Coon Problems

Coons are overrunning us at the lease. They are tearing up our feeders and making it difficult to keep the feeders running. Does anyone have any legal ideas on keeping the coons from destroying out feeders and wasting corn. We have cages on some feeders and it makes no difference, the coons hang on the cages until they find a way to spin the plate or chew up wires. Suggestions are more than welcome.

Duke's dog proof coon traps. You will thank me later. I got 24 of them and use to have a huge coon problem! Note: Use to have!

I second that. I have a dozen and set them every time I stay overnight at our place. Getting close to 40 coons for the year, and I have only set them a handful of times.

I use the Duke Dog Proof coon traps also and I use Eliminator Spinner plates. I run a TC to see if I have any coons move in and keep my traps ready to set at any time if I see any or any sign.

The traps are great. These help too:

we use Z Traps..35 coons down this year..fool proof

Make up a batch of coon-aid!!!

Duke's...worth every penny.

You may just have a ton of coons. I had 3-4 showing up on a game cam. I caught 18 coons at that feeder in two months, and that was just setting them on weekends at the lease. So keep on trapping, and really never stop.
Yup on the DP traps. And use a few at each feeder. You cannot put too many, and tie them down good or they will run off with your DP traps and you will have three legged coons running around. I got three coons in one night, fun.
I also use the cage traps too. Set one under the feeder and it will get rebated every time the feeder goes off. This is also good for porcupines and squirrels.
We don't get fancy with crazy bates, they are coming to corn, use corn for bate, it is right there in the feeder.

sardines and marshmallows work good in the winter months but with ants corn as a bait is probably best anyway for Summer/ Fall

Eliminator spin plates. Best investment we have ever made. Google it.

Yep. Get some dukes.

It's all out war on coons and requires a multi-pronged attack. Use the dog proof traps at each feeder. Haven't tried the PVC on the feeder legs but have had success with carpet tack strips wired to the front and back of each leg of the feeder. Finally, use the eliminator spinner plate. Do these things and your equipment and corn costs will be reduced.

You do this, you eliminate the coons for good!!

I had a trapper tell me once that a coon cost you $1 a day in feed.
After a year of war on coons I had eliminated somewhere close to 200 coons at our place.
After some quick math, $200 dollars a day X 365 days a year = $73,000.
I am still waiting for my check because feed isn't anywhere close to that.
I might give a coon a nickle ($.05) a day, that would be $3650 a year for 200 coons, still seems high but may be closer (still worth getting rid of them).
I am more concerned with the destruction they leave.

I set out some dog proof trap this past weekend, after reading reviews on THF.
I bought 6 Dukes and 6 Ztraps. (ending up catching 10 coons in 1 night using marshmallows and sardines.
Both types of traps work great.

I have to give a bigger thumbs up to the Ztraps over Dukes for the following reason.
1. Ztraps are powder coated/painted unlike the metal on dukes (less rusting)
(I think you are able to get the Dukes painted but not on the sight I purchased mine)
2. Ztraps can be triggered with either a pull or push by the coon (Dukes is pull only)
3. Ztraps have a double swivel on the chain (Dukes has one)
4. Ztraps I found to be slightly less expensive for a little better product (IMHO)

Suggestions:
1. Get the $3 trap setting lever (will make it much easier to set the traps when new and stiff. and works on both models)
2. go to Lowes/Home Depot get 6' of 3/16 galvinized cable for each trap. Clamp a loop at each end and then use it for an easy way to anchor the trap to the base of a tree.
3. You won't go wrong with either trap brand

The coon cage just pisses them off and then they tear up your spinner plate. The plastic pipe works good, they cant climb the pole. Never used a trap but I did have a cage/trap. Was catching coons almost everyday, then 1 every 2 or 3 days, then 1 a week, then 1 every 10 days or so. Caught 62 all together.

Well hopefully I will have some photos to add to this thread in a few days....in one week I have had 1200 pictures on my game cam. At least 700 were of three coons......my favorite set of about 300 is of one raccoon sitting on the feeder box spinning the plate with his hand while a big boar hog eats underneath him. Every night. From 2100 to 0400.

"Hold on to this, boy. I think war has just been declared."

I will be setting four traps, which is all I have. One hog trap for the hogs, one dp coon trap, and two Hav-a-heart traps. One of the Have-a-heart traps has a sheet metal box which the trap slides into....to prevent the coons from sticking their hands in to steal the bait. The problem with the hog trap is that the coons would trip it and then escape out of the holes in the hog panel on the sides. If I catch two coons and a hog, I will be happy. Marshmellos and sardines to bait the coons?

caught two at the home place this morning using Dukes and Marshmallows

Old snare cables work pretty good too.

