a talk about DP/dog proof coon traps

[itsasmallfarm]

hello everyone. thought today i would talk a little about dog proof traps, because if your like me you have coons and you may or may not want to get rid of them. and traps may just be your best bet. (as night hunting them is illegal here and don't see many during the day) and to note this is going to be a long one, hope you enjoy and the point of this article is to inform and cause a good open discussion on trapping with DP as mean of defense for your animals

before i start, let's addresses a few thing's, first off, i have no idea what your laws are like compared to mine, what am talking about is legal for me may not be legal for you, i am fur trapper but here coons are open season year round, meaning no limit on traps or overall bag limits before starting make sure you know your laws. next if your against trapping/traps then please leave a respectful message that invites conversation not just flat out hate towards trapping. next for you guys who think relocation is the thing to do, sorry but that is most likely illegal and not humane so yes i am talking about killing them. now let's begin.

these traps i plan on talking about are dog proof raccoon traps made for targeting raccoons. yet i have caught both cats and skunks in these traps (the duke brand). so be warned if there are cats around (or skunks) you can catch them its rare but can happen.

okay, now we got the intro/warnings out of the way, lets begin talking about setting and using these traps.

setting these traps are a bit difficult at first, the best thing you can do is watch a guide, but the main thing is to pull the jaw/grip inwards, put the trigger over the edge of the jaw and hook it on the dog (or the thing that sets the pan or in this case the thing the coon pulls to get caught) again its a bit confusing to explain. it took me a few minutes to set my first DP trap (now i can set one in a few seconds)

next is using and placement of these traps. (now am a trapper/a guy with chickens so i want to catch as many coons as i can, fast as i can) the biggest tip besides anchoring the trap down to secure the biggest catch possible, (tie it off with a good strong wire to a tree trunk as an example) is placement. now this at first is tough to spot but over time it will come. look for sign of coon, they are creatures of habit they follow the same trails. (i have caught 5 coons and 1 skunk this year from two traps the same trail. and that is only trapping when there prime so maybe 1 month of actual trap set time) look for poop, tracks and over time you will see where they are walking in the bush/grass (or just a small game trail) set these traps there.

dispatching is up to you. i just shot mine, but am also saving there fur. so i use a .22lr. but overall be humane this is not a suggestion this is a must.

thank you for all who have suffered through my long post and i hope you learned something feel free to ask questions, i will be updating post's here with tips on coons and as am still learning to be a better trapper.

itsasmallfarm out

 

[paneubert]

A photo is worth 1,000 words. Are you talking about this type of dog proof trap? The kind that grabs their paw?

 

[itsasmallfarm]

A photo is worth 1,000 words. Are you talking about this type of dog proof trap? The kind that grabs their paw?

yes

 

[roosterhavoc]

hello everyone. thought today i would talk a little about dog proof traps, because if your like me you have coons and you may or may not want to get rid of them. and traps may just be your best bet. (as night hunting them is illegal here and don't see many during the day) and to note this is going to be a long one, hope you enjoy and the point of this article is to inform and cause a good open discussion on trapping with DP as mean of defense for your animals

before i start, let's addresses a few thing's, first off, i have no idea what your laws are like compared to mine, what am talking about is legal for me may not be legal for you, i am fur trapper but here coons are open season year round, meaning no limit on traps or overall bag limits before starting make sure you know your laws. next if your against trapping/traps then please leave a respectful message that invites conversation not just flat out hate towards trapping. next for you guys who think relocation is the thing to do, sorry but that is most likely illegal and not humane so yes i am talking about killing them. now let's begin.

these traps i plan on talking about are dog proof raccoon traps made for targeting raccoons. yet i have caught both cats and skunks in these traps (the duke brand). so be warned if there are cats around (or skunks) you can catch them its rare but can happen.

okay, now we got the intro/warnings out of the way, lets begin talking about setting and using these traps.

setting these traps are a bit difficult at first, the best thing you can do is watch a guide, but the main thing is to pull the jaw/grip inwards, put the trigger over the edge of the jaw and hook it on the dog (or the thing that sets the pan or in this case the thing the coon pulls to get caught) again its a bit confusing to explain. it took me a few minutes to set my first DP trap (now i can set one in a few seconds)

next is using and placement of these traps. (now am a trapper/a guy with chickens so i want to catch as many coons as i can, fast as i can) the biggest tip besides anchoring the trap down to secure the biggest catch possible, (tie it off with a good strong wire to a tree trunk as an example) is placement. now this at first is tough to spot but over time it will come. look for sign of coon, they are creatures of habit they follow the same trails. (i have caught 5 coons and 1 skunk this year from two traps the same trail. and that is only trapping when there prime so maybe 1 month of actual trap set time) look for poop, tracks and over time you will see where they are walking in the bush/grass (or just a small game trail) set these traps there.

