Stumped

I haven’t trapped since I was 16 or 17…I’m 40 now and introducing my boys (aka: “The Men”, ages 10 & 13) to it at their urging. It’s been a lot of fun this fall getting ready. Nostalgic stuff like taking off the trap tags I’d pinched onto my trap chains when I was 12…scouting for areas, dying and waxing. All fun.

Then seasons started to open. We’d gained access to a small produce farm about a mile from our house. Corn, beans, pumpkins all on about 60 acres – we were confident that we’d pull some coons (and maybe a fox or two) that first week. We set out a handful of dirtholes, a urine post set and a few blind sets on the coon trails and CAUGHT NOTHING. Okay – we did pinch a ferral cat and a cotton tail. But no target species. Hmph.

Open water season opened last weekend and we moved on to some private land along a lakeshore/marsh. Littered with coon sign. We put out a dozen solid coon sets – mostly cubbies and a few blind sets. We also found some bank rat tunnels and covered them with 110’s.

Today was day 5 of checking and we cannot buy a stinkin’ coon. NOTHING.

The rats have been easy. Those sets are full every time we check them – and I really enjoy catching them. The Men are fired up and have enjoyed getting into skinning them.

Yet we want to catch something big. Something snarling in the trap. And we’re blanking.

I’m using a combination of lures/baits. Apples. Honey mixed with liquid smoke. Commercial coon lure (“Moonshine”, I think?). Smoked oysters.

And we’re setting in the midst of awesome coon sign. Fresh scat and heavy trails.

Granted, it’s been 23ish years since I’ve done this, but I remember coons as always being pretty simple to catch. What the heck am I doing wrong?

Sounds like you should be stacking up the fur. I also have set a few areas this year that looks awesome full of sign and still yet to pull a coon off it. But maybe try some fish. I’ve noticed this year some coon want sweet smelling things and others just want plain fish. Good luck with the water trapping