I bought 8 coon cuffs and have been using them for 3 days. I've killed 3 coons so far but some have escaped. I know they were caught because it is all torn up where they are set and the trap is tripped and tangled up.

Is there a way to set them so they don't get loose. It seems like they twist the cable around a tree and then pull super hard and somehow get out.

I have them attached to a tree with a cable wire.

I've lost 5 coons so far!!! Help me:)

I need more of this.

Interesting. We have lost a few that left us a leg or foot. We caught the rest of them the next day. And we have had some false trips and ground loosened a bit, we figured the coon just wrestled the trap and tripped it from the outside without putting his foot in it.
What brand of DP trap are you using?

Make a large metal ring with heavy wire around the base of the tree so they will go around without the cable/chain cinching up around the tree....if they are pulling from out away from the tree they cannot get leverage to pull free....once they get the trap wrapped up close to the anchor the point they have a leverage point to pull against.....

Good luck....keep after 'em!

Good thought SW
Our DP traps are on the round steel feeder legs and they just spin around and never get wrapped up, so the coon cannot get a shorter lead and leverage. I wonder if they can wrap around the tree in such a way that the pulling is pressing the outer release arms against the tree and relieving tension on the leg hold? Did that make sense?

Yes...and yes....

I use the "hammer in ground" dog leash spike that has a metals swivel. Bang em in ground and attach trap with a decent carabiner style connector. No coon gonna get off that unless coyote runs by and steals him

I know they are smart but I hope they aren't that smart. I'll set a game Camera up to video the trap this weekend. Would be crazy if they actually do that.

I'm not sure of the brand. They aren't dukes though. They were on eBay. $9 each shipped.

Thanks for the ideas. I like the idea of having a steel circle that way it just spins. I don't want to use the feeder legs during deer season but that will work outside of deer season and hopefully I can do damage to them by next deer season.

The plan:
I'll build circles out of metal rods and build them where the circle is attached to the chain on the traps by going through it. Then I'll weld the circle to form. Then slip them under and on the feeder legs.

Three traps have been just triggered and there was only slight dirt messed around. 5 of them have craters where they were trapped but there was no coon when I got there.

Hopefully they keep tripping them and don't get too smart.

That's an even better idea!!!

Are you talking about this kind?

I think they are more persistent than smart.
Out of well over 400 coons in the last few years, we have caught about a dozen three legged ones. Some that pulled their leg or foot off in the trap, and a few that managed to pull the trap loose and drag it off. We had a helper that thought "double tying" the trap to the feeder leg was overkill. I shot one of them as it was running across the field with my trap on it's foot, a funny sight to see. We joke every time that we find a coon leg in a trap that we we are going to catch a three legged coon the next night, we are 100%. We have even caught a three legged coon and found the other leg in the trap on the other feeder leg, he just moved on the next trap in the same night. I have heard many even say that they have had the traps too close together and caught a coon by two feet, my feeder legs are too far apart to do that. I did catch a bird by the head that reached in to get corn, the trap worked just like a mouse trap in that case.

What are you using for bait? I always wondered if using something like slimy sardines that were packed in oil would act as a lubricant, allowing the foot to pull free easier.

It's good to know they will keep trying the traps.

I'm using marshmallows.

I hope I have some more coons trapped this morning:)

Those dog ancors are garbage, lost a few traps using those. The only way to go is use an earth anchor. There are a few different types but I prefer the wolf fang earth anchor. Sell em at fnt trappers post website. Use 1/8 aircraft cable to make anchors, with loops with ferrules to attach trap to. I've made from 6 in to 3ft depending on soil or mud. These allow you to put your traps anywhere you want and really take advantage of setting multiple traps in one location. At every location I set 3-5 traps, just make sure the coon can't grab anything in his catch circle or wrap up on anything and you'll never loose one again. This is what they look like


You'll need to get a few driver tips as well and weld them onto some rebar and weld a handle as well, to set the anchors with, but you can't pull em out most of the time, just leave that loop out o the ground and you can come back and just attach you quick link onto that ancor on your trap and be done

Not the screw in its straight with a small fin on end and swivel on top. Usually right next to screw in kind on store shelf...

On and the trap spring on the o es you bought may not be strong enough to hold the coon paw. They are voracious predators and mean as a rattlesnake and can pull their hand out if the spring not strong enough

That's true. I think the problem is that they wrap the wire up and then pull their hand out.

Used Duke Dog Proof traps attached to my feeder legs for years. Never had a problem.

I watched a youtube video on those. That looks like a nifty way to set a trap almost anywhere.

I bought some Dukes Dog Proof traps and they work like a charm. I attached handy link chain with quick links to all the traps and that worked great until I discovered a chain busted and a trap missing. I wish I had a game camera pointed that direction for that scene! I thought the chain I bought was thick enough but lesson learned. I have been using corn as it is pretty accessible when I am out there. I have had luck with sardines but have not tried marshmallows yet.

The problem is entanglement, the only way your going to loose one is they wrap up around a tree an when they are fighting the trap the springs will get wedged against a branch or whatever and slightly depress as they lunge at the right time, anchor in the open and I will be willing to bet every dollar I have that you won't have another pull out

It's the only way if your gonna be serious about it, put the trap right in the middle of the trail and never have to think about finding something to anchor your traps too, the only way to make coyote sets IMO, I don't like stakes but they work too, 6 in earth anchor in hard ground in a field and your gonna need a wench to pull it out, they are pretty much disposable but if you trap the same areas you just have to mark your tag end and I've set the same areas an held coon with an anchor that's been in the ground for 3 years

Thanks. Those seem very easy to build for cheap and I would think they work perfectly for what I need. I watched some videos on building them in different ways. I like this idea best. Unless someone has a better idea.

What size cable should I be using? I'll try to go buy some tomorrow to make a few.

I also saw a homemade puller to get them out of the ground.

1x19 1/8 in aircraft cable and yah there's pullers you can make but I just leave em, make sure you hammer the ferrules a few times too, don't want that cable to come out because of a bad crimp.

We've found that dry cat food that smells fishy works pretty well as a bait. It's cheap too.

Marshmallows work great too as long as its cold, they melt in summer. Dry cat food is awesome too. FWIW I've rapped over 40 coons, add a few skunks and opossums in there with the dog anchor system, not garbage just watch for anything that will entangle the chain such as sticks, rocks in the radius around the trap set

I use the double stake swivels for coyotes, never lost one. They are what I am going to use with my Dukes, I just have to add a quick link. 18" of "X" rebar in the ground and you could prolly hold a ford truck (not a chebby though )

I have one of these on almost every leg hold I have and they are stout.

https://www.nwtrappers.com/swivels.html