Dedicated to the new trapper

[tmrschessie]

Howdy, we are going to start this thread to assist new trappers wanting to get into this great pastime.

First off I recommend that the new trappers start off telling us what the target animal is they are trapping for.

I would like this thread to be a give and recieve of information from all of us. Thanks, Tom

Here is a story I wrote to get folks thinking about getting into trapping.
Howdy, I will preface this article with the statement this is not the only way it is just my way....There are as many good ideas as trappers out there...

Ok, I am a beginning trapper, I do not know much about the species I am after other than Mrs. Jones down the road said they are killing her chickens. She asked if I would help and I agreed not knowing what all would be involved....

I went to the HuntingNe.com site and read everything on trapping that was there. I saw where the cage trap may work best for me as Mrs Jones has cats also.

So I went to the local farm store and saw they sell a cage trap for about 50 dollars. I only have about 10 dollars to spend. I thought if I mowed and raked some yards, I could make enough to get at least one trap by the opening of the season (which is 1 November for us here in Nebraska). I managed to get 5 yards to mow and made enough in the summer to buy two cage traps....I rode out to Mrs Jones and let her know that I would take care of her coons and when I would be there. She was nice and said that would be fine. (Can't wait)...
Ok I saved the information that was posted on the huntingne.com site so I can look back at it....

Cage trapping coon. This is one of the safest and easiest methods to take numbers of coon. You can set them about anywhere, in town around businesses garbage dumpsters, next a garden shed or in a farm lane next to the grain elevator. Even on the creek or in a field. The down down side is they are bulky, hard to transport, and subject to theft probably more than any other trap. Also if setting around people you need to make sure no youngsters or pets can get hurt by the trapped coon.

Lets set our trap, with the identification tag attached, where we have to highest probability of success and lowest chance of theft. Along a weed line by a neighboring farmer, rancher, or say a feed lot operation, silage pile. Coon like to dig in the piles to get the corn and for the heat generated in the composting silage.
Look for trail in the weeds along and behind these piles, ususally they are easy to find. Open the trap door and throw in a chunk of carp or a hand full of dry cat food, so it is visible. With your trap in place, put some weeds, silage, hay, what have you, on the floor of the trap and on the trigger. The coon will enter easier if they are not walking on the wire. I know some times it does not seem to matter but why take a chance on missing one?
It is that easy, no matter where you set your trap...
Alright, the next day we have a coon, now what. The easiest method is to shoot the coon between the eyes with the bullet going straight back into the body cavity, this leaves only one hole in the hide and you will not be docked for that. Any other methods we need to discuss in PMing or have been talked about elsewhere.
Smooth out the area and reset your trap, get ready for the next coon.
It is that simple. Next time....Conibear style traps....Tom

I see I need some bait so I guess I will go fishing, be back later....

Well, did good at the stream today and caught 3 carp and two bullheads...I read on one of the posts in the trapping section about freezing them until needed or storing in a container with salt. Mom said that if I cleaned them and put them in a plastic bag I could put them into the freezer...

I did see a lot of coon tracks while fishing today, I never noticed them before. Wonder if they just showed up? Oh well, I have my bait and that is what matters. Mom is going to take me to the farm store so I can get my two traps on Saturday, I can hardly wait....
Mom is still working in the house and I want to go buy my traps....maybe if I give her a hand she will get done quicker.

An hour later they are on the way....

Thanks Mom, for taking me to get the traps, I don't think I could carry two of them very easy on my bike.....
Well son you could possibly haul them in the wagon that is in the garage...

(the light comes on....he thinks, if I hook the wagon to my bike I can haul them out to Mrs Jones and not bother Mom)

Once at the store they go ask the manager to show them the raccoon size cage traps that they have for sale. Once they see the trap he noticed that they were too small for raccoon and the box says for squirrels......The manager laughs and says he is not a trapper and he will go in the back room and see what else he has. He returns with two traps that say they are for raccoons. The sale is finalized and much to the boy's surprise they were on sale and he saved ten dollars on the purchase. He asked his mother if she would like a hamburger on the way home...She smiled and said no thank you...wow he thought I am ready for raccoon now. Oh dang he thinks, school is about to start, how is that going to effect my trapping?

Well school starts and our young trapper is out for the football team tryouts and trying to get a handle on the new subjects he has to learn this year....

