Hey PB, maybe someone was with me :p

Nice Chevy...11's. You part Indian?

"Mink" was my first thought based upon the size, shape, and spacing of the tracks. Another good way is to follow them and see where they do (and don't) go.

A mink is going to check out all the holes and nooks and crannies it can fit into, which can be quite small. Other clues along the way help to tell the story also.

Following a set of tracks of any animal right after a fresh snow is quite an education!

I love to go look for deer beds right after the fresh snow ends. They tell you exactly where and how the deer access the beds to evade us hunters. It gives some great insights into where I will be bow hunting next year.

I've got some fox working in that area. Think they're to small to be fox?

Rabbit. h.h.

I'm having a hard time with this one. But there are rabbit tacks in there for sure. However, one of the prints do appear to be mink. A minks track pattern is more parallel. They do kind of hop along, with the back feet landing right behind the front feet. Some of these tracks have the back feet spayed out to the sides with the front feet in between, like a rabbit. My guess is mink tracking a rabbit, and not just moving through. Several of these patterns have 6 sets of prints in one group. A lot of times, you will see drag marks from a minks tail. But I'm not seeing it. Not a fox for sure.

rabbit

Caught this guy this morning. Had trap set by open water but it completely froze over a couple days ago. Guess he thought it was still op en.

Thats one cold looking coon Gilley.

Gilley,

you are a better trapper than me. My coon traps are under 6 inches of snow in the driveway.

Nice catch in some tough conditions!!

Well I've only got 2 coon traps out. Both were by open water but neither are now(froze up). Just thought maybe the coons would be looking for water eventually and find my trap. Guessed right for a change

We move cattle today to get ready for calving. I never seen the first coon track around any of the barns. Just a lot of grinner tracks! You did good Gilley!

Do you guys think the coons will move later this week. It is supposed to be alot warmer come thurs and friday. Going to set 2 new areas that I never trapped before on Wed. I walked around today and never seen the first coyote track or even a deer track in the snow. This is definately a season on the Brink.

They should move well toward the end of the week. My guess they have been laid up for the last week or so. Around here any way. Yesterday, I seen a fresh pair of coyote tracks in My Dad's tire tracks where he is driving back through the pasture to check traps! Its going to get soggy around here!

Maybe Wes will chime in and let us know if he has been running any with the dog this week.

I will try and turn the dogs loose later this week if it warms up. It is fairly common for coon movement to slow down quite a bit the first 2-3 weeks of December, cold weather or not. If you have barns that you can trap, now is a good time. They will seek out cozy shelters and easy meals. If the weather stays somewhat decent, January is one of my favorite months to hunt. You can tree a coon about any night as they will be on the prowl rutting.

I have seen 4 different red fox over the last week on my morning commutes. Anybody catching them?

I have not seen a fox Wes. We just don't have many in our county. I ran a snare for coyotes for my father over the weekend, and seen where a fox pushed a snare to the side as he squeezed under the fence. It was clear in the snow what he did. I told Dad that I moved it, and brushed it in a little better. Dad said that it didn't matter, that he had been doing that for the last month, and the fox STILL gets around it!!! We don't need to catch him anyway. We release them if we get the chance. At least until the population increases some.

It won't be long till the boar coons are moving good.

Yes, it has been quite cold here for over a week. They should be out of the dens and on the move!

im going to get the coon sets back out this afternoon. hopefully this warmup gets them moving.

The critters have all but dried up for me lately. I only caught 2 grinners the last 2 weeks now. I totally sucked deer hunting this year now I can't catch a stitch of fur. Oh well, at least it is better than sitting on a bar stool.

I had something pull out of a dog proof today. pulled all my traps today and waiting til rain passes to reset. Got family coming in so probably won't rest til after Xmas.

weather has been rough...I have 6 fresh DP sets out fishing now. With the big warm up I might go walk the woods tonight and try to shoot some out of the trees

I set a few dp's and cages this evening, with these warm temps and a lot of snow is now gone I'm hoping they will be on the move before the rain rolls in.

Due to a Kansas deer hunting trip and other obligations, It's been three weeks since I've had a set out so I'm ready to skin something.

Chevy, Do you run a dog or just walk around shining into trees. Just curious..

No coon dog...just walk the woods. I have spotted a few this way.

I have a friend who kills a lot of coon this way, no dog just shining the tree tops

Is that legal? Just curious becasue the law is kind of vague.

Yes it is, just not from a vehicle

Have to have a continuous burning light when hunting fur bearers at night.

nick got it right.

I caught one soggy wizzed off coon this morning

I have one coyote snare, and one mink set still operational. I have a pond that I HAVE to get rat sets in before it freezes up again. But, this rain may make it too muddy to see. I'll probably wait till deer season is over in Jan. I just can't see me killing a deer, but I'm going to try till the end.

Went in the post office in Fishers this morning and a small group of folks were standing near the door. When I got up there, there was a medium sized racoon sitting not too far away, looking disoriented and weak. So, a guy asks me if I'm going in the post office and I'm thinking "no", I just walked up here for the heck of it. But, in the xmas spirt, I say yes. He says, along with the women standing there that maybe I should tell the post office that there is wounded raccoon out front so they can call someone to help it. So, I say out loud that maybe it would be better for me to pull the Suburban up near the raccoon and block the view to those going in and out and put it out of its misery. Needless to say, these folks looked at me like I was the devil. Finally, the guy says again, the raccoon needs help. I tell them that it probably has distemper since I can't see a wound. They don't relent and again tell me to tell the workers inside. I say "sure". Then about the time I walk into the post office I turned and said, "hey, you know that thing is probably worth twenty bucks skinned out". The looks from those folks was priceless. BTW, Sticksender, your xmas is in the mail!

we have five coon sets out two mink five dirthole sets and three snares. these have all been out since before the snow hopefully this warmup gets them going. been three weeks since caught a animal.

I might have to try the walking around shining thing. What kind of light do you use Chevy?

just picked up a real coon hunting light on ebay from a guy in WV who makes them. It is rated at 60,000 lux.

Man that thing is BRIGHT!

here is a link

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COON-LIGHT-...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c39f053d2

Any idea as to what the battery life is? I didn't see it referenced in the link.

Use an amber or orange colored lens to get more coon to look at you.

On my way to work this morning, I stopped by one of my "drive by" sets, and reset a DP I had laying covered in snow. It still had some of the old gooey marshmallow left in it. Out of habit, I stopped by to look at it right after dark on the way to do the feeding……He must have been in the culvert when I set it, and came out to investigate sometime today.

RUN TIME: LOW = 16 HOURS --- HIGH = 8 HOURS

Dave I think my father just bought this same light from a guy who deals with this brand. Think he lives up towards Anderson. It was around $119.00. I will ask him tomorrow.

the only downside have found is the cord and battery pack you have to put on your belt or in your pocket.

the low setting is plenty for everything I have used it for. I have a nice princeton tec headlight and this thing blows it out of the water in brightness

I hosed them off and they are drying out now before I skin them

well unlike me i hope everyone who is trapping by creeks got their traps out in time. i just had to go on a rescue mission to get mine out. the creeks are rising fast here.