Trapping raccoons in the winter

Anyone have much luck trapping raccoons in the winter?

Raccoons do a light hibernation. They do come out in the dead of winter but usually only during warm spells of weather. If there is a night above freezing you can bet they will be out and about.
I used to watch the forecast and set traps a day or two ahead of the warm up.
Some of the largest boar raccoons I have caught have been in January.
They seem to be the first ones to become active in winter. Coons breed in late winter so some of the boar activity in winter could be related to them looking for a mate.
I use bucket sets with 220 conibears almost exclusively in now. Sometimes I’ll use a snare in a good trail but a 220 bucket is the most effective way during this time. This is not the time for footholds as they require too much maintenance to keep them operating in the snow and cold.
I use lots of pickling salt on my bait to keep it smelly and from freezing solid. Fresh fish is the best bait, sardines work well as a last resort.
You’ll want to find den trees in your trapping area. Most of the coons den in standing hollow trees in my area. They are usually easy to spot as they’ll scar up the bark pretty obviously if there are a few of them living there. Setting near these dens is a no brainer. They come out for food and your set is the first thing they smell. I like to only take 1 or 2 from each den tree, this ensures there will be more there next year.

If you want to trap coon go for it. I’ve caught A LOT of coon in single digit temps. Don’t bother waiting for a warm spell. Coon may den up for some time but they don’t hibernate like other animals. Creek are a great place to set in late winter if the water is open. Not sure where you trap but if in Minnesota pay attention to the regs in regards to bucket sets and using 220’s. Don’t try to figure out there breeding season seeing it runs from January to June. You can keep your baits from freezing by using Glycerine don’t use large amounts of salt. It’s hard on traps.