We've all heard and read about declining turkey numbers. Well we decided to stop fretting and complaining. We went to work to save some eggs. We started trapping as soon as deer season was over. We finished up today with 103 coons, 57 possums, and 1 nasty skunk. Just think if only one egg is saved per animal eliminated. That's a lot of poults.
Great job, the turkeys thank you
Nice! Well done sir!
Awesome guys
would love to know your tips and tricks! trap/setup/bait ect. always looking to get better
Yeah. Great job.
Like more details? If you don't mind?
How many acres? How many traps do you run?
What are you using for bait?
I'm running 15 traps on. 300 acres mostly around the creeks. Using mellows and cat food.
Just started last week. Got 4 coons and a possum so far
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Excellent work!
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Quote from: wchadw on February 09, 2023, 07:41:23 PM
Yeah. Great job.
Like more details? If you don't mind?
How many acres? How many traps do you run?
What are you using for bait?
I'm running 15 traps on. 300 acres mostly around the creeks. Using mellows and cat food.
Just started last week. Got 4 coons and a possum so far
We are trapping on several different farms. We are an outfitter in Milton Illinois. We run about 40 traps. Our bait is a mixture of dry cat food and sardines. Most of our trapping this time of year is around cut corn fields.
Good luck and keep after'm.
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Nice job sir!
Great job guys!!
Great job.
My good friend Tres Phipps who is a biologist and works for the department of wildlife, and who's also one of the best turkey hunters and callers I know, summed it up when we recently had a conversation about this same thing. "We as turkey hunters pay to turkey hunt and kill turkeys. Why are we expecting to be paid to trap and hunt predators. We should be willing to do it for ourselves and for the sake of the turkeys we hunt." That's really a powerful statement when you think about it.
Outstanding!
Just got 6 dukes and plan to start next weekend. I think trapping predators needs to become as common place as planting food plots in hunting culture in order to maintain populations.
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Any trappers out there? Is 15/16 trap's enough for 300 acres or should I bump it up to 30ish?
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Quote from: wchadw on February 10, 2023, 08:52:16 AM
Any trappers out there? Is 15/16 trap's enough for 300 acres or should I bump it up to 30ish?
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***Warning: Trapping is an addictive and can be an expensive undertaking. :)***
I am assuming you are talking DP traps. 2 doz DPs will kill a lot of fur....if in the right location and ON SIGN(tracks, poop, etc). Naturally, 4 doz DPs will kill more and so on. Set those DP right in the MIDDLE of their trails. They should be bumping their noses into the trap. I use "seafood flavor" cat food and mix in a can of ground sardines sometimes too(don't make too "wet" if you are in an area that freezes). I would set 2-3 per trail and once the catch slows down, move to the next trail, and the next.
Predator trapping is a little different. You have to be willing to look at a lot of empty traps. Most predators are on a "cycle". I've had traps that I drive by anyways so I leave that go untouched for 2-3 weeks and then bam....you catch 2-3 coyotes in a row. On 300 acres, you may only have 2 - 3 good locations needing 1-3 traps/per location. You could also have 10 locations. I have 1 farm that is 250 acres, but it is a "connector" between big blocks. I set 18-20 on that farm since there are some many travel corridors. Another area gets 18-20 over a 20 sq mile area....
The sets you made are there more locations like them spots. If the answer is yes then you could use more traps. In MN when prices were good and I was long lineing some creeks a half mile long I could have that many traps set in that single location. Yes the critters will move around and come to YOU. But if you don't have the time to waite you need to have the traps where the critters are. So gang set locations clean them out and move on. I will never clam to know everything because then you stop learning. But I owned a wildlife removal business for over thirty years so have some knowledge. More is always better if you can afford them and check them daily.
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And yes terrific job.
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I'm sure you will be greatly rewarded for your efforts... With that many predators I really don't see how your property could maintain a healthy turkey population. If only we all could be so motivated. :)
I ordered 12 more dog proofs and a couple foot traps for bobcats
That should put me at 28 dog proof traps
Got 5 coons and a possum in a week.
I trapped maybe 30 last year. Goons try to double that this year and get bobcats. Got a pretty big one running around
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Way to go!
The more the better. I have 17 and I've set them in a creek bottom about a quarter of a mile long. There's a beaver pond and numerous ditches/water holes that the raccoons like to travel around. If I had more I'd set them out because in this particular area they tend to walk everywhere.I've caught 15 raccoons and two possums in the last 10 days.
Quote from: Gooserbat on February 09, 2023, 10:09:58 PM
Great job.
My good friend Tres Phipps who is a biologist and works for the department of wildlife, and who's also one of the best turkey hunters and callers I know, summed it up when we recently had a conversation about this same thing. "We as turkey hunters pay to turkey hunt and kill turkeys. Why are we expecting to be paid to trap and hunt predators. We should be willing to do it for ourselves and for the sake of the turkeys we hunt." That's really a powerful statement when you think about it.
This^^
Many turkey hunters only think about helping the birds with predator control. Very few act. Some will spend big $$ and time to scout and hunt, but not a minute or a penny on predator control. The birds need more trappers. What are you doing to help the birds?
Nice work fellas, seems to be the trend, and it's a good one!
Some friends of mine trapped all year near the lodge they work at, trapped over 300 coons!
I used to trap a little when I managed properties, I spent ore time on habitat work though.
There is a guy in the county north of me that has a great youtube channel for anyone just getting started out. IowaTrapper is the channel. He kills over a 1,000 coons every year. He mainly traps road ditches but you can get an idea pretty quick on how he gets his numbers along with the locations/setups he uses.
For anyone that wants to make a dynamite coon lure that works and lasts, I came up with one back when I was 13 or 14 and in 10 years of trapping with I never once didn't catch a coon on it.
Take a empty peanut butter jar or a glass smuckers jelly jar. Fill it half way with bacon grease, melted. For the other half fill it almost to the top with Alaskan Salmon oil. You can purchase it at Cumberland's NorthWest Trappers Supply. Add in Goldfish food Flakes and mix it all up. Once it settles and cools It'll make a paste and you can smear it anywhere, it's cheap and lasts 2 to 3 weeks per smear. It doesn't take much, about a glob the size of a dime. If it rains and gets wet, the fish oil will run with the water and permeate anything it touches. You can also add cherry oil, vanilla oil, anise oil or whatever you want to mix it up for different sets or something different.
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Quote from: Gooserbat on February 09, 2023, 10:09:58 PM
Great job.
My good friend Tres Phipps who is a biologist and works for the department of wildlife, and who's also one of the best turkey hunters and callers I know, summed it up when we recently had a conversation about this same thing. "We as turkey hunters pay to turkey hunt and kill turkeys. Why are we expecting to be paid to trap and hunt predators. We should be willing to do it for ourselves and for the sake of the turkeys we hunt." That's really a powerful statement when you think about it.
Your friend nailed it ^^
Should be mandatory to have to trap at least 5 coons or other nest predators to purchase a turkey tag imo .
This just warms my heart. We thank you, the turkeys thank you, my momma would thank you, but she's dead. As Gooserbat said " Let's just do it ourselves". Buzzards need to eat to.
great job. I'm thinning the egg eaters down in my area best I can and I have friends doing the same. got an older friend that's on a mission to kill every crow and raven in his area. he said they're tough on turkey eggs too.