1000+ coon season

[4fur]

Wow! Great replies guys! Some well thought out ideas has me worried about coon becoming extinct if they ever are worth anything again. lol

The numbers guys who do it over and over again like Schmitt on mink, Brown on fox, Dave P and the other guy mentioned on coon, etc. will tell you to Keep It Super Simple. But I think you're over simplifying it MC.

Aug 22, 2010 21:51:14 GMT -6 Montour Cooner said:

The key to coon trapping success is "Stack Em High And Watch EM Fly Brotha".

They utilize the KISS method meaning predominately one size trap, one simple, easy and quickly made set, one bait and target only one specie. These type guys are trapping machines, or more correctly, trapping factories. Ever work an assembly line? You better be well compensated because it's very boring.

Any ideas on how to not violate the KISS method and still have enough variety to keep it fun? I'll tell you how I did it the last two years when I have more time.

[Scott W.]

This is a great thread. I have no input as to methods, because I'm nowhere near the magic number. I think the secret lies in line management, and that leads me to a question.

To you guys that have taken 1000 coon a year, or have done it for several years..... How many years did it take you to reach the goal after you KNEW how to do it, and still couldn't quite bring it together, even though you kept on trying? River bandit gave his answer already, thanks, anyone else have an aha light bulb moment that you care to share? Scott

[coonkiller11]

IOWA is THE STATE to do 1000 coon!!!

[jim blakley aka Gadget]

To Catch a thousand coon here In MN. you need 6 or 7 weeks of open water before freeze up . And a healthy population of coon . Its takes alot of work and long days . I still havent made a 1000 my best was 938 in 5 weeks .

[riverbandit]

Slacker........LOL

[chrisf]

In my experience, several things need to line up in order to hit the 1,000 mark. Being in physical shape is definately important, but perhaps the most important thing a trapper can do when attempting a goal like this is to be mentally prepared. I've longlined with numerous partners over the years, and most are not mentally prepared for the repetitious work day after day that is involved with making a large catch like this. Some are ready to quit after one day of this non-stop blitzkrieg trapping with no breaks. Others make it a few days before the non-stop eating your meals between sets and the constantly climbing up and down creekbanks catches up to them.

Another obstacle that prevents some trappers from accomplishing a goal like this is the refusal to adapt their methods. Time is perhaps the longliner's worst enemy, and some trappers never develop that keen sense of time management on the line and are hindered by this. The mediocre locations that would normally be set when hobby trapping need to be passed on and the high concentration denning and feeding areas need to be focused on and gang set heavily. Some trappers simply cannot bypass the mediocre areas because they think they are missing fur. In reality, yes they are missing a few, but your time is better invested in setting locations where you will take multiples several days in a row. A hundred high-percentage sets is most times better than 300 mediocre sets.

Also along the lines of time management is knowing when it is time to pull up and move to new territory. In order to maintain a higher daily average, the longliner should attempt to get new sets out every day and pull those where the cream of the crop has already been harvested. During the first three weeks of season, I rarely stay set in the same location for more than 5 nights, and sometimes less depending on weather and well how the coon run. As already stated in this thread, the first 500 come rather easy, but the second 500 are more difficult. By constantly having new sets out, a higher average can be maintained making the second 500 coon come a little faster. Anything the trapper can do to shave off a few seconds at each stop will obviously increase productivity.

It goes without saying that being very organized and systematic will definately aid in managing your time more than many realize. Anything that can be done pre-season or at home should be. Keep your truck/boat organized at all times. Fumble-farting around trying to untangle traps/snares that you haphazardly threw into a pile while still attached to stakes because you were in a hurry will cost you time in the longrun. I am usually not so polite the second time I am forced to remind a new trapping partner of this.

It also goes without saying that having more than enough good equipment in perfect working order is definately a necessity and goes without even saying it. Time should be your only limiting factor.

Going for large numbers has it's pros and cons, as mentioned above. It is hard work, both mentally and physically, and is not for everyone. For those determined to put up large numbers, I would say that being mentally conditioned is probably the most important thing a trapper needs to accomplish one's goals. If the mind is fully prepared for this, large catches can and will fall into place.
cf

[4fur]

Very good insight, chrisf! In fact, that's better than most of what I see in the trapping mags! But what is a partner? lol

[LLLTrapper]

That's the kind of stuff my friend wants to hear Chris. Time management is a pinnacle up on the list with hard work, determination and trapping where there are the #'s . Thanks for the posts and keep them going. LLL

[furgood]

