Caught One....Now What?!

[kyle7630]

Well I'm about 250 lbs. and I have to say that I can't see myself getting mad at anything that likes the way chicken tastes. Quite a few chickens have met their end laying on my plate. Shoot, I could eat a couple dozen hot wings everyday.
That being said, I am still new to this game and haven't lost any chickens yet. I think my dogs keep most of the predators at bay here and soon enough, they will be rewarded with some eggs of their own.
I say, read the advice that is given, and decide to do whatever suits you best. JMO

 

[EliteTempleton]

I thought coons, once trapped, learned about that particular traps workings and were very hard to catch again. Yea/no? Or do I have the wrong animal?

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If you live near me I would be happy to teach you, or might be willing to purchase it, depending on what it is(model, etc).

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Just so you know, many think of the use of a live trap followed by the use of a .22 round as humane end to the story.
Being that one of those pressure traps with the jaws on it would have it in pain until you came along again to check the trap.
Plus, many use the live traps as a way to keep the meat from spoiling, where as a dead fall trap or the like might leave you with a dead animal covered in maggots. Not something you want to cook up and feed to the chickens.

Personally I think I would dispatch a coon if I caught it, but I would cook it up, try a piece and see if I liked it, otherwise share it with the dogs and chickens. Tan the hide and make something out of it. You know, waste not want not. Unless it were VERY young, then I would seriously consider adding another pet to my list, named Bandit.

However, for your situation I think it worked out fairly well. I would be worried about spreading disease, but I guess if it were that big of a deal it would be illegal, or at the very least the folks(the professionals) you talked to would have recommended against its re-location.
Plus you took the time to release it to a good place rather than making it someone else's problem, he still might get beat up or killed by the coons who already live there, as was mentioned, but no way to really know that. Would be interesting to tag them somehow, see if they make some kind of amazing journey back to your chickens.

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Dang prioritizing that could get quite difficult, does it go above collecting the garden harvest? Would it belong before or after mowing the lawn?

Finally, would a local zoo have been at all interested? Not sure, don't really patron zoo's unless I know they only have rescue animals or the like, otherwise it just feels like I am visiting an animal prison to me.

 

[ILoveJoe]

Quote:
If you live near me I would be happy to teach you, or might be willing to purchase it, depending on what it is(model, etc).

Quote:
Just so you know, many think of the use of a live trap followed by the use of a .22 round as humane end to the story.
Being that one of those pressure traps with the jaws on it would have it in pain until you came along again to check the trap.
Plus, many use the live traps as a way to keep the meat from spoiling, where as a dead fall trap or the like might leave you with a dead animal covered in maggots. Not something you want to cook up and feed to the chickens.

Personally I think I would dispatch a coon if I caught it, but I would cook it up, try a piece and see if I liked it, otherwise share it with the dogs and chickens. Tan the hide and make something out of it. You know, waste not want not. Unless it were VERY young, then I would seriously consider adding another pet to my list, named Bandit.

However, for your situation I think it worked out fairly well. I would be worried about spreading disease, but I guess if it were that big of a deal it would be illegal, or at the very least the folks(the professionals) you talked to would have recommended against its re-location.
Plus you took the time to release it to a good place rather than making it someone else's problem, he still might get beat up or killed by the coons who already live there, as was mentioned, but no way to really know that. Would be interesting to tag them somehow, see if they make some kind of amazing journey back to your chickens.

Quote:
Dang prioritizing that could get quite difficult, does it go above collecting the garden harvest? Would it belong before or after mowing the lawn?

Finally, would a local zoo have been at all interested? Not sure, don't really patron zoo's unless I know they only have rescue animals or the like, otherwise it just feels like I am visiting an animal prison to me.

I am not sure if coons learn the workings of traps or not, I know this trap was difficult in the extreme to open to set it, and stressful to open with the coon making all kinds of noise just inches from my hands. He made an almost panther like growl when I would get close to the trap, making me very nervous.

I had always planned on relocating whatever I caught, I just had not spoken with any authority figure about the legalities and the wheres. I don't know about a zoo.... I would rather whatever I trap either go back to it's owners or go to another natural habitat, I am not a big fan of zoos either.

I have since caught a nice big black cat who scraped it's nose up trying to get out of the trap. He was almost as scary as the coon to let go and I just let him out in my barn since he was a nice clean shiny non-feral looking cat. I may regret that, only time will tell.

If I don't catch the 'possum by thursday I am giving the trap back to the guy who lent it me.
I think "growing a set" falls somewhere AFTER that "hot place" freezes over. I'll have to check my notes...

I would be willing to try eating 'coon, but I am never gonna be the one to kill and skin it.

I have a 22 Marlin and an unopened box (550 rounds) of ammo. We bought the gun to shoot groundhogs that were burrowing under the barn, but once we got the barn bob-catted and limesanded and leveled, no more groundhogs.

 

[mgibbzzz]

I know we either use them to train our coon dogs or give them to someone else that needs to train a dog. BE CAREFUL!! Even though tehy are in the trap, they can still get you. We always use leather gloves when handling the cage. They are very smart. And, if you caught one, there is a good chance that there are more.


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