reading that made my back hurt.


Good job on the bandits! I have a couple of Duke's. I hate that "YOUR the bastard responsible for this!" look they give you, but I drop the hammer on them anyway.

Great work! Those traps do work very well. I am betting with that many feeders you will be at 80-100 coons by the end of 30 days with 16 traps set. I trapped one June in the Hill Country on 4 protein and 4 spin feeders with 5 live catch traps and caught 88 coons in the 30 days. There are more of coons on a place than what you realize till you start trapping them. I need to rebait mine since I saw new 2 sets of tracks in the silt on a road after this last rain. I had one coon on TC at a water trough before the rains that I could not catch so I know I have 3 now...at least.

When I first started using them I didn't stake them down good enough. Had 1 disappear and then 5 days later it came back to me on the hand of a coon that was now stuck with his other hand in a new set. Hunger wins over caution when it comes to coons!

Good job.
We caught over 150-200 a year for the first few years when we started trapping on a 300 acre place, we went at them hard. Now about 50-75 a year, they just keep coming. We joked that we had a coon an acre, probably more true than we thought.
If you are trapping at feeders and ever lacking bait, just use corn, that is what they came to the feeder for. Heck, they will rip a feeder box to shreds trying to get corn, we have never used anything else.

I just finished rigging out the 2nd set of 6. Ordered some 3/32 7 strand wire on Amazon and ferrules. Created an adjustable loop on the tie down end so you can wrap it around t-post, tree, feeder leg, etc.

Run the cable around whatever you want to attach it to, feed the trap back through the loop and cinch it down.

We're restricted to the weekends we can get down, hence buying more traps so we can get max results when we can go.

That will work better than trapping day after day. I know it effected the deer eating when I catch coons every other day or so for a few weeks in past. Now when I catch one at a feeder it takes the deer a few days after that to show up at night in numbers. I ruined quite a few hunts when I had a coon in DP at the feeder I was hunting that morning and he was clanging around with the trap and chain on the feeder leg. Those deer do not like that. I am going to start moving my traps to open areas in the pens and put a ground anchor in to hold them in place.

Whatever you attach to, make sure they can’t get the anchor line caught up, otherwise they will tear their leg/foot off or chew it off. Learned this after a while of finding feet in the traps. The trap needs to be able to spin once they get caught without binding up. Hope this makes sense.

Makes sense. I presume the dual swivel links help with that to a degree. If they run around something to the point it's completely cinched up to make the swivels ineffective, it is what it is. We had 9 traps tripped and 8 caught. I'll take that all day and twice on Sunday.

We'll take them when you are done. If anyone is selling any between Allen and Dallas probably interested in next few weeks. We plan to buy some anyway if not.

I started using Z-Traps at the suggestion of a forum member several years ago and have eliminated my raccoon problem. I keep cameras on my protein and corn feeders, and if a coon shows up the traps come out, and they are gone.

I'm a nerd and keep all kinds of records for my 1D1 exemption. A little bit of math and I figure for every coon I see on camera at a protein feeder, that coon is costing me a dollar every night it is out there.

I'm also part of a native habitat restoration effort and got tired of the other landowners complaining about coons, but no one followed up on my suggestions. So, in a demonstration at a single feeder, I trapped nine coons in two nights. I do believe a cheap game camera is part of the effort because the work can be overwhelming on places with a lot of feeders. You got to know where to channel your efforts and when. I have maybe a coon show up once a month now at each of the various feeders, but my cameras live out there. Some feeders, depending on the habitat, haven't seen a coon in over a year, but the camera stays on the feeder. I pull the pictures once a week and set the traps when needed.

I anticipate this will be an ongoing effort. Buddy just handed me 6 new traps this morning to rig out.

Best deal I found and will be delivered to your door in 2 days.

Traps (6 count)

Get a couple of these set tools to save yourself some aggravation. Springs are very strong and I can't imagine setting these by hand in any kind of volume. I pained mine red to avoid laying them down and not being able to find them.

Set tool

Dang, i remember when they were $4.95 a piece!

Couple buddies, couple 22 mags and couple 12 packs of Coors light make a great night hunt this time of year! Thinking about biting the bullet and getting a suppressor for the 22 mag to see if I can get more kills in a night

That is a good price with shipping. I buy them here but have to add in shipping. http://www.pcsoutdoors.com/12packdukedogproofcoontrap-1.aspx
I set mine by hands to collapse the spring then grab the pin the latch to side of the trap with my leatherman. Makes it very easy to set the latch to the trigger then.

Absolutely no arguing that duke traps work but how much is your time worth? ...Why work harder when you can work smarter ... CoonHoods install in minutes and work without a second thought.

www.coonhood.com

Seems like a solid product but it's not practical for our broadcast feeders. Even with cages, it doesn't stop them from hanging on solar panels, wires, etc. These coons need to be eliminated, not deterred.

Yea your right these are only for gravity , can’t help you yet on the broadcast feeders...I know those coons can drain your wallet quick.. trapping can reduce the damage but you’re embarking on a never ending battle. .

I definitely wish you guys luck!!

Challenge accepted!

We were also told that coons cost $1 a day. For us, it is more like a nickle.

The coons also tend to show up around your camp area looking for scraps, so save at least one trap for around your camp area. We have 3 and overnight have filled the limits more than once.

Funny you say that because we saw coon prints on the UTV seat last weekend. Haha. We'll certainly dedicate a couple around there.

Google earth anchors they are very handy and allow you to set a trap pretty much anywhere you would want. They also keep the coon from wrapping the cable around anything that could bind the trap and allow the coon to twist and rip its are off.

now that I have a feeder in the back yard, wish I hadn't sold my traps

That’s what I switched to after talking with a trapper on the forum. I kept having only feet left in my traps and pictures of 3 legged coons walking around the feeder.

Well, we've added to the arsenal. Have another 6 traps not pictured and ready for battle. Not sure anyone is mad enough at the coons to deal with 105 degree temps this weekend but we'll be ready when we do go.

Perfect!

They say we will break temp records Friday thru Sunday, but you should still have more fun then those coons!

Great thing about raccoons is even after losing a foot, they will make the same mistake the next night. They are just too curious to resist making the same error.

I had a trap line as a kid growing up, no telling how many legs I found in traps when I was late running my trap line the next morning.

I have found a foot in a trap a few times. I have only re-caught one of those coons that I can remember in 10 yrs of using the DP style traps. Might be a neighbor is catching them but I do not catch many I have had in a trap for some reason. I had one about 2 months ago get out and leave a foot. Still have not caught him or beern able to ID him on any TC again. I do not have many coons on TC during the summer months though. They stay down closer to the river about 6 miles away on the ag crop fields.

17 more this weekend. Only 14 shown from Saturday AM. The thinning is working. More locations to go but we push on.

Awesomeness. We keep after them at my brothers place. After hundreds of coons they just keep coming.

Man after my own heart.