hey guys. Ive got a big big coon problem! last night they got into my trash and ripped it all up. i wanna know how i can trap them and kill them because ive always wanted to make a coonskin cap. I know they like shiny things, but thats about it. i dont own an animal trap, so maybe i could improvise somehow. advice??
coon trouble!
- Thread starter shooter43
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Bait the trap with a few marshmallows and a little corn....Make shure the critter cant; turn the trap up, dig under the trap, or reach over the trip pan....
other than that, they are pretty easy to trap...sardines work but you might catch skunks, cats and other undesired critters.
with the marshmallows you will most likely catch the coon, they lovem'
other than that, they are pretty easy to trap...sardines work but you might catch skunks, cats and other undesired critters.
with the marshmallows you will most likely catch the coon, they lovem'
They are pretty crafty critters. A Hav-A-Hart cages are a little pricey but are well made and will hold them. (About $70 for the last one I bought. The lookalikes are pretty flimsy.) IMHO, unless you are a very good craftsman, a home-made cage probably won't hold them. Moreover, once they escape from a trap, they will never get caught in one again. Like rickyrick says, they are easy to trap (the first time.) Marshmallows, sardines, old steak bones...
Rifleman1776
New member
Live traps are about $35.00 and well worth having around the house.
You could hang a large treble hook about 2 ft off the ground and bait with something. Not a pleasant way to do things but it works.
You could hang a large treble hook about 2 ft off the ground and bait with something. Not a pleasant way to do things but it works.
dalegribble
New member
get an airedale 
I've caught a bunch with this trap but you only get one at a time and has to be re-baited. It's not humane but I don't give a darn. They are destructive little critters.
Archer 9505
New member
When I let them out in the morning; it's a mad charge. If it don't belong there it better be running for it's life.
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Shotgun693
New member
Tractor Supply Company stocks the Have-A-Heart traps and you can order online. Hides have a little value this time of year. Young 'coons and mature females are edible. An old male can kill a dog and also smell rather gamey, alive and cooked.
Thanks for all the advice everyone i appreciate it! i will look into the tractor comp. website to see what they have and maybe order something, or buy a trap on my next visit to Basspro. thankfully, i dont have any dogs, so there is nothing to worry about there. im wondering if either store has any good trap for about 20$?
The cheaper traps will work, but they usually require repair and adjustment after each raccoon. They are usually not very happy about being trapped and even though they are fully contained in a cage you wanna have gloves on cause they will try to reach out and grab you....believe me after being trapped all night they know all of the places they can fit thier hand through. It can be quite comical the amount of rage contained in a small package. Some are as equally docile and disposition is trouble free....but never let your guard down LOL ... in my experience the larger the raccoon, the larger the attitude.
Hog Buster
New member
Coon hunting here has always been fun. At night in the woods with a single shot .22, a head light and a dog, while riding a mule. It’s been years since i did it, but still have fond memories of many hunts. Why the mule? So when you got lost the mule would always find its way home.
As a side note: According to La. WLF rules you had to use a single shot .22 and a dog. No special dog, just a dog. It could have been a french poodle, but you had to have a dog of some kind.
Being a country kid I always had some kind of wild varmint as a pet. Squirrel, possum, coon, nutria, otter and so on. Coons were the worst. When young they are like cats with hands. Very inquisitive, they get into everything. I got more than one ass whipping over a coon. Great pets when young, that generally changes.
As they mature most get a bit vicious and will bite you at the drop of a hat. With teeth that cut to the bone, that’s no fun. A grown one can make most dogs say uncle and run back under the porch after a bite to the nose.
They’re pretty good eating, but you have to know how to clean one. There’s a bunch of scent glands that you have to remove, otherwise you have a smelly mess.
Hand traps are probably the best to use for coons. They keep you from catching cats, dogs and other varmints. The trap is enclosed in a small box so that when Mr. Coon reaches in it catches him by the foot. The other varmints don’t have hands like a coon so are not caught, at least most of the time.
As a side note: According to La. WLF rules you had to use a single shot .22 and a dog. No special dog, just a dog. It could have been a french poodle, but you had to have a dog of some kind.
Being a country kid I always had some kind of wild varmint as a pet. Squirrel, possum, coon, nutria, otter and so on. Coons were the worst. When young they are like cats with hands. Very inquisitive, they get into everything. I got more than one ass whipping over a coon. Great pets when young, that generally changes.
As they mature most get a bit vicious and will bite you at the drop of a hat. With teeth that cut to the bone, that’s no fun. A grown one can make most dogs say uncle and run back under the porch after a bite to the nose.
They’re pretty good eating, but you have to know how to clean one. There’s a bunch of scent glands that you have to remove, otherwise you have a smelly mess.
Hand traps are probably the best to use for coons. They keep you from catching cats, dogs and other varmints. The trap is enclosed in a small box so that when Mr. Coon reaches in it catches him by the foot. The other varmints don’t have hands like a coon so are not caught, at least most of the time.
We had a tray cat here that was atttacking our cats. Bought a live trap from Harbor Freight. The first thing we caught was one or our cats, then a possum, then a raccoon and finally the varmint we were trying to catch. Our cat and the raccoon came out quickly, but had to shake the possum out.
603Country
New member
P97 has it right, though we use cat food or catfish food for bait. They just LOVE cat food. My wife alternately goes through phases on the coons. Some days or weeks it's "kill em all", and some weeks it's "they're so cute". On the killemall weeks, I trap and shoot em. On the 'socute' weeks, I trap them and then put some spray paint on them and take them off a mile or two and release them. If I ever get a coon with spraypaint on him, there's no second chance for him.
And every now and then I'll take a coon to a friend up here in the country and he'll cook it up, using his late Mother's recipe. Yum!
And every now and then I'll take a coon to a friend up here in the country and he'll cook it up, using his late Mother's recipe. Yum!
FrankenMauser
New member
Just make sure you're legal.
Coon hunting and trapping is regulated in most areas.
Coon hunting and trapping is regulated in most areas.
My neighbor trapped and relocated a bunch of coons last summer. They were destroying his garden. 
He used a Have A Heart type trap and baited it with canned tuna. He would open the cans partially and leave the lid attached. Several times he caught 2 at a time in a single trap. 
The other advantage of using the Have a Heart's is that you can release the neighbors cat without harming him
He used a Have A Heart type trap and baited it with canned tuna. He would open the cans partially and leave the lid attached. Several times he caught 2 at a time in a single trap. The other advantage of using the Have a Heart's is that you can release the neighbors cat without harming him
At one time, about 6 years ago, we had a duck. It lived in our fenced yard. One night, I noticed that it wasn't around, and walked behind our house looking for it.
To make a long story short, a coon had killed our mallard. I wasted the coon.
when I was a teenager, I earned the nickname "cat killer-death giver, defender of the chickens" because I blew everything that made me mad into dust. Another long story.
To make a long story short, a coon had killed our mallard. I wasted the coon.
when I was a teenager, I earned the nickname "cat killer-death giver, defender of the chickens" because I blew everything that made me mad into dust. Another long story.
Hog Buster:
You are making me think about my in-laws.
I hope you had minimal trouble when the Morganza spillway opened.
Regards,
Tom
You are making me think about my in-laws.
My father-in-law grew up near Natchitoches. He had lots of stories about shooting, the woods and mules.
My mother-in-law's family had a pet raccoon for awhile. It tore into the back of the TV and took ALL of the tubes out, mixing them up. That did not make him popular.
I hope you had minimal trouble when the Morganza spillway opened.
Regards,
Tom