I wasn't going to respond to this one, as I don't like to talk #'s, but a man has a goal and I will give some input if it might help him. I haven't trapped full time all season in a few years, however that mindset is hard for me to drop. This is the first year in 13 that I won't have an Iowa lisense. LLL, your friend is perfectly positioned to catch 1000 raccoon if he lives in SW Iowa or SE Nebraska. Large #'s can be caught trapping or snaring. I believe 200 traps or 1500+ snares should be minimum to achieve this, 300-500 traps or 1800+ snares would be better. Chrisf is spot on in his post, though I'm going to add some things to think about. I'm thinking that this 1000 coon # is a goal, a quest, something that will bring personal joy to this individual, so lets start with getting rid of some of the negatives or roadblocks to achieving this goal. I'm going under the assumption that your friend is already an accomplished trapper that knows his local area well, and that he lives in SW Iowa. If that is so he should scout areas 50-100 miles away in all 4 directions, at least to the north and the south. Yes that will put him into other states but this is a quest to be achieved not just dreamt about, and not having enough territory or having a blizzard or ice storms put you out of commission isn't going to get you there. Weather has a funny way of not hitting everywhere at once, and if you can move just a county or 3 in any direction weather will rarely put you out of commission(this also takes care of that low population disease excuse for low catches). If your friend has to sleep in his own bed every night disregard my next thought. Head north the first 7-10 days of the season and trap the areas scouted there. Also have a fur buyer/handler that you can deliver daily to(some may even let you crash there after a time). Put a couple rocks in your pockets(this advice was given to me by a great trapper and fur buyer I knew) I've never caught 400 coon before the 9th check, thats the 10th day of the season. I've never suffered burnout either. Now your friends back home, he's got few hundred coon under his belt, he hasn't hurt himself, has some energy and is excited to hit the places he knows best as well as sleep in his own bed. Yes, some of those coon have been caught but this is where he knows best and he will catch a few hundred more. Did he scout to the south, Missouri's season opens on the 20th(fresh dumb prime coons). Leave the snares at home(I don't like Missouri snare/conibear laws) you can catch plenty with footholds, and non-resident lisenses are reasonable. Now, by having enough equiptment, a plan for handling your catch, scouting 5x's as much territory as needed, knowing all laws for the areas you will be in, you have eliminated the main negitives for achieving this arbatrary goal. The T's, tools, time, talent, territory, temperment(stuff happens, how do you roll when they happen). If your friend has these, than let nothing stand in his way. Not weather, competition, disease, distance or other. Eliminate any potential roadblocks to a goal, and take an honest personal evaluation of self. If he is still a go, then only the resolve needs hardened. Wish him well, accidents, injuries etc. still happen, but it is doable.

[blackhammer]

Excellent post!Furgood

[Griz]

The excellent posts of chrisf and furgood contain good advise for any longliner trapper that traps the entire season whether they are shooting for 1,000 coon or not.

[iayogi17]

wow you guys are talking about getting a 1000 I would just like to get 50

[justwannano]

I talked to a guy here that said he and his brothers used to run a river line and took between 700 and 1K back in the old day$.
They would team up and run 15 miles of the Skunk and then turn the boat over to the other team and who would run another 15 miles each day. 30 miles of river a day.
Of course they were all in their late teens or early 20s back then.
Makes me tired just thinking of it.
I didn't ask but there must be 5 brothers because 1 of them just skinned.

Have a good 1
just

[LLLTrapper]

Guys if we were talking 2 guys I would ask the question "If you were going after a 2000 coon season in your opinion.............." Great posts guys,LLL

[furgood]

Mistake in my post. Missouri's season opens on the 15th this year. It was on the 20th for so long I didn't check.

[4fur]

Aug 29, 2010 19:26:30 GMT -6 LLLTrapper said:

Guys if we were talking 2 guys I would ask the question "If you were going after a 2000 coon season in your opinion.............." Great posts guys,LLL

Let's see...Your friend has 3 sons and a father that I know of...hmmmm!

Partnerships count the same in my book, especially if your working out of one vehicle, boat, etc. Anyone taking big numbers probably has to have support (carcass buyer, fur shed help, etc.). Partnerships never worked for me except for my brother when we were younger and he trapped. But that's just because he worked harder than me and we usually took his truck. I am no math whiz but I am good at dividing by one!

Marx said, "To each according to their need; from each according to their ability."

[4fur]

Great post, Joe!

[LLLTrapper]

Aug 29, 2010 22:16:22 GMT -6 4fur said:

Aug 29, 2010 19:26:30 GMT -6 LLLTrapper said:

Guys if we were talking 2 guys I would ask the question "If you were going after a 2000 coon season in your opinion.............." Great posts guys,LLL

Let's see...Your friend has 3 sons and a father that I know of...hmmmm!

Partnerships count the same in my book, especially if your working out of one vehicle, boat, etc. Anyone taking big numbers probably has to have support (carcass buyer, fur shed help, etc.). Partnerships never worked for me except for my brother when we were younger and he trapped. But that's just because he worked harder than me and we usually took his truck. I am no math whiz but I am good at dividing by one!

