In the previous post, I showed some of the sets that I made on my early November trapline for racoons. Here, I provide some pictures of the results. I ran the traps for about 5 days and ended up with 8 coons and a number of other critters. Gas money and school/work kept me from expanding the line, and I ended up pulling before long.
This was the first ‘coon I wandered upon, caught in one of the pocket sets.
The next coon was taken from my hotspot, the culvert wall cubby set.
Blurry pic of a coon in the bank hole set.
I thought the short line was really successful, and a great learning experience. I also caught a number of other critters along the way, which I’ll share in later posts.
I have ahave a son interested in trapping, I have a question concerning how you handle the annimal once it is caught in the trap. Do you shoot it, club it or what method do you use to kill the animal (in a leg hold or live trap)? What do you do in cases of catching a dog in leg hold trap? Any information/ suggestions are appreciated. Thank you
Hi John. Sorry I took awhile to respond to your question. There are many humane ways to dispatch an animal caught in a foot trap. Most people shoot the animal with a .22 in the head or through the heart, which results in a quick kill. I would not recommend clubbing unless the animal is small or you can ensure that you will effectively knock it out with one blow.
Dogs are usually very easy to release from a foothold trap. If the dog doesn’t give you a hard time, just approach it and release the trap from its paw. However, if the dog is hostile, there are some alternative methods you can use. Most trappers carry a catch pole, which is simply a noose at the end of a pole that can be placed over the neck and tightened to keep the dog from biting you while you release its foot. Another method is to cut a slot at the bottom of a piece of plywood just big enough for a dog’s leg to slip through. Put the plywood between yourself and the animal, sliding the notch over its leg so that the foot and trap are on your side and the dog is on the other. Then, simply release the trap.
If you incidentally capture a bird, you can cover it with a blanket while you release it from the trap.
Hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy the site.
Ive been trapping over 40 years and have some experience with this. The catch pole system is practical and light weight. On land they all work. But in the water, a catch pole is much simpler.
Don’t trust dogs to be docile. If you don’t get the trap off the first try, they may get scared and when that happens, you’re in for some scars.
I use drowning sets as much as possible. But when I can’t drown them, I use a .22 short in the head. The .22 short is quiet and that’s why I use it.