To have one cuffed on the last day of the season????? Big male that put on a show. Had the hair standing straight up on my neck as he whoofed, barked, growled, and howled! The hair is starting to slip on their shoulders. And, even though I can keep after them, I'm done, finished, kaput, out of business! Time to get ready for FISHING! Been a good season, and its REALLY been fun on here. I can't wait till next year, and I hope more guys join in on the trapping forums next season.

I hope to have a quarter of the success next year with the yotes as you do. Great finish to a great season. Congrats, your success is giving me hope for next year!

Way to wrap it up, Bubba!

Awesome stuff Yaz........get the guide boat ready and get some stripers

Good job this year guys, I hope to double up on my coon catch next year and maybe try my hand at nabbing a few yotes.

Glad to see one more picture. It's been a fabulous thread and thanks to all that contributed.

Good catch! Just like with deer hunting it wont be long and it will be time to start all over again. h.h.

What Dave said....great thread! Thanks for sharing it!

And thanks for sharing it all with us Yaz!
I don't even trap, and I love watching/reading this forum! Congrats to all trappers on their season this year!

Hands down the the best topic in these forums....

Here, we ALL agree on the same thing...

Way to go Yaz, The last 2 I had caught also had been rubbing and where somewhat bare on there bellies. I hope to do more foothold sets next year and hope to be able to talk the wifey into letting me get a welder to do some mods on my traps. Also want to buy some Bridger #3's. Gives me something to look forward to.

I have to agree. There were some great threads on here throughout the season and I enjoyed reading all of them. Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences with us.

Parker, Unless you trap a large area, or multiple farms, I have found that three of those Bridger Mod's are all a guy really needs. All but one of the coyotes I caught in legholds this year were caught within 30 yards of each other. I ALWAYS make two sets. One reason, is the chance of doubling up. The second reason is if you catch one, and have to pull the trap because it is damaged or too dirty to reset, you have another set working. I usually make a scent post as one set, and a dirt hole as the other. If you have that 3'rd trap, you can get it right back in the set where you just made the catch. I keep a bucket with logwood crystals to dye the trap, and a bucket of trap wax. That way I can get it home, clean it, dye and wax it, and have it ready for the next day.


I'm going after the coons a little harder. I really want to learn how to catch them in the DP's. I struggle with them. As long as I catch more than Tristan...........

A guy I know told me he has great success with DP traps. He said the secret is to use a loud bait or lure to call them in. He told me to mix up cheap mackerel or creek minnows and clams in a blender, divide in half then add enough cornmeal to make dough balls. Use the balls in the DP's. Take the other half and set it out and let it get loud...or real stinky...LOL He said smear the load bait up on a tree so the wind will carry the scent to call the coon in. I only have one DP so have tried this yet but he says you can catch a woods out of coon in a matter of days. h.h.

I've heard and read two schools of thought on the DP's for coon. One, is the fish, or fish oil for bait. That is what I tried first. I took leftover gizzard shad (stinky suckers) and used them. Also tried tuna/salmon based cat food. Had limited success with those. The other school of thought is a overwhelming sweet smelling lure, such as sorgum molassas, or maple syrup. I used marshmello's with a commercial sweet smelling lure also. Basically, limited success. I know I was being robbed by mice on occasion with the marshmello/sweet type lure.

I had two DP's sit along a tile ditch for 4 weeks, with fresh coon tracks by there all the time. They ignored them. I know I could have caught them in steel traps. Same with one I had in an old barn. I died my DP's black just like the rest of my traps. Talk is to put some color on them for eye appeal. I used tin foil, and covered the tops of the DP. Still didn't work. I figured out the BIGGEST part of setting up on coyotes is get the trap on the up wind side of where you expect the coyote to travel. That made a big difference on how many times a coyote worked my sets. Maybe I should try the same with the DP's and coons.

Yaz, Since the prevailing wind here in the winter is NW setting your DP traps in the W/NW side of the woods or ditch might be the ticket. If coon dont smell the bait they have to see it by sight or stubble onto it. You might have found the key to successful coon catching.

I too tried marshmallows in my DP and got raided by mice. Someone told me to put a Styrofoam cup over the DP to keep out the mice and for an eye catcher for the coon. I finally picked up the trap without catching a coon. h.h.

I'm hoping that is the case. I have learned that a "killer looking" set location for coyote may not be, if it is not set for the prevailing wind. This is one of the reasons I make two sets at just about every location. Our winter winds are also NW, but turn SE when it warms up a little. That way I have a set at each location for the two main wind directions. Also, a visual attractor such as a pile of bean chaff, large white rock, or a big white bone are just as , if not more important than the scent/lures you use. If they do come in on the up wind side of the set, at least you have something that catches their attention, and they generally will swing around the downwind side to smell it out before approaching any closer.

I've caught lots of coons in steel traps in water sets along the creeks and ponds. This "dryland" coon catching is different for me. I might have to take on the "coyote" trapping mindset to be successful with thse DP's for coons.

I caught most of my coon by setting Duke DP's right on the trails leading to corn and at the dens located near rock out croppings. I had a few robbed of bait so I'm considering adding Z Traps next year with push pull triggers. My bait consisted of a large marshmellow under the trigger, then dog food topped with pancake syrup.

If I used those, I would eat the bait, and it would never make it to the set!!!! :rolleyes: Haymaker, I'm going to try setting more trails. The most coon I caught this year were on a trail coming out of the woods to a pile of corn I had a trail camera on for the deer. Also going to make some sets under the local bridges and culverts where I know they travel. Kind of funnels them close to the traps that way.