Marx said, "To each according to their need; from each according to their ability."

You quote Marks and I will quote my Father "If you don't work you won't eat!" LLL

[4fur]

Aug 30, 2010 6:36:41 GMT -6 LLLTrapper said:

Aug 29, 2010 22:16:22 GMT -6 4fur said:

Marx said, "To each according to their need; from each according to their ability."

You quote Marks and I will quote my Father "If you don't work you won't eat!" LLL

Big LLL is smarter than Carl Marx was, too! My point was, lots of advantages to trapline partnerships but like communism, it's very difficult to be equitable.

[furtaker72]

The first thing you will need to do is get organized. You need all traps set up the same. I try to stick with two sets and lay them out as fast as I can. I run one line all day long for three days without a change. When the third day comes I start adding 15 more stops at the end of the day and start pulling non producers.

You need to be effeciant and that is really all there is to it. Lots of preseason and never slow down. It is work lots of work. I know alot of friends that do 500 to 800 a year but never reach 1000 becouse they give up when it is cold.I pulled 164 sets on the last day last year. Never check 1 trap always check a minimum of 3 at a stop. Gang setting get in and get out asap.

[dshay]

A gps really speeds things up theres no guessing on where your trap is. What ever you think you need for traps double it.

[afoxj]

i usually trap dry land and run 200 plus conibears and 200 snares. the catch varys because of weather conditions. about 5 years ago i decided to catch 1000 coon. i knew i had to hit all the dredge ditches hard. i pocket setted 4 sets in heavy traffic areas along dredges, both at bridges and on private land creek sets. the first check i knew i was going to pull because i was catching smaller coon. the fur buyers grade hard against the smaller coon so i pulled all dredge ditch sets and went back to dryland where i pick up larger coon. just my two cents worth, and not saying creek trappers are doing it wrong by no means, just saying what i have to do in my area to get the larger coon.

[LLLTrapper]

Sept 6, 2010 9:14:32 GMT -6 afoxj said:

i usually trap dry land and run 200 plus conibears and 200 snares. the catch varys because of weather conditions. about 5 years ago i decided to catch 1000 coon. i knew i had to hit all the dredge ditches hard. i pocket setted 4 sets in heavy traffic areas along dredges, both at bridges and on private land creek sets. the first check i knew i was going to pull because i was catching smaller coon. the fur buyers grade hard against the smaller coon so i pulled all dredge ditch sets and went back to dryland where i pick up larger coon. just my two cents worth, and not saying creek trappers are doing it wrong by no means, just saying what i have to do in my area to get the larger coon.

When the season starts I would agree but after the first cold snap and still water start to freeze(terrace channels Etc.)the coon come to the ditches, even the big ones. I would definately use 220,d.p.s,some snares. I will not pass up an oppurtunity to catch any coon any way if going after 1000 coon you will catch some dinks and there is no way around that. Land trapping is not without catching small coon,grinners and stinkers and in my humble opinion thats almost worse than dink coon. LLL

[coonkiller11]

your gonna want to line up a lot of private land!!

[afoxj]

thats right that catching skunks and grinners is bad, but when i catch big boar coon thats good too. late season dredge trapping gives up big coon using just about any fox lure. however i was talking early season trapping gang pocket setting. ive had bad luck catching small coon early season.

[iayogi17]

Sept 6, 2010 14:48:22 GMT -6 coonkiller11 said:

your gonna want to line up a lot of private land!!

good point do you need private ground or could you do it all on public

[jim blakley aka Gadget]

A gps really speeds things up theres no guessing on where your trap is. What ever you think you need for traps double it.
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I guess Its a sign of the Times..... Ive been running 350+ sets for years and never felt the need for a GPS.....A map and a note book does the job.......
But I know the 6 countys I trap very well .....................

[skunked]

So did you modify your GPS Gadget? Or maybe modify your trapping clothes to put the GPS in...sew in a new zipper for the GPS on your sleeve or a new hook on your hat to hang it from. Cmon tell us!

[dshay]

I can rember where all of my sets are. I run about 350 sets my self and used a book for many years but i got tired of wrieting everything down and switched to a garmim 60csx. I just wedge it in the window and turn it on when i get in the truck. When you get to where you put a set its all you have to do is hit the mark button then the enter button. Takes about 5 seconds. Your set is saved. When ur checking its all you have to do is watch the screen and it has a little flag that tells you where it is. It saved me about a hr a day running with it.

The main reason i bought it its because a few years ago my grapa cut his fingers off in a table saw and i had a friend run my traps the next day for me and he found all of my traps. If something bad should happen someday i dont want anything to chance on not being able to find my traps.

[ringtail]

iayogi17..... I would think you can get by the early season just running public land/rows, but once the snow flies your gonna need private land to get to the denning areas