Protein thieves

[texashunter56]

Wow that's great. Any tips?
You use a large marshmallow as the bait?

Thanks. Yes I used mini-marshmallows, sardines, canned cat food,dry dog food, catfish pellets, deer pellets, corn, milo, golden nuggets, cotton balls sprayed with fish attractant scent, and a piece of tin foil down under the trigger spray with fish attractant. I use one bait till it stops working then switch to a different one. I also have to deal with fire ants so I switch baits according to season or rainfall amounts when the ants are the issue with eating baits. At times I rebait traps at dark due to ants. I also use Pam Cooking spray on my traps to keep them working freely. The key is to trap before the young ones are born so you do not have to deal with large numbers. If I see a coon on TC or tracks I key in on that location and catch them ASAP. I used to catch 130-150 coons, skunks or possums on one ranch every year. This happened for 7 yrs before I got there and 6 years I was there. It was much closer to a major creek and then a large river. Where I live now I do not have many stock tanks that hold water so it is mainly water troughs or seasonal drainages that hold a little water after a rain.

[barnag]

I better get after it to catch up to your numbers!

[texashunter56]

I better get after it to catch up to your numbers!

It won't happen overnight! Just keep the traps out and stay after them to keep the numbers down to where there are not an issue. I started with 12 Duke DP traps on my place. Coyotes got what was in 3-4 of them over the years and stole the trap with it. I learned to tie them off better with double the amount of 14 gauge tie wire. I have started to check the swivels on the tie end regularly since I had lost two more this past year to coons pulling the old swivels apart. I had them on TC so I know what happened over night.

[barnag]

I don't live on the property, but hopefully will be out there once a month for a few days each month to do some coon management...

[texashunter56]

If you can run the traps the night you get there and then a few hours after dark and then after daylight for a couple of nights each time you are there you will be surprised how many you can get rid of. If you have more than one feeder/water location then run all 4 traps at one location for the time you are there. Move them the next time you are there to a new location if you think you caught most of what was the location. I started with 6 traps all set at the same water trough for the first month. Then moved them around to feeders and finally bought more traps.

[barnag]

If you can run the traps the night you get there and then a few hours after dark and then after daylight for a couple of nights each time you are there you will be surprised how many you can get rid of. If you have more than one feeder/water location then run all 4 traps at one location for the time you are there. Move them the next time you are there to a new location if you think you caught most of what was the location. I started with 6 traps all set at the same water trough for the first month. Then moved them around to feeders and finally bought more traps.

Great idea. I have 3 feeding stations and bought 6 DP Dukes Coon Traps.
I'll hit the first feeding station hard for a month with all 6 traps as you suggested.

Now, are you saying I get there, set out the traps, check them at 11pm or so, see if I already caught some and reset, check again in the morning, reset and so forth?

[texashunter56]

Great idea. I have 3 feeding stations and bought 6 DP Dukes Coon Traps.
I'll hit the first feeding station hard for a month with all 6 traps as you suggested.

Now, are you saying I get there, set out the traps, check them at 11pm or so, see if I already caught some and reset, check again in the morning, reset and so forth?

Yes, I would look at TC pics to see which feeders have the most coons and then what times they are there. I would then hit the feeder with the most first. I would then check the traps after they first get there and hope more return after you leave. Note the times they are there and leave and more return.
With 6 traps I might work 2 feed locations. I would also set the traps far enough away from each other where you don't have one coon caught in two traps that he could reach. Don't ask me how I learned that little bit of advice.

[RMW]

Get a big steel deep pan and put 1lb of Golden Malrin to 2 gallons of Big Red. Refill everytime your around your protein feeders, which for me is about once a month during offseason. It will kill night and day for you. Don't worry about the dead coons, the buzzards will haul them off for you and it will not affect them.

Problem Solved!!

[MasonCo.]

Duke dog proof traps. Simple to use and fun to do. Ruger 10/22, case of beer and your ready to go. O yea and a bag of cat food from dollar general for bait.

[BolilloLoco]

Raise the feeder up to where the bottom of the feed spout/tray is 41". Do whatever it takes to prevent them from climbing the legs. I gave up on trying to eliminate them.

[S-3 Ranch]

Raise the feeder up to where the bottom of the feed spout/tray is 41". Do whatever it takes to prevent them from climbing the legs. I gave up on trying to eliminate them.

Bingo your feeding to low , a coon should not be able to stand up and dine on protein, and poison will knock down your problem some

[texashunter56]

If it is coon proof it is deer proof.

[Tuffbroadhead]

It amazes me how many people recommend breaking the law..SMH..

[S-3 Ranch]

It amazes me how many people recommend breaking the law..SMH..

And I am amazed at some of the laws that pesticides encompass

[BULL21]

I have a 300# boss buck free choice feeder that I run corn and protein through year round. I have nightly TC pics of 4-8 coons and have not had a single pic of one on the feeder in 3 years.