Coon hunting

[Woodjr55]

I'm down at my property doing some scouting and checking my cameras and noticed a lot of coon tracks. What's the best way to hunt them with out hounds once the season opens?

[VT Outfitter]

Honestly, I have never hunted for raccoon with or without hounds. My Dad went with some friends of his way back in the day with hounds. I have always wanted to try it with hounds, but it is not as popular as it once was apparently. I have 4 beagles that I run rabbits with and that is a lot of fun. I guess raccoon hunting with hounds is done at night, which is the appeal to me I think. Not many critters you can legally chase at night. Sounds fun to me.  

[Four Season Whitetail's]

I'm down at my property doing some scouting and checking my cameras and noticed a lot of coon tracks. What's the best way to hunt them with out hounds once the season opens?

Very tough to do that one unless you can find a den tree. If you want them gone just trap or even live trap them!

[growalot]

Need a license to trap don't you?...Mr B can't find his and got it at such a young age they have no record...so Father and son will be going to class and getting their trapping licenses....If you have the cams up keep track of times they wonder by andgo out with a colored light to see them come in...Lots of times you can get close to a den tree and listen for their chatter..then spot in the tree to shoot 

[stoneam2006]

I have hunted coon with a million candelwatt or better light that I use a sharpie or similar (layout dye works great) to color the lens red. ..then I go out about 4 or 5 hrs after dark 11/12 pm I've had best luck and just slowly walk thru the woods shining trees and ground for eyes a 22 mag or shotgun works just fine. ...always wanted to run dogs just don't know any one who does...might work for ya....

[Doc]

They do occasionally come to varmint calls. Those that are serious about getting coons do use dogs or traps. As a kid, I use to make pretty good spending money with a long trapline, and coon sets were some of my best money-makers.

[HOUNDS77]

There are more coon hunters than you think around. Little tough to get with out trapping or treeing with a dog. On occasion you could walk thru the woods and make some noise then come back thru and shine trees with a low light or a red lens.

[PREDATE]

Trapping is the way to go. It doesn't get much easier if you can keep the oppossum and skunks outta your sets. When I say easy, I just mean waaay easier than K9 trapping. A 1 1/2 duke coilspring is perfectly adequate for taking coons. A sweet anise bait or tuna fish is all you need. I mostly trap K9s and mink and I try like heck not to catch coons for no other reason than I hate putting up coon pelts. A big boar coon is GREASY!!

A baby coon sound on a foxpro/e-caller will get them coming in too.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

[papabear]

I never hunted them i di dtrap them way back inthe days   every one i k now that hunted did it at night with dogs 

 

[growalot]

Growing deer TV has some real good advise in their archives on trapping...

[bowslinger]

if u can swing the money get a e caller and the sound coon puppies be ready too shoot

[turkeyfeathers]

Trapping is the way to go. It doesn't get much easier if you can keep the oppossum and skunks outta your sets. When I say easy, I just mean waaay easier than K9 trapping. A 1 1/2 duke coilspring is perfectly adequate for taking coons. A sweet anise bait or tuna fish is all you need. I mostly trap K9s and mink and I try like heck not to catch coons for no other reason than I hate putting up coon pelts. A big boar coon is GREASY!!

A baby coon sound on a foxpro/e-caller will get them coming in too.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

What he said 2x  Buddy caught 19 grinners on 9 acres before catching a few fox and coyotes. Had to thin out those double yellow line straddling silver fox. Coon are alot of work for the return. Muskrats are easy and plentiful for good $. I second the trapping of coon. Complete trapping course and buy some DP traps. They are so easy to catch. The DP's will help eliminate catching grinners and stinkers too. 

[Pygmy]

Coon hunting without hounds ?? SACRILEDGE !!!...

Just kidding, of course, but when I grew up my Old Fat Father always had a coon hound or two. Coon hunting was his passion.

I've spent a lot of time in the woods over the years , including LOTS of time at dusk and dawn, and there have been a few times when I could have taken coons as targets of opportunity.

However, if I wanted to kill coons with any consistency, I would consider either trapping or getting a coon hound.

Good luck..

Edited August 2, 2014 by Pygmy

[Cabin Fever]

These guys sure make daytime coon calling look fun! The TBR Outdoors guys were suppose to have a whole DVD out of daytime coon calling, but I have yet to find it!

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6TA1R1IDpQ

[Pygmy]

Sure looks like fun, Cabin..

Calling ANY game to the gun is a rush, whether it is turkeys, deer, predators, crows ,ducks or whatever.

Looks like those fellers know what they are doing when it comes to calling coons.

[Doc]

These guys sure make daytime coon calling look fun! The TBR Outdoors guys were suppose to have a whole DVD out of daytime coon calling, but I have yet to find it!

 

Ok, what was the call they were using? I have heard that noise up on top of our hill at night (in the dark) while coming home from a hunt but couldn't see what was making it. I always figured it was two (or more) coons fighting, but never knew for sure. So when I heard this ruckus on their game caller, I had to ask.....What the heck is it?

[airedale]

Sounds like they are using a Coon Squaller, it mimics the sound of a fighting Coon. Coon Squallers are also used at night after the dogs tree them to make them look so the light hits their eyes and you can spot them especially when the leaves are on. They can be either a mouth call or an electronic call.

 

A Woodpecker shriek on an electronic call will bring them out of their holes also.

 

Al

Edited August 31, 2014 by airedale

[ants]

With out dogs??? My best guess would be to find an area, where you know they are and try to bait them. If thats even legal. Im not sure.

[agross]

Hunted many coons with hounds and cur dogs.  Only time that I saw them during the day was an occasional one during deer season on his way back to his den.

 

If you want some excitement, find a coon hunting club or hound club, try a google search, and go alone for hunt and watch.  Can be hot and very buggy in the summer but it is fun.

 

I think a lot of guys don't run hounds much anymore is because of loss of land.  Some of those hounds can go a mile or more before they strike a coon if there aren't many around.  On Long Island, out by the vineyards coons are a dime a dozen so getting one treed can be done without your dog going too the next county. 

[landtracdeerhunter]

Theirs no better feeling, than to be out in the woods at 3 in the morning hearing your coon dog working a hot scent.  Been there many times. That aside, trapping is the way to go without a dog. Take the NYS. trapping coarse. Know the laws of trapping. Learn the locations for the sets. Harvest the coon. And what ever you do, don't salt the hides.

 

[Kot2B]

Theirs no better feeling, than to be out in the woods at 3 in the morning hearing your coon dog working a hot scent. Been there many times. That aside, trapping is the way to go without a dog. Take the NYS. trapping coarse. Know the laws of trapping. Learn the locations for the sets. Harvest the coon. And what ever you do, don't salt the hides.

What does salting the hides do?

[ATbuckhunter]

I think you'll do best with a trap.