Author Topic: what does this mean (Read 440 times)

deerslayer15 · « **on:** January 07, 2005, 04:21:28 AM »

Yesterday morning I set a few live traps, traying to catch coons. I lined the bottom of my traps with leaves. Made it look and feel just like walkin on the ground. Then I put a few marshmellow's just outside the door of the trap and led a trial all the way to the back. I did the same thing with a can of sardines.

When I went to check the trap this-morning, I found that nothing had touched the bait, but a coon had took a big crap about 10 inches from the side of my trap and left. What was he trying to tell me?

boltejector · « **Reply #1 on:** January 07, 2005, 05:05:10 AM »

He is trying to tell you that he is aware of something not being right.
Put the bait IN the live trap and they will find it and when they do they will be yours!

fishdaddy · « **Reply #2 on:** January 07, 2005, 11:42:33 AM »

i pull leaves up around mine t kinda break up the outline and also helps stop reachins.
fish.

jim-NE · « **Reply #3 on:** January 08, 2005, 11:23:40 AM »

Kind of insulting, isn't it???
Every time I find a fired canine set with a fresh dump on or near the trap, I believe it has to do more with instincts urgencies, maybe a territorial thing to find some prominent object to mark the boundaries with...and my darkly dyed, fired trap is often the most prominent object sitting out in the immediate area. Could be a reaction to the food or gland attractors, too.
Who knows for sure. It happens. (sometimes I think it happens to me more than other trappers, but I could be wrong...)
I laugh to myself each time I find it happened at my sets. I guess if critters carried business cards maybe it would be less offensive if they left a nice, clean business card between the snapped jaws of my trap rather than just a fresh, steaming pile next to or even on the snapped trap itself.
Mostly it leaves me walking away trying not to take it "personally" or trying to keep my blood pressure lowered as I plan to avenge the critter with some new set nearby.

Asa Lenon · « **Reply #4 on:** January 08, 2005, 12:44:50 PM »

I've experimented with hundreds of different ingredients and there are definitely ones that elicit the animal to defecate on or near the set. If those specific ingredients are contained in the lure one is using, one will see this happen way more often than with a lure not incorporating these ingredients in formulation. Ace :-)