Have used Duke's for years but thinking about getting Freedom's DP traps next time, easier to set and better trigger.

also remember to stop and buy a good fiberglass shovel handle some epoxy and 1 1/2" galvanized pipe 90, epoxy the 90 to the end of the shovel handle to make you club to pummel their skulls with, promise you will feel better then shooting them
Raccoons are the devils rats, and must suffer

Z-Traps are push or pull trigger and are a better quality trap than duke and here's a trick I use to set them that has been the best idea I've had on these. I use a caulk gun to set them, put the bait in, stick it in the ground then take the caulk gun and put it over the top of the unset trap so that the latch goes in where the nozzle of the caulk tube comes out and just click it closed and set the latch.

Haha My machete takes care of them just fine

I bet you guys are a hoot to go hunting with.

What do you bait yours with?

went an sat ta try get a hog last night that showed up on cam. seen top of grass moving when first set chair down realized it was a raccoon scrounging on the corn threw out ta try take hog. held off shooting. no hogs showed up. could have done some in & chillen rac. they taste better than antlers

an i got told by credit adviser that spending $200.00 a year on a lease, 1 buck & 1 doe or 2 does had three days for doe, an reason got on lease 24-7-365 for hog hunting was a bad investment

In winter when ants aren't a problem I'll use sardine because I think even if it freezes it will smell, if its in or around a feeder I just use whatever is in the feeder be it protein or corn but marshmallows have prolly caught more for me than corn but some times ants will eat them too. I've used everything and marshmallows are the cleanest and easiest but will attract some ants.

I was curious as to what you put in the caulk gun.

Freedoms are garbage, z traps are by far the best dp trap on the market

Why do you say that? What are the issues with them?

Looking at getting a ztrap. Whats the best method for deployment? Sticking straight up out of the ground? Sticking up at an angle? Near tree? Thanks for any info gents

I have never used any of the freedom brand traps but I'm just kind of relaying what I've heard about them, problems with trigger mechanism, most all traps need to be tuned or adjusted before use. Just over all a poor trap. I have quite a few of the z traps and have never had a complaint.

As far as trap placement, they should be earth anchored in an open area away from anything that they can get tangled in. You will learn that when you tie off to a tree or set your trap near a bunch of debris you will come to a tangled up empty trap. This is because the coon will roll around and fight the trap and get leverage on a branch and depress the spring enough to pull out. Set your trap right in the middle of the trail to where the coon has to walk over it. Straight up and down, not angled. If your under a feeder just gang set em, put 6 to 10 out all spaced out to where they can't reach each other and see what happens. A coon in a trap is an excellent way to bring other coons to the area. Just need to have traps waitin for them

metal milk crate they cant chew thru

Caught this fella this weekend with a Duke's DP. It took three days, but we finally got one. I had two duke's baited with sardines and marshmellos which the ants really had fun with. Finally I filled one up with deer corn and this guy took the bait. I used a lag bolt and ratcheted the trap to the post you see in the picture. On a side note.......ouch! I would not want to get my finger caught in that. That coon's hand was bent in two places and not going anywhere.

and they are cheap if you can find I use to buy for a buck each at flea markets

If the trap was bolted to the post as described, no chain or cable to facilitate movement of the trap, your lucky that coon was still there at all.

If you're intention was to catch and get in hand a raccoon, this would not be a preferred method.

Problem with the FB dog proofs is the spring cover, made for wussies that can't handle setting traps with their hands, it creates a dam for debris and mud to catch abd gum up the trap. Definitely harder to clean than the exposed holding spring Ztraps, coon daggers, or the only raccoon trap that exists to most guys on this forum the Duke ( which is a BRAND of traps). Ztraps are king because of price and performance. If you want made in USA then go coon daggers.

The trap has a 12" chain which I lag bolted to the post. Would it be better to run a longer cable through the chain to allow more movement once the trap is sprung? If so, how long would u want the cable?

I think what he means is that you want to enable the trap to swivel so that the rascal can twist and turn without torquing on the trap and twist himself out. As far as chain length, I've been taught not to make it too long so that the animal cannot get much of a "running start" and pull itself out when reaching the end of the slack. I would think 12" is fine assuming you had enough swivels.