Darn he says, this is tough this year and tries harder to accomplish the tasks set for him each day. He tears a ligament in his knee on the 2nd week of football practice and is cut from the team....feeling down about that he heads home from school. As he looks at his bike in the garage he notices the cage traps...."Dang I forgot all about trapping Mrs Jones....good thing I have a week before season opens." He gets his copy of the trapping regulations and realizes that he needs to get name tags for his traps. Going back to the Huntingne.com site he finds he can make his own right at home...getting an aluminum can he cuts some strips about 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long and with an old ink pen writes the information required on the tag. He then attaches it to the handle of the cage trap so the coon will not tear it off. Looking in the freezer, he now knows exactly where his bait is located. His dad will be home tomorrow and our trapper is anxious to show him his traps.
Our young trapper is trying to hurry his dad to the garage to show him his cage traps....Dad's eyes light up a bit when he sees the traps. "You know son, I trapped for raccoons when I was your age, almost forgot about the fun I used to have" Our young trapper never knew this about his father. They went over to the traps and examined them, "what are you going to use for bait?" Dad asks. Well sir, I caught some fish, cleaned them, and stored them in the freezer. Excellent, thinks his father. They spend the next hour getting together some things they may need...an axe, to drive a stake or cut the frozen bait, some leaves to put in the bottom of the trap so the coon is not walking on the wire...coons don't like that at times Dad says...

Opening day comes and our young trapper is headed down the road to Mrs Jones' chicken coop with two cage traps (that have the name tags attached), a small bucket with a hand axe and a couple of stakes, and another small bucket with the fish. As he pulls into the yard Mrs Jones comes out to meet him, " those darn coon got in again last night and got another hen, I hope you can get all of them" she says. "The coon are coming right through those weeds there" pointing to the fence line near the chicken coop. Our young trapper goes to look over everything and puts one of the traps where the coon are coming out of the weeds. The other he sets near the hen house where the coon are going under the wire. He takes one of his stakes and secures the hole in the wire, so a coon won't want to try and go under. He spreads the leaves over the cage floor, cuts off a chunk of carp and tosses it in the rear of the trap past the trigger pan. He then baits the other trap near the fence the same way. He notices the tracks going into the weeds and they look big. He has high expectations for the morning check...

As it gets light the next morning our young trapper is eating the last of his breakfast when the phone rings...It is Mrs Jones and she is very excited..."You need to come out quick, you have gotten two coons in your traps" she says to him. He assures her he will be right out. He turns to his dad and says how will I get them out? Dad Smiles and says " I wondered when that question would come." He laughs, "Come on let's take the truck and get your coons. Upon arriving at Mrs Jones they see two cars in the driveway and wonder what is going on...They walk up and several women walk out and start talking about our young trappers ability to trap those coon. The coon are both big and with all the people there, Dad says they should take the coon elsewhere to dispatch them. As they carry the cages to the truck the other women ask our young trapper if he will help them also.....he smiles and says he will.

After shooting the coon they take them out of the traps and replace the weeds and leaves in the bottom of the trap, re-bait them and take them back to Mrs Jones to make sure they take care of the problem coon. Dad says " you are in luck, the fur buyer is coming to the farm store in about an hour, we can take them up today" ...our young trapper is very excited and already thinking about tomorrow.....

The End (of the story just the beginning for our young trapper)



Here is a picture of my brother with a huge 24lb boar coon taken in a cage trap next to a farmers driveway and 3 coon skinned and ready for the fleshing beam.[

[Dustin Wilcox]

My target species are Raccoons and Beavers, though an unexpecting Coyote or Bob Cat would be awesome as well. I don't have a ton of time to put into trapping as I'm tied up in the City finishing up my degree, though weekends are open and I have winter break as well, and if necessary I could make the hour jaunt to my hunting area during weekdays if needed. I would like to try and keep things as cheap as possible, I have a limited budget being a student. I currently have no traps so I need to first invest in some traps, the area I will be trapping is free of cats and dogs so that is not an issue.

[tmrschessie]

Sounds like an ideal spot to start trapping Dustin. Lets start with Raccoons, they are a land animals that frequents the water. They require moisture (from any source) to properly digest the food they injest. The front paws are very manuverable and thus they can grasp and pull better than many other furbearers. Their front shoulders can constrict and they can get into holes half their size. Ask anyone who has chickens....
The Raccoon can be trapped on land and in/ near water. Remember the coon will be where there is food. Key Point.

Coons can be taken with cage traps, foothold, conibear style and snares. Lets break each one down:

Cage trap: most well made cage traps are made of wire with a door that either drops straight down or at an angle with some method of locking the door in place. The door that drops straight down allows bigger animals to get in and the door does not hit them in the rear as it is closing. Some bigger coons have backed out of the slant door style when they feel the door coming down. But I have also taken some really big coon in the slant door style. So just be aware of the pro's and con's.

Next time we will look at the foot hold traps for coon.

Anyone want to jump in go ahead. Tom

[Dustin Wilcox]

I know there are A LOT of coons where I would be trapping as there was evidence of them all over when I was deer hunting, they left their waste all over along the trunks of many of the fallen huge cotton woods, plus there a places that you can actually see coon trails (not sure if thats common or not) but you can see some paths that they frequent. Plus there is addecate water source as there are slews and ponds all over, and to top it off there is a corn wagon full of corn (for the Deer) right next to one of the water sources, I know they come up there to eat the corn, so I have huge trees, plenty of water and an easy food source.

