Author Topic: coons and cold weather (Read 748 times)

bbeavereater · « **on:** December 17, 2004, 12:06:59 PM »

well the coons have slowed down a lot due to the colder weather here in southern indiana. This really sucks because my break begins next week. I usually target beavers and muskrats during colder weather but I dont have too many beavers to trap this year. I was just wondering what kind of sets you all like to make for these cold nights.

jim-NE · « **Reply #1 on:** December 18, 2004, 03:31:25 AM »

I think I've commented on this before, but you really have to keep a close eye on the forecasts...not just today and tonight but the next few days and longer range forecasts. My experience with coons in winter is that temperatures are all about relativity. 20 degrees in early November is going to feel downright cold...but not so much in January. Our bodies get aclimated to the temperature averages, and I firmly believe that coons do too. I have had very good luck watching the weather reports, and look for those "warmup" trends over the course of a week or two. Really significant warmups will put more coons on the move faster, of course, but apparently so do the not so significant ones, too. I've also noticed that it doesn't happen just because things climb up in one day only.
Example: if the trend over past week has been only barely above freezing point during the day, and in teens to low twenties at night, then when I see a forecast of some evening temperatures in low 30s and daytime highs back up in the 40s, I know I can count on "some" coon movement but won't be noticeable until about a day or so into that new weather pattern. I learned to "time" this in anticipation of the warmup...and get out a day or two ahead of that warmup and pound in a ton of sets where you know you still have some coon populations. Often the water sets are all frozen over and they may not open back up in just a few short days of mild weather...so you can't really count on pocket sets to function well for you. Also, the later in the year, the more coons' attention is on sex and less on food, I believe. Plus, the food supplies and access to that food changes once the water freezes up, too. I go to a lot of dirthole sets, #220s or snares on trails, and dryland cubby-type sets this time of year. Use lots of bait at your dirtholes, lots of "eye-appeal" like a big dirt pattern, big dirthole, big mound of dirt behind the hole, etc. A good coon gland lure or even a fox gland lure seem to work very well for me this time of year on dryland coon sets. The #220s and snares will just be blind sets on trails I think will get used by the coon once they get moving around. Habitat is key this time of year, too. Big, mature older trees (den sites) or old beaver lodges, beaver bank dens, big brush piles, old abandoned farm buildings and farmsteads, etc. all make good denning locations. Then look for some food source nearby...picked grain fields with some grain on the ground, maybe a trickle stream still open, etc. Start connecting the dots between denning sites and food sites. Set the trails you find between them, then just keep an eye on the weather reports and be patient. If you do see a big cold snap anticipated, plan for that accordingly too as that will shut the movements back down in a hurry...and no sense tending a lot of empty sets in blistering cold if you don't have to. Sometimes I will just go snap all of my traps and cover them up...then wait for the next big warmup trend...and go remake sets a day or two ahead of the trend. Having your sets ready for those movements I truly believe is the key.
Hope this wasn't too wordy...but this is a favorite topic of mine. Late season coon especially in this region around Christmas time seem to be at their absolute prime best. You may not pile up the numbers that you can in early November...but the quality is a very good offset against early coon quality, too. There is just something magical about "Christmas" coons.
Jim-NE

Jacktheknife · « **Reply #2 on:** December 18, 2004, 03:46:41 AM »

Know what you mean BBeav,
Been cold down here in Texas as well. Almost got down to freezing!
And coon down here would not think of venturing out if it got that cold.
Sets, I have been running a line the last two weeks, all cat sets.
I plan on running out my entire foot line and make nothing but cat sets, and then when the high dollar cat sets are about done, the line marked, where it goes down the thicket, from the head waters of Coon creek to the pond, marked where I can follow it, {find it} I will put in sets for the coon. Coon are not bringing but $6. here half what they brought 15 years ago. Whereas Cat are bringing as much as they have ever brought, Coyote more, I will make coon skin hats and sell them on e-bay, for $80.00. And that reminds me... {Oh no...}

The last post I contributed about anti trappers,
Occured in the hardware store in the crappy little town north of where I live, we will call it looserville.
The next time I went in there, I was looking at clamps to help secure handles on my knives. The guy who worked there when I was insulted about my trap, my choice of president, and then asked where I lived.
{Never told the little {colorful explicitive] coward where I lived}

But the next time I went in there... I was mentioning how I saw four 400-500 pound Hog that morning, out on my trapline.
And how with the CHRISTmas season approaching I was working hard to finish a few dozen knive too.
And how I had found a road kill coon the other day, just stopped, did not even have to get out of my truck, but rather opened the door, leaned over and grabbed [mr. dead coon] by one hind foot and throwed him in the back.
The dude was obviously being unfriendly so as to see if I was crazy, mean, unfriendly, or just a trouble maker that should be banned from the hardware store before I beat one of his customers to death.

