Our first set - raccoons

[ncrecurve]

We finally got a chance to set our first run of traps last Friday after the ground thawed. Set four lil grizz on two different corn piles and had two coons the next morning. Used marshmallows for bait with Hawbakers coon lure on two of them. The bigger coon hit the one with the Hawbakers, the smaller coon was on a plain marshmallow. I debated on trying to let the small coon go but we are really doing population control as much as for the fur. I also started thinking about how I would get that liz grizz released without getting bite/scratched while my son would have been holding the catch stick.





Things I learned from our first set.
1. I can’t split/strip coon tails very well.
2. We need to work on our dispatching methods.

Questions I’ve come up with from the first set
1. Can you make a tail stripper very easy or should I just buy one? Does the one from Southeastern work very well?
2. When you set multiple traps in an area is there a general guideline for how far apart they should be. I wondered if I had some of the four traps to close to each other.
3. What do most people use for packing out the animals? I currently have an old cheap backpack I’ve modified to hold my stuff and haul them with but I don’t want to get blood on my traps.

Thanks,
Doug

[g3trappernc]

Congratulations on the catches! That's a good job. If you are in it more for population control, I agree that the smaller coon should not have been released. If you were just fur trapping, it wouldn't have been too hard to release him after you got the pole on him. The problem is actually getting the pole on him!

A tail stripper would be fairly easy to make, though I just never took the time to do so. I just picked one up at Gander Mountain.

You could make one with two pieces of flat steel and a rivet, or two pieces of 1"x1"x3" hardwood, a small hinge and a groove routed in both pieces to accept the tail bone. For the few bucks they cost, it may just be easier to buy one.

As far as proximity, I usually set two traps in each location where I see sign. I stake the traps so that they are far enough away from each other so that they cannot reach each other once caught. Other than that, travel patterns and sign will give you some clues on where to set.

Hope this helps!

[wildman]

I'm with G3 -- if they spin, they shouldn't be able to knock out the other trap, or fight with (we hope) the other half of a double.
As for toting -- I like a bucket. Old fashioned, inefficient, and a pain to tote sometimes, but it still works for me.
Good job, especially with the youngsters. I still say you can just hook them up to a travois. They look pretty sturdy:)

[ncrecurve]

Thanks for the help,
I've got a scrap piece of aluminum bar at the house that is just the right size, I may try it and then order one if it doesn't work. Thanks for the information on the doubles, I had them about 10 feet apart but I thought possibly that close wasn't likely to get a second animal after one is in the trap. I've only got 6 traps right now so I may spread them out this afternoon when we set for this weekend. I like the bucket, I'll start them out carrying one of those. If we get really good/lucky they can have a bucket on each end of a pole sitting across their shoulders or even the travois.

Thanks,
Doug