dispatching is up to you. i just shot mine, but am also saving there fur. so i use a .22lr. but overall be humane this is not a suggestion this is a must.

thank you for all who have suffered through my long post and i hope you learned something feel free to ask questions, i will be updating post's here with tips on coons and as am still learning to be a better trapper.

itsasmallfarm out

You’re better off using cable instead of wire. 3/32 snare cable with two loops is pretty standard. There’s quite a few brands out there and some of them come with two way triggers. The dukes are pull only. Coon daggers can be had with push/pull or pull only. In the US some states have pull only regs. Good luck selling them. Fur prices have been terrible the past few years.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

You’re better off using cable instead of wire. 3/32 snare cable with two loops is pretty standard. There’s quite a few brands out there and some of them come with two way triggers. The dukes are pull only. Coon daggers can be had with push/pull or pull only. In the US some states have pull only regs. Good luck selling them. Fur prices have been terrible the past few years.

some places the fur is terrible i mean most are still awful. but where i live coyotes are a 100 plus and coons are going up (or am told) will have to wait and see.

and sorry not sure how you guys in the states work (the laws i mean) here in Canada we have that agreement every trap has to be humane and tested then it is made legal. dukes are just the ones i get.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Nothing to be sorry about. I was just mentioning in the US they don’t just go by the BMP’s. Every state has their own regulations regarding which traps can be used and how.
The Duke dp traps are the cheapest I believe. I’ve used them for awhile and they’ve held up just as good mechanics wise as traps that cost much more.
I know guys use wire all the time to anchor traps but imo cable is stronger and will last longer. Less worry too.
There was a guy awhile back on here that was using wire and a fairly weak staking setup. I practically begged him to change it out. He didn’t listen. To his credit he came back and admitted he should have listened after he lost the trap and animal.
Your coyotes have much better fur where you’re at. Good luck with your season.

 

[H@tcher]

I use mostly live traps but have one DP. I like to use it when I get a trap wise coon. I also use cable around a tree. I will only use the DP on weekends when I can check it at daylight. I will never leave a coon in it all day while at work.

What do you do with the meat?

 

[itsasmallfarm]

I use mostly live traps but have one DP. I like to use it when I get a trap wise coon. I also use cable around a tree. I will only use the DP on weekends when I can check it at daylight. I will never leave a coon in it all day while at work.

What do you do with the meat?

we used to use live cage traps, i just use the dukes DP because i can get like 2 for the price of one cage trap. and i only run them when i can check them, first thing in the morning.

i don't eat the meat, i use it as coyote bait. but am not going to judge anyone or knock down anyone who wants to eat the meat. i have seen many videos on youtube of people eating coons, but i just can't get my mind passed it. but i should say i do want to eat muskrat, beaver and bear so each there own.

 

[H@tcher]

we used to use live cage traps, i just use the dukes DP because i can get like 2 for the price of one cage trap. and i only run them when i can check them, first thing in the morning.

i don't eat the meat, i use it as coyote bait. but am not going to judge anyone or knock down anyone who wants to eat the meat. i have seen many videos on youtube of people eating coons, but i just can't get my mind passed it. but i should say i do want to eat muskrat, beaver and bear so each there own.

I understand. I too would like to try those. I've heard muskrat is very good. What part of the beaver is edible other than the tail? I've heard of people eating the tail.

I love coon meat prepared right. I'd rather have it than venison.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

I understand. I too would like to try those. I've heard muskrat is very good. What part of the beaver is edible other than the tail? I've heard of people eating the tail.

I love coon meat prepared right. I'd rather have it than venison.

my friend (who is a big time trapper) say the best part of the beaver (besides roasting it whole) is the back legs says if done right taste just like pork.

muskrat he told me you can not go wrong eating them, my great uncle ate it once said it was really good.

and bear is supposed to be good if it has not eaten fish or garbage, just caught to be careful with that trichinosis.