I said need a Hog?
"No I don't need a Hog."
Oh, how about a knife? need a knife?
'No, I don't need a knife either."
Hmmmm, you don't need a knife either, Hmmmm
I know ! How about a coon skin cap!
The guy who has a great sense of humor anyway, busted out laughing!
He was beside himself with mirth, I said you would look good in a coon skin cap, as I looked him up and down, like a jewish tailor.
"uncontrolable laughter."
They are coming back!
"Ha Ha Ha, he said something about that road kill,"
Oh! He will smell gooood!!! time I get him tanned!
I mean tanned!!!
It will smell as good as the insides of a brand new pair of $100.00 gloves!
The guy is still laughing and literally can not breath.
You would be one of the first to have one, a real trend setter you would be.
"ha ha, gag!"
just thought I would ask
The guy was getting control of hisself now, calming down, and I finish with:
They're going fast!
That really got him, ya'll know how some people are especially fat ones.
They are jolly, well this was a jolly ole dude, bib overalls and all.
The boss who was in the back listening came out and was laughing too, and shaking his head.
I guess they decided the little guy who insulted me the week before was a [colorful explicitive] after all and had asked to be yelled at.
Needed yelling at as it were.

Knife

trappnman · « **Reply #3 on:** December 19, 2004, 08:49:34 AM »

jim pretty much said it all... I trap most of my coon up here in Mn from now til the end of Feb.

Two other things- water, water, water....I firmly feel coon travel to water for a couple of reasons..but #1..to drink. I keep pocket and pipe sets operating on slide wires all season long. After the years, I got to know just about where most of the wandering coon show up at.

#2- I also beleive based on al ot of things, that mid winter coon ...are NOT driven by hunger. That is, while they might eat a piece of fish...they might just as well not. What this translates to is that FOOD and FOOD LURES, are perhaps not the best things ot use in midwinter. I like a strong curiousity lure... or skunky call lures, even fox urine...seem to produce more in cold than anything.

Biggest tip I can give you....give every coon set you have out a good shot of fox urine on the eve of a soft. misty warmup....trappnman

Buzzard58 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 20, 2004, 12:44:05 PM »

Interesting theory but full of flaws..........

The flaws are locale .........one who would read Trappenmans post would concure that coons move all winter long because it is noted that he lives in Minnisota.

While his #1 reason for trapping coons from now till febuary is 100 percent correct, he is in a different locale where he has open water............January in western nys, even lake erie is froze over and their aint a coon anywhere but in a den somewhere.

Trappenman has the Mississippi river which has to have open water or the coons wont be out.

We wont even get into snow fall..........

RdFx · « **Reply #5 on:** December 20, 2004, 01:11:03 PM »

You can have 4 foot of snow and everything froze up in your area and if you know where springs are by themselves or by ponds, lakes or streams the coons will know where they are too and you can set those areas up... Like Steve said they arent really hungry but the musky or fox urine or fox lures do bring them in to sets.

trappnman · « **Reply #6 on:** December 20, 2004, 03:07:41 PM »

flaws?

From NE to KS to MN to IA to WS to Mi...et al....coon move throughout the winter. Coon are SEMI hibernators...that is,,,they do not hibernate (with all the physical changes thant entails)...no, for all practical purpoises, they simply, for lack of a better term...hole up.

but they come out during every warm spell---I don't care how much snow there is...get a crust to walk on...and they do. A lot. To think that coon don't move on snow is just plain wrong. I catch coon all winter long that travel in some cases MILES to get to the open water I trap.

As Rdfx says- they know every spring and open water area around.

in country with no open water..they know the stock tanks, the feed lots, etc.

