Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Tell me about dog-proof coon traps.

I've had a lot of success with the Haveaheart traps catching coons, but now they've "caught on" to the Haveahearts, and I've got to switch things up as I'm still having a lot of coon issues around here. Dog-proof traps have been recommended by a buddy who swears by them, and they seem like a good answer. I've probably got the bait situation figured out (marshmallows and a sweet syrup for scent), but could use some hints for securing them, as it looks like the spikes would pull out, and any tips would be gratefully accepted. I ordered four of the DPs, and need some advise on how to deploy them.

I'm trying to avoid catching the damned cats that hang around, (hence the sweet syrup and not something fishy). Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

The spike on the base is for placement not anchoring. I use fender washer anchors on mine with about a foot of 1/8 inch cable connected to the swivel. Rebar stakes work well also, length depending on your soil.
For bait I use the mini marshmallows and fish oil with some anise added for scent. Never caught any cats in mine but I don't set them in areas with cats... Skunks and possums will get in them. If mice start stealing your bait just place a small rock or walnut on top of the trap... a coon will knock it off to get at the bait. I spray paint my dog proofs as well as my conibears to keep them from rusting. Sometimes the first coon will have the paint worn off and the trap shined up and other times you might catch several in a trap and have very little paint worn off.

I like the trapsusa.com brand.

I forgot the price. $120/12? Made in the USA.

I bait them with a mix of dry cat food, corn, jelly beans, marshmallows amd gummy bears.

I am trapping now at Deer feeders using the Dukes dog proof traps and they catch coons. Lots of coons. Miniture marshmallows work great. Wish hide prices were good. I could get rich.

JMHO- I don't like to put any liquids or sticky
mess in a DP trap. I'll use dry dog food or cat
food, or at a feeder the obvious bait is deer
corn .
For the uninitiated, they need to be staked
out twice as well as you think they do
A truck brake rotor is a good anchor if driving
a stake isn't practical in rocky soil.
Adding a good MB crunch proof swivel won't
hurt anything

I won't skin one for $3.00 either

FWIW the trapping supply companies
sell some DP molded soft plastic
baits made specifically for DP traps
for the type of trigger the specific DP
trap uses

I keep them out pretty much year round, as there is a creek that goes through my property, and the coons really use it. I either drive a T-Post in the ground and wire it to that, or use a small tree. I have actually had two coons make off with traps, with one of them gnawing the tree down. I use dry cat food, and a dash of vanilla flavoring. I've caught coons using bait that had been rained on for a week, so I guess the freshness of the bait is not that important. I've caught possums, skunks, and a squirrel as well. Skunks aren't fun to deal with either.

I’d like to find bait that doesn’t attract ants.

That’s problem i have with my mix. The sweet brings in the ants.

I've got some T-shaped foot-long tent pegs, I figure I'll drive them thru the swivel of the DP trap, and then put a 50lb. paving stone on top of it, so's they can't pull out that little stake. I wanted longer stakes, but couldn't find any because everyone's sold out locally. I strongly doubt that they can pull that out with that stone on top. They've been hanging around that stone for a couple of years, it's not new to them, so it shouldn't spook them away.

I think the damned coons have already killed the little kitten I was trying to protect. They've gotta go.

I don't think that would hold around here even with the rock. I think that what you are talking about pegs are like some tent pegs I've got... like a big nail with a little plastic tee. If you're dead set on using the pegs then I'd recommend doubling or tripling some bailing wire to about 4 feet long and fasten one end to your swivel and the other to a concrete block... extend it on the opposite side of your rock from the trap. That way if he pulls the peg out he'll be dragging the block and may not get away.I don't think that the block will spook them at all.

Can you get any 1/2" rebar about 24" or so? You can weld a nut on one end... if you don't weld, your local muffler shop would probably do it pretty cheap or you can heat the rebar with nut in place red hot and hammer the nut mashing it to the rebar.
Coons are strong and if it can get ahold of a sapling or other solid object with the free front paw and use it for leverage to pull against your trap then he's probably not going to be there for long and he may get away with your trap on his foot.

I use t posts driven in the ground and wire the trap to that with a spring between the wire and the trap. Agree, coons are strong. Marshmallows and whole kernel corn worked for me.

As already mentioned, just wire them to something solid and I wouldn't worry too much about new structures spooking them. I've only seen one cat caught in one and it was a kitten, I've caught tons of possums and skunks in them though, and a black bear got caught by the tongue in one here in the county a couple weeks ago.

I use old kinked up snares to anchor them to nearby trees. Throw 4 or 5 clove hitches in the other end and let the coons tighten them for you. It wouldn't surprise me if a coon drug a 50lb paver out of the way and pulled up a stake. The last coon I trapped had broken both it's radial and ulnar bones trying to free itself.

