Coons Figured out Paw Traps

[knighttime]

Got on a lease in Cisco last year and we are slap covered with coons. We've been running Duke's traps pretty heavy and were having really good success rate in the beginning with cat food. As the year has gone on it seems like the rascals have become leery of the trap. This weekend I setup on a feeder that had 5 coons at it most of last week. Put three duke's out with marshmallows and fruit loops, and they checked them out (cell camera caught them lurking) but no catch. So I reset the traps with sardines and tuna the next night, again they lurked around but no catch. Same thing happened on another feeder that had 3 coons at it. Then last night with the traps gone they were back to their usual, raiding our feeders.

Has anyone else had issues with coons becoming privy to what that little trap is going to do to them? I'm wondering if I can break up the silhouette of the trap with something else so that I can peak their curiosity again and get them to reach back into the hole of doom! A lease mate suggested maybe we zip tie them to the tpost of the feeder pen horizontally so that it's a different look for them instead of it being stuck in the ground.

We've trapped with everything from corn, protein, cat food, tuna, sardines, marshmallows, dried bananas, etc.

[TheWidowMaker]

try putting some bacon grease (or just leftover grease from cooking something) on whatever you put in the trap. ours stay out in the elements year round so don't know if maybe they've caught onto your scent?

[TD2000]

Maybe cut down on the amount of corn being thrown

[Ilik2hunt]

We are south of you by Cross Plains,and have the same problem.I just put coonhoods on the protein feeders and has been a big help.Our camera showed we had caught one that night.Went to dispatch it the next morning and it had chewed it’s leg off.

[Walker]

We are south of you by Cross Plains,and have the same problem.I just put coonhoods on the protein feeders and has been a big help.Our camera showed we had caught one that night.Went to dispatch it the next morning and it had chewed it’s leg off.

Looks like coyotes hot him

[MooseontheLoose]

Ours come and go in waves. Some weekends I can go 10 for 12 in the traps, and sometimes 0 for 12. Same feeders and will still have them on cam on the weekends I've been shut out. Sounds like you've done some of these, but here's a few things I try to do that seem to help from getting skunked:

• Leave them set for multiple nights. I usually catch more the second night on a weekend set than I do the first night for whatever reason. I'll leave the same bait or freshen it up if they don't touch it the first night. Add some chum outside the trap so they get a few bites on the outside then have to reach their hand in to get more on the inside.
• Mix up the bait. Sometimes I'll crush them on sardines then they won't touch them for a while. Rotating different things in seems to work. I've tried 3 different baits at the same feeder. Something usually gets them.
• Minimize pasture traffic at night. Not always possible when night hog hunting or filling feeders at night, but I catch more when we're not driving around at dusk or after dark.
• Unset the traps but bait them up fully when you leave for the weekend. Get them used to sticking their hands in the traps again without consequence. Then hit them the next trip.
• Move a couple traps off the feeders and by water tanks, pilas, creeks, etc. Still catching coons that hit the feeders this way, but it's a different look for them. These traps usually do better in the warmer months for me.

Hit them hard now. Hens are nesting

[dustoffer]

Clean the traps thoroughly and then reset and bait with banana-flavored moon pies

[erikm1981]

good advice above, move them bait unset. I’ll bury mine a little and camo with leaves grass and drill a few holes similar without traps so they dont which is which.

[knighttime]

Our traps sit out at camp on the fence around camp so there human scent is minimal, what would y'all suggest "cleaning" them with?

I like the idea of not setting them but filling them with feed so that they think it's ok to stick their paw in there. That's solid advice.

I just bought a 4" auger for my drill, might try auguring a hole to set the traps in so that it's a different look for them, I like that idea.

How leery of human scent do y'all think they are? Do you think they can smell fresh human scent after setting the trap which puts them on edge immediately?

[Huntsman27]

Ours come and go in waves. Some weekends I can go 10 for 12 in the traps, and sometimes 0 for 12. Same feeders and will still have them on cam on the weekends I've been shut out. Sounds like you've done some of these, but here's a few things I try to do that seem to help from getting skunked:

• Leave them set for multiple nights. I usually catch more the second night on a weekend set than I do the first night for whatever reason. I'll leave the same bait or freshen it up if they don't touch it the first night. Add some chum outside the trap so they get a few bites on the outside then have to reach their hand in to get more on the inside.
• Mix up the bait. Sometimes I'll crush them on sardines then they won't touch them for a while. Rotating different things in seems to work. I've tried 3 different baits at the same feeder. Something usually gets them.
• Minimize pasture traffic at night. Not always possible when night hog hunting or filling feeders at night, but I catch more when we're not driving around at dusk or after dark.
• Unset the traps but bait them up fully when you leave for the weekend. Get them used to sticking their hands in the traps again without consequence. Then hit them the next trip.
• Move a couple traps off the feeders and by water tanks, pilas, creeks, etc. Still catching coons that hit the feeders this way, but it's a different look for them. These traps usually do better in the warmer months for me.

Hit them hard now. Hens are nesting

These seem like some pretty good suggestions.

On our place the first couple of years I caught quite a few but this last year I didn't catch near as many. I generally go up to our lease on Thursday and have traps out Thu, Fri & Sat night and pick up on Sunday morning before leaving. I never have been shut out but have caught as many as 15 in a weekend but latley seems like I am on getting half as many. I would like to think I have made a dent in them but not likely.

[erikm1981]

i only worry about scent when running coyote traps. I’ve never had issues with scent on coon traps. I’m usually sweaty or been working outside when I run them. I dont believe its ever prevented me from catching coons and i leave my traps out year round.

[Lincoln Hawk]

Yeah, OP, my traps have been less effective than usual using mostly dried cat food. I did crack a few domestic quail eggs into the trap (cat food still there) and left an intact egg on top and that busted my slump so to speak.

[BrandonH]

We've never used anything over the years but corn and never have had a decrease in catches. After seeing all the different baits people use I'm guessing our coons are just corn whores.

[Dusty Britches]

Ive noticed the same thing, except when I put them out the coons flat disappear.

[toledo]

Bait with corn, turn the feeder off for that night. Only time i have trouble is if there's too much corn on the ground.