BTW- the Mississippi freezes solid here- is now..as do all the small and medium rivers... took me a lot of years to find places where I can keep traps out all winter...and even then I fight ice.

Buzzard58 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 20, 2004, 03:32:28 PM »

guess i have been proved wrong...........let me know how many coons you harvest between now and the end of febuary...........lol

kinda hard justifing trapping acouple coons 20 miles apart at a farmers barn yard for a 10 dollar average w/ gas bein what it is.............better chase beaver Steve, heck they average just as much as any thing you catch there and are plentyful thruout the country.

trappnman · « **Reply #8 on:** December 20, 2004, 04:17:56 PM »

you are right on that Buzz- it is hard taking a few coon here and there... and I couldn't do it on the coon alone...but add in the mink, the rats, the beaver...and you can do all right.

Between now and the end of Feb, assuming average weather...I'll pick up another 150 or so coon...all in water, on snow. You might go 2 weeks with nothing..then 25 in a few days....

jim-NE · « **Reply #9 on:** December 20, 2004, 04:46:03 PM »

I catch 90% of my winter coon in predator sets...unless I see those warm up trends and then I will set for them specifically. I almost never have any open water on location...lots of flat picked bean fields, low-grazed pastures, etc. but somewhere in vacinity is always decent denning sites like mature old cottonwood trees, vacant farm buildings, brush piles, old beaver dens, etc.
I get a lot of coon on coyote or fox gland lures in late winter. If I am setting specifically for coon anticipating a warming trend in next few days, I snare or #220 the trails through weeds or fencerows, and I put a lot of big dirthole or flat sets in. Coon gland lure, red fox gland lure or urine, etc. all work well late season. Doesn't have to be above freezing...just slightly more than the average past few days temps to get coon moving.
And again, this time of year, in this region, coon are at their absolute prime condition, too.

Bogmaster · « **Reply #10 on:** December 21, 2004, 04:31:22 AM »

Buzz,I doubt if there is a Minnesota coon caught in the next month that would average 10 bucks----now is the time of 20.00 plus MN.coon.
Tom

jim wallner · « **Reply #11 on:** December 21, 2004, 09:10:49 AM »

There aint any 20 dollar coon either.

Buzzard58 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 21, 2004, 11:56:35 AM »

Boggy,

While I disagree w/ you totally...........you aint gonna average 20 bucks a coon next month....this pic is worth prbally 30 of your high dollar coons at one set in two weeks w/ no gas expense...........its a adc beaver job w/ fringe benefits.

fishdaddy · « **Reply #13 on:** December 22, 2004, 03:36:19 AM »

now im not a big numbers guy i catch a few coon i catch them when it warms up even if its only a couple degrees i set in places where there is big trees mostly old hollowed out beach i set the trails leading from them to the creek i try and keep my traps working and watch the weather when it getting ready to warm up i relure everything eccept the procoon as you can still smell it.
fish.

Bogmaster · « **Reply #14 on:** December 22, 2004, 04:42:17 AM »

Buzz,is that ice I see?
Jim,there are lots of $20.00 coon.#1 you wont get it selling in the round.#2A lot of your smaller buyers blew their wad,paying to much for early coon.
There are no coon better than Minnesota dec/january coon.You may have to ship to get the better prices.But don't expect it from those buyers trying to buy down the average on coon they over paid on.
Tom

fishdaddy · « **Reply #15 on:** December 22, 2004, 10:03:02 AM »

we just got about 6 ins. of snow here in central ohio but its still relativly warm they moved some last nite what do you think about tonight?

jim-NE · « **Reply #16 on:** December 23, 2004, 04:36:31 AM »

We've averaged teens for highs all week long, nights around zero to single digits only, with stiff wind chills. The ice is very thick after several days of this extreme cold air mass.
Forecast for Sunday is to be in the 50s. It will take days for any water around to open up, save for some big water or moving water such as bigger rivers, etc.
Saturday highs will be in the lower 30s. Saturday, in my opinion will be a perfect day to get a bunch of coon sets out "in anticipation" of the upcoming and unseasonably warm spell. I bet Sunday night into Monday and Tuesday nights will be great coon movements. If they are traveling to water...I may not have access to the land with that water myself...but I should be able to intercept them in there movements through the sections that I do have access to.
Jim-NE