I never understood the big numbers coon catches until today.....

[coyotero]

I never lived any where with a large coon population.I took a road trip to sell a house and some land I bought.I took a detour into "coon country" on the way home.I was floored at the sign I saw.I checked about 20 miles of this river running through corn country.This little river has black mud banks.The banks are solid coon tracks of all sizes.Everywhere I stopped the banks were like this.I got out and walked parallel to the river and the coon trails looked like cow pathes back into the fields.It had just rained pretty good 2 nights ago and the tracks were fresh.There were big cottonwood trees(I think they were cottonwoods) that would probably be den trees.I went back and checked the banks by a bridge after dark.I saw 4 coon on the bank in the spotlight.I understand that the litters are probably still together and that's why all the sign.I've never seen coon sign like this before.My coon catches consisted of dryland coons out on the headlands of huge stubble fields in Montana when trapping fox and coyotes.They were always caught when it was getting pretty cold.All of them were in dirt hole sets with a meat based coyote/fox bait.They all were big boars with heavy fur.I never caught enough in one year to justify coon stretchers.I had a friend who had coon stretchers that would stretch them for me.I can see where a couple of spots like this could produce those big catches that Dave Plueger and Red O'Hearn make.Plus a ton of hard work and drive.

[RdFx]

Yotero  this will be  only if corn is still there when your season opens up.  Check out other areas with possible coon food as they will move to that or might run river banks for food also.

[wormbobskey]

Went up north of columbus last month to dig some ginseng and could not beleive all the coon scat. It was everywhere along alum creek and was nothing  but wild grapes. I'd say they will be up on the ridges by now eating the acorns. Talked to my fur buyer and he says coon won't be selling to good this year, if they were I'd camp out at my mothers house and run my old trapline. I could proabley pick up 40 or 50 in a week if I could get all the properties I had 10 years ago.

[Asa Lenon]

Its hard to visualize those big numbers one reads about like 1000 coon per season. I probably caught only about 1000 coon all together  in 50 years along the canine line. Also, coon hibernate early and stay that way up her in my country. I remember a few years back a guy moved here from Iowa and said he was going to make a living trapping coon the coming winter. I said good luck, I have only seen a couple of coon out and about between Decemebr and mid March in a lifetime around here.

[coyotero]

Asa
I checked a slough this morning,a Waterfowl Production Area.There was a trail following the south shoreline,just inside the cattail edge.It is worn down into the ground,it looks like a cattle trail only smaller.It is solid coon tracks.There are numerous trails running off through the cattails.There were places off the trail with lots coon droppings,enough to start a compost pile(smile). On 3 sides of the slough is standing corn.When our water furbearer season opens I'm going to put in some pipe sets in the water.I'd love to put conibears in the trails but there's way too many pheasant hunters with dogs around here.