[fowler]

I am somewhat knew to trapping. I have a half dozen leg holds and a couple of cages. I have been having problems with coons and foxes eating my chickens. I have trapped one, shot 3 foxes and hit one in the lane. I also trapped 2 coons. All of them were right neart the coop. Is it uncommon to have that many foxes on 5 acres of ground? Anyways, I know that I have a high predator count around my place that is right along a creek. I have had no problems trapping right around the coop at nights, but now I would just like to trap a little more around the area. What do I look for to find out where good spots to put traps would be. Also I do no how to set a dirt hole, but what is a good common lure or bait that would work for coon and fox.

[BPbowhunter]

My target species would be mostly coon and coyotes. The area I will be trapping is for the most part clear of dogs and cats, except for the once in a while wandering one.

[CoonKiller]

fowler you would be suprized to see how many foxes and other critters flock to chicken coops, keep your eyes peeled cause theirs prolly more to come

[CoonKiller]

for coon, you dont need to buy commercial baits. jack mackerel, sardines, maple syrup, marshmallows, pretty much anything really sweet or fishey will get them. if its creeks you have go to the bank and dig a small hole in the bank. throw some of the baits i described in the hole and set the foothold trap in the water infront of the hole. this is called a pocket set. its easy and fast to make so you can get a lot in fast.

tmrschessie will be able to explain fox and coyotes better because i dont trap them much

[coyote_buster]

after about two weeks of not catching any coon in one area I was really wondering what I was doing wrong, then today my dad was talking to the guy who owns the property and he said that he hasn't seen a single coon over there since the last one I caught. There goes a bunch of my money on gas. Oh Well! Maybe that was my problem lol. Know I need to find a new place to trap, got a few places scoped out and know the landowners will let me but gotta ask first anyways. Hopefully getting a few more traps for christmas though.

[tmrschessie]

Ok, looks like we have some trappers here, thanks for the help guys.

We will talk about foot hold trapping of the coon. The most comon trap used today is the 1 1/2 coil spring trap. It is compact, easy to bed, and runs in a varity of price ranges. The best thing you can do is attend a trapping convention and physically pick up and check out each varity that your are interested in. There is a difference.
So now we have a couple traps what next? First thing you should do is set the trap and see that the pan sits level with the jaws or slightly below. Next check and see that the trap fires when the pan is depressed. Don't laugh some of them don't....Wash the traps in some dish soap and water to remove the grease and oil. Rinse with clear water untill all the soap and grease are gone.
Note: take them to the car wash it is easy and you don't make a mess around the house...
Get a plastic bucket and fill it with a mix of vinegar and water, 50/50 mix works well. Soak your traps in this solution for a few hours, take out and rinse with clear water and hang to dry. The traps will form a slight coat of rust by the next morning.
Once the trap is rusted you can dye them, using either a commercal logwood dye, or a natural method from black walnuts that are found throughout Nebraska. Place the traps in the dye of choice and heat until they are simmering. Let them sit in this solution for any where from a few hours to a couple days....Take the traps out of the dye and hang to dry.
I wax all my traps but at this point you can use your traps as they are. You are ready to start preparing for a trap line for coon.... The post by CK on the pocket set is a favorite among coon trappers. We will go into a few more sets next time.

Trappers, feel free to post here, we need to keep this going to help the new trappers into our sport. Tom

[tmrschessie]

Guys I am going to stick this to the top for a while so it does not get lost in the shuffle. Tom

[tmrschessie]

Ok, we have our 1 1/2 coil springs about ready to go.

The next thing is a name tag. This is a legal requirement in many states but is definately a required item in Nebraska. The name tag must be affixed to every trap or snare used to take furbearers.

You can buy them premade or make them from something as simple as an aluminum pop can cut into strips using a pair of scissors and use an old ballpoint pen to hand write your information. Attach the tag to the trap with a small piece of wire.
Now we can gather some stakes. Metal for ground sets and metal or wood for water sets. I recommend at least 2 foot smooth metal rod with a nut welded on the top, 30 inches will also come in handy. You can go to the junk pile on about and farm and with a hack saw or portable sawsall get plentey of smooth rod, 3/8 to 1/2 inch will be the most common. If you do not weld and can not find someone to help, you can drill a 1/8 inch hole about 4 inches from the top in each rod.

We will need a hammer heavey enough to drive the stakes.

More, next time. Tom

[BPbowhunter]

So what traps would be good to start out with? For right now i'm thinking about some 1 1/2 coil springs and some either 220's or 160 conibears for coons, and then for coyotes i'm thinking some #2 or 3 coil springs. My main focus will be for coons, but I still want to trap coyotes also.

Also wondering how many traps are normally run in a medium size line.