coon holding up

[robocop]

Did any of you ever experience raccoons not moving,holding up.

[white316]

Yes happens here all the time.
Sometimes i check my line and nothing for a week straight.
coon might be easy to catch,,,but hard to figure out.

[sneakysnake]

I trapped for 50 days last year. I had 22 days with no catches. Some of those spells went as long as 9 days. Deep snow and below zero temps was the cause. I does happen often as white said.

[white316]

SS what animals were you targeting and how many sets.

[nightrider]

I think it happens every place its nice to know others experience
the same thing.

[sneakysnake]

Last year I had out 48 bucket sets for coons, a Doz 1.5's for coon, 1/2 doz #1.s for mink, 1/2 doz #2's for fox and 18 #3.s for yotes and bobcats plus snares as the need arose.
All the coilspring traps were under water or buried in the snow for three weeks. I did not try to remake them after the blizzard hit. You could walk around and look for tracks and all you would find was deer tracks and the occasional coyote. No coons, no mink, no possums, no cats and no fox. I ended the season with 38 Coon, 36 possums, 6 coyotes and 4 skunks. Needles to say, my trap to catch ratio was terrible.

[judd]

Very interesting.
One time i trapped coon through 4 town-ships
sometimes at the start there would only be a few coons.
When i got to the end they were running better or vice-versa

I remember about 20 years ago my uncle was still trapping
and he would say to me the coons didn't run last night,
I'd say not here but on the other end they did.
Its very strange how it works,,and if we could figure it out
Think of the time & gas we would save.

[sneakysnake]

Amen to saving time and gas.

[white316]

Come on coon trappers,,what say you.

[Cam]

Very interesting.

[catmando1]

Okay, I'll give you what has been our on-going experiance with this.

Generally, we get the first 2 weeks of season to trap in some unbelievable coon movement. We start on the 17th of November.
The Past tells us that after 2 wks we will get our first major winter storm of ice, snow, or high winds with fridgid temps, or a combo of all three! Then, is when the coons first hole up hard. You may be able to pick up 1 or 2 a week running a 40-50 trap line. If the weather worstens, or remains the same yucky stuff, they will slowly tapir down to 1 a week or even less. If the bad stuff STILL hangs on, you will be lucky to convince a novice there are coons still living near by! If we get an unseasonable warm up that last several days, you will start to see sign again. A little at first, and more, the longer the warmer weather hangs on. This pattern will normally last up to about the middle to later December. In later Dec., the boars get the "itch" for love, and unless the weather is VERY extreme, will begin to wonder from the den trees, but never straying to awful far. Even in snow as long as it's not extreme. I have seen a lot of tracks going down creek ice when we had almost a foot of snow. Anyway, they will come out more and more until Mid January when any self respecting boar is out roaming. You will begin finding some females at this time.(so are they! ;D) This cold weather breeding pattern will remain, right up till the end of season.( mid Feb.)

The trick is, to trap them VERY near the den trees, and they are not difficult to trap then, but, they are MORE difficult to trap, than in the early season movement. The trapper must go further, generally, to reach their shrunken movement patterns. The big and far roaming movement of late fall/early winter will not return, until next season.

Most of winter though, after they lay up, I lose interest in coons unless I see tracks of a big un just beggin for it. I figure I Might at best be able to catch 5 after lay up a week......Maybe. BUT if i catch one 'cat, that is a hundred dollar bill, and I guess it would take 7-10 coons to equal that. Most of the winter that just ain't do able for me per week and sometimes it would take 2 weeks or more. So I opt for the better pay off of the 'cats, which incedently DO NOT lay up or hole...... and are getting REALLY prime about that time!

[white316]

Just to add a bit more to this.
Iam trapping coon around standing grain fields they are the only grain fields around still standing.
There is lots of scat all along the fence line not fresh and no coons..3 days.. with 8 sets and no coon.
Its just to mild for them to run.
Just to make sure this was the reason i made some calls to other trappers and the answer was the same.

[catmando1]

Hmmmmm......... No fresh sign at all? Should there still be coons there? You didn't trap most of them did you? If it is a wide spread condition, (as your freinds are having trouble to) maybe it is a food source change?

[white316]

catman.I stoped at the reataurant picked up 2 buckets of food
& 1,, 5 gallan of used fry oil,,and its never been touched.

One of these days i will take a walk down the river to look for tracks.maybe they are on the river now.

[basshunter]

I had coon at the traps but wont go in the set, there are coon there tracks everywhere but they are not active right now, Alot has to do with the Moon Phases, During the full and New moons or Dark moon, animals move and feed more aggresively, on these moons even when there not hungry, they will enter a trap where they wouldnt before,
I fish and trap by the moon phases never in 27 years have i not caught an otter, or fisher on the exact day of the Dark Moon,
These animals are forced to move and feed during these strong moon phases, Alot of people dont recognize the moon phases they are Trapping on thats why it seems harder to catch some animals, and when it easy to catch some animals,,
The full moon is coming soon and the coons will be caught easier so it would seem, Its because of the influence in the moon that causes them to be more aggresive, and curious, therefore getting caught in Our Traps,,,,,