Started the shopping

Ordered a dozen Duke DP coon traps. After reading a ton of reviews and seeing dozens of youtube videos these are exactle what I need! With the changing trapping laws with conibear traps and looking for a simple set these are the ticket! Now to get the cob webs out my system for skinning them!

Any of you guys out there have much history with these traps yet?

I just started the transition last year. Friends of mine that are in the 500-1000 coon a year group are die-hards for them. For me, its still getting used to the simplicity.
For starting out, its always hard to justify the cost investment in equipment. But I can tell you it is worth gang setting. If a spot is good enough for 1 trap, it should get at least 3 to 4.

I see Fleet Farm sells Duke DPs. You can always pick up a trap here and there and spread the cost out over time. Now all you need is anchors or drags. I use both pogo anchors and rebar drags. Drags are a lot faster to set but you need to be on the lookout when you check your traps because your trap may not be where you put it. They never go far and I’ve never lost a trap using drags. Anchors take longer and more to carry can also be a pain to get out of the ground at times. As for baits you can play with that and find what works for you. I like sweet smelling baits over fish smelling baits. Reason with sweet baits I rarely catch non target animals like skunks and cats. Another trick I’ve learned is get some golf balls and put them on top of your DP. The golf ball will do 2 things for you. 1 keeps mice out of your traps and 2 coon are very curious of everything and will act as a attractant. Coon love to eat eggs and a white golf ball will bring them right into the trap. Good luck

You guys are a huge help already but I can see this will be a long learning curve but should be fun. The other question I have as I sit here and shop…..I am debating after watching dozens of videos and articles on stretching and cleaning your hides. If I were to roll them, freeze, and sell green instead the first year does the value of the fur drop enough to make it worth the time, effort, an funds to purchase and make boards for stretching. I have a hunch I will end up trying it anyways but just curious as to what the difference is most times in the $$$ part selling a stretched fur vs. green.

Green Vs Put-up is really a question to pose to your buyer. The very general consensus is a HUGE range of $$$. But that doesn’t take into account your relationship with your buyer(s), the quality of your fur (green), and the quality of your finishing techniques.

I get docked $3.00 for selling green. To me, I DON’T want to finish a coon for $3.00 @. I don’t do enough of them to keep me proficient when looking at X/ hour. I rather spend the extra hours running more traps.

I sell my green fur clean, brushed, and in some cases looking so much better than the crud I see other guys turning in as “finished”. Needles to say, my buyer knows my handling very well and pays me accordingly. Not always the case with everyone.

I would focus more on learning, and learning exactly how your buyer wants them put up. Do a few and have him/her critique them. Once you get it dialed into exactly what they want, then see what your $$$ differences are in put up Vs green and if it is worth your while. Starting out you already have a sizeable investment. Keep it within reason and control. You can always add to it as you have made a few bucks along the way.

A few things to go along with Randy’s post. You can take a $50 hide and make it a $5 hide real fast and easy putting up a fur if you don’t know what your doing. Look for someone to show and help you do it. The videos on you tube aren’t going to show you the right ways of doing it. There are a lot of “tricks” to putting up a fur the correct way. You will have some cost of buying stretchers, fleshing knives and fleshing beams. I don’t recomend you make your own boards to put up a hide unless you are 200% sure the board is the correct lenght,width and thickness. I also DO NOT recomend selling furs to a fur buyer. Send them straight to auction. I don’t care if you have 10 hides to sell or 10,000. All fur buyers cost you A LOT of money. Myself and 2 other trapppers ran a test this year on just that and let me tell you we were all 3 amazed and how much you lose selling to a fur buyer.

to sell direct to the auctions though I can not sell them green though correct?

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to sell direct to the auctions though I can not sell them green though correct?

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Some drop-off/shipping locations have a service of putting them up for you. I don’t know the cost. As stated, SOME buyers will under pay. You really need to get to know your buyer and know the market. Auction Vs local buyer is one of the longest running Chevy/Ford arguments in trapping. I’ve sold to groeny for years and have been treated very well. Paid good and check in hand when I leave. Others take “junk” to them and want top price….then get bent out of shape when they don’t get top price.

Well the good news is I found a local buyer/tanning company 7 miles away from here! Hardscrabble Hill Hide and Fur which makes it very handy for me! Went and spoke today and they have one hell of a new operation going on. The prefer their green coon brought in the grease if i am not going to stretch and tan which just made my learning curve more focused on trapping.

Now onto the next topic then…..with DP sets what do you guys run with them drags, cable around small tree, cable anchors, or rebar stakes? My plan is the rebar stakes doubled up but with bank sets in soft bottoms I am considering cable if I decide to put a few of them out in soft creek bottoms.

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to sell direct to the auctions though I can not sell them green though correct?

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Some drop-off/shipping locations have a service of putting them up for you. I don’t know the cost. As stated, SOME buyers will under pay. You really need to get to know your buyer and know the market. Auction Vs local buyer is one of the longest running Chevy/Ford arguments in trapping. I’ve sold to groeny for years and have been treated very well. Paid good and check in hand when I leave. Others take “junk” to them and want top price….then get bent out of shape when they don’t get top price.

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You have to put up to sell at auction. Yes they will put them up for you but it cost a little. I know it’s $2 to flesh beaver and $2 to stretch them. For $4 I will let them put them up for me all day long. As for fur buyers. I also gave Groenewold a chance to buy my furs. I didn’t like the $11.75 average. He has a way of grading that makes no sence and pi$$ed me off. I took the same furs no more and no less sent them to auction and ended up with a $16.85 average (all rats). When I explained Groenewolds grading to them they said what he docks for has NO bearing in the auction. Its nothing more then a way to give you less for your furs to increse there profits off your work.
The NAFA U.S. office is down by Madison wi. not a big deal to me to take a weeked vacation and go down there. The other missconception with selling at auction you can walk out with money in hand. You can get a percentage of the estamated value of your furs right away. They then send you the balance after the sale is over. Don’t get me wrong. Sell to how you want. I’m not attacking Groenewold they would be who I would recomend. I’m just trying to help guys get the most money for there work.

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Now onto the next topic then…..with DP sets what do you guys run with them drags, cable around small tree, cable anchors, or rebar stakes? My plan is the rebar stakes doubled up but with bank sets in soft bottoms I am considering cable if I decide to put a few of them out in soft creek bottoms.

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With DP’s I run pogo anchors and drags. The drags are good with soft bottom or dry land and are real fast to set. The pogos are good for land sets and you can also use them around trees or anything for that matter. I have clips on all my DP’s so I can clip on either a pogo or a drag to any trap.