Thanks, Dinny

I just had to try out the tent pegs and paving stone on top of the pegs. Caught two young ones this morning. I had a trail camera up watching the traps, and that paver was just too much for them. Apparently, they weren't big enough to move the stone. I have 257 pics from that sequence, and they just couldn't get purchase on the stone to turn it over or even move it. Even when Mama Coon came to help, nothing helped. I DID double-up on the tent pegs, two per trap, then the stone. Looking at the pics, that stone is just too much for them. I doubt Mama Coon will get caught, but #3 coon cub just might be dumb enough to get caught. Two down, two to go, until the next bunch comes along.

Dog proof coon traps can turn anyone into a coon trapper in no time at all. I bait with marshmallows and cat food, no issues catching cats. Any type of jelly will also work for bait. I use 24 inch rerod stakes to anchor them down.

I use a few different DP's. My favorite is the bridger T3 because of the circle triggers.

dog-proofs are fast and easy, especially if you only want to catch coon. You can use marsh mallows an sweet bait to exclude cats and possums. I used them extensively when trapping in places not legal to keep fox. I use the original lil griz and dukes. I don't like 2 way triggers.

The downside: you will only catch coon. I have seen numerous mink, otter, etc tracks exploring fish oil trails to my traps, and them pull the traps out of the ground, etc

Also, you need to be right on the coons path of travel, but there will still always be a certain % of refusals, a certain number of coon that won't reach into the trap.

I’ll say that I thought you could only catch coons in them, but I promise you can catch skunks and opossums in them too. I’ve seen me do it...a lot....

You can avoid those by adjusting bait.

I usually use cable stakes but on occasion use other types of anchors also. Sometimes I use snare cable fastened to a sapling.

This.

I attach the trap chain to a 1in section of metal pipe which is just slipped over the tee post. That way they can go round and round. Best invention ever for taking them out but there must be 2000/square mile in SE Oklahoma.

I anchor mine with my homemade coyote drags. Let them drag to the nearest tall grass and that's where you will find them. It doesn't take much to stop a coon.

lucky charms work great
sprinkle a few around the trap to tease them and a bunch inside
they wont attract skunks and being small they have to work the set longer

I also use marshmallows and cat food. It helps to squirt a little fish oil around the trap to have a larger scent cone.

Mice can rob them no problem.

I have four set out right now, even though trapping season is over. Two coons and a possum in the past few days. I am baiting with dry cat food and a marshmellow if I think about it. If I don't keep them set out here around the premises, I can't have sweet corn or chickens.

In my opinion the Raccoon is the worst of the common varmints. Coyotes are bad but are nowhere near as numerous.

I use what I call a coon cuff trap. I dont know who makes it though. I have two of them out right now and I caught 3 coons this week. I will likely trap 20 of them by fall. I should just trap then year round instead of just in the summer. I wont waste my time skinning them , however if I do trap them in the late fall, and I get a real good coon, I might skin it. Are goos coons even worth $10?

Nope!

I am fond of the Push/Pull Z-trap DPCC.



The soft baits seem to work but they can be a hassle to get in place.

https://www.fntpost.com/Products/Ztrap+Dog+Proof+Trap





I double wrap tie wire to a feeder leg or t-post.




ya!

GWB

They certainly will catch cats and skunks, depending on bait, but it’s been the only thing I’ve found that will actually put a dent in the coon population. We’ve been catching dozens a year.

Just wish the dang mink would reach in once in a while…..

They work well for me.I usually use some of the kids sweet smelling candy in the trap and bait around it with dry cat food.Seems to cut down on the skunks and possums.Deer corn works fine around feeders.

Smallest, cheapest dog or cat food with a generous spray of liquid smoke. Brings them in. I only fill to the top of the catch lever. Most I catch have both paws in the trap.

Use Diatomaceous Earth around the base of the trap to keep ants away. It's like spreading broken glass on your kitchen floor in front of the fridge. Sometimes you can find it in the garden centers and it includes a small plastic bellows duster to apply it.

Also, agree on the cable idea to secure it, although I sometimes use cable stakes where there isn't a good anchor point. I like the idea of a pipe section to go over a t-post and will rig a few of those up.

Amazon sells it.

First coon that I've caught with both hands in the trap.

Caught a big possum in mine this morning.I guess he beat the coons to it.

I use dog food for bait and the local coons like it well enough. I use a concrete block with about 4 feet of light chain looped through it so they can drag it a little ways. The bad part of coons and dog proofs is that a big old boar coon will sometimes be so pissed off when you show up that he's coming for a piece of you when you get within 40-50 feet and I have had one damn near get his hand ripped off he wanted a piece of me so bad. Hitting the end of the chain that hard one more time might have done it. Scared me when I saw how close he'd come.

Small powdered donuts torn in small pieces......they can't resist.

Neither can I.