Calling Coon's

[shaner72]

I was wondering if anyone has tryed to call coon's. I seen some coon calls on the market but wasnt sure if they worked or maybe someone has a better method. Im hoping to call them out of the barn into the field so I can take a wack at them or out of the bush.

 

[TheSnake]

I don't know about a call, but I have plenty of them under my deer feeder just before dark. They seem to love corn so maybe food is the way to go.

 

[deadlyswift]

I have never heard of some one calling coons in. Mostly coon calls are a stress call of a coon. When coon hunters dogs have the coon treed we would blow the call to get the coon to look so their eyes would light up and you could spot them. Helps a lot in the summer months, and even in the winter if a coon gets in the fork or lays flat out on a limb they are still hard to spot.

I have blown on the call a few times and had a few boar coons come down the tree so who knows it might work???????

 

[big bad bill]

I never heard of calling racoons, but I know they move around mainly at night. I live trap them with some ear corn and racoon bait, it is similar to a very concentrated jam mixture. Do not shoot them in the live trap as this will make a mess that takes time to clean-up. After I catch one, I put the coon and trap into the pond for 5 minutes and then put the coon in the field for the turkey buzzards. Some times I put a field camera nearby and get some really neat photos of the buzzards.
Another method is to put the trap up against a tree, open the door, the coon will climb the tree where you can dispach it with a firearm.
Good luck,
Bill

 

[big bad bill]

As a follow-up on live trapping, put the trap on a wide board or piece of plywood as the coon will pull everything within reach (gravel, dirt, grass etc.) into the trap making a big mess to clean out.
Bill

 

[TheSnake]

Funny story, my neighbor growing up was someone us kids looked up to. He had a Bee hive in the back yard (way cool) next to his green house and some land in the country he took us out to several times to shoot 22s. He always talked about how you could make a pet out of a baby Coon if you catch them young enough and bottle feed them. He said he raised several as pets during his life. Well we were amazed one day when he brought home a old wooden wire spool with wire mesh around the outside as a cage with two baby Coons inside. He said he was going to bottle feed them and make pets out of them. A few days later, after not seeing him around outside like we normally would, I knocked on his door to see how he was doing. He answered the door and looked like he had been in a fight with a Lion. His arms and face were all scratched up and he just looked horrible. When I asked what happened, he said he reached in to grabbed one of them baby Coons and guessed they must not have been young enough cause it tore him up one side and down the other. That was the end of my neighbor having Coons as pets. Never did asked what happened to the wire spool and baby Coons.

 

[Kings X]

One place I hunted was great for coons. They answered my cottontail distress call more than once. One even jumped on buddy from his blind side while he was calling.

 

[deadlyswift]

Funny story, my neighbor growing up was someone us kids looked up to. He had a Bee hive in the back yard (way cool) next to his green house and some land in the country he took us out to several times to shoot 22s. He always talked about how you could make a pet out of a baby Coon if you catch them young enough and bottle feed them. He said he raised several as pets during his life. Well we were amazed one day when he brought home a old wooden wire spool with wire mesh around the outside as a cage with two baby Coons inside. He said he was going to bottle feed them and make pets out of them. A few days later, after not seeing him around outside like we normally would, I knocked on his door to see how he was doing. He answered the door and looked like he had been in a fight with a Lion. His arms and face were all scratched up and he just looked horrible. When I asked what happened, he said he reached in to grabbed one of them baby Coons and guessed they must not have been young enough cause it tore him up one side and down the other. That was the end of my neighbor having Coons as pets. Never did asked what happened to the wire spool and baby Coons.

Coons are to be respected no doubt! I've seen 100lb walker dogs get their butt handed to them by a coon. Especially when they are in water over their head. A coon will climb on top of a dogs head and drown him in a few mins if the dog isn't smart enough to back off! They are very tough and very smart critters!!

As to coons for pets I had a sow that was a really great pet! However I got her out of a den before her eyes were open and raised her from the bottle! I will add tho! During her season like any female ;D she would eat you alive if you didn't leave her alone. She would give warnings tho. She was a great pet tho! I had her for 9 years! She help train 3 Grand Nite Champions!!

Coons are very smart animals and lots of fun to watch. They have what I call Four Thumbs! One on each foot. You should see them catch minnows in a bucket without even looking. (amazing) Personally I'd rather go up against a pit bull than a peed off coon!!

 

[snert]

Yes, they can be called. they respond well to a coon puppie tape (oh, did I just date myself by saying tape?). Works well around old barns, places where livestock tend to hang out. I used my tape in NY and Pa and it worked well. Dim red light at night, tape and a 12 ga.

I think my tape was a Johnny Stewart, but I know it is called Coon Puppies

Snert

 

[Rtheurer]

Huh.. how about that, never thought about calling them. Nice thread fellas i learned something new today. As a teenager we hunted old farm yards and graineries especially next to a corn field which seemed to be the hot spots. ( jack rabbits too) Lots of wildlife around those spots just never know what your going to find. Bats... I wasnt allowed to shoot them, they eat misquitoes. Or Barn swallows for the same reason.

Our neighbor down the road raised a few critters while I was growin up. they had a big ole fat Racoon named jenny, I bet she was 100+ lbs. they would put here in a huge kenel that had cupboards with all kinds of difrent latches and such and she learned how to open every one of them. Amazing how smart and clean a Racoon is. They alsoo had a pet skunk... yep a skunk it ran around with the farm cats and was never descented like most. She would eat up the dogs food and sometimes sneek into the farm house and would get booted as soon as she made it past the door frame. Never once sprayed a human. Or the farm Dogs ( Lady and Tramp) people would drive into the yard and never get out of the truck or car... pretty funny stuff.

Thanks for the thread.. Hate that I have to live in town now.

RussT

 

[LRPV]

I have called in coons and possums both with rabbit distress calls when trying to call coyotes. You can call them in right in the middle of the day, it doesn't even have to be dark. Guys around here will even use a decoy like the mojo critter. Walk along a creek until you find a big den tree and set up right under it. A few coon squalls later and they should start coming out of the tree.
Jason

 

[Catfish]

I`m to cheap to spend all of that money on a call. If your wife has a big pan and a wooden spoon that will work great. If not about any thing metal with a stick will work. I used to use a 12 lb. powder keg that was empty and just rattle a stick around in it. Carbide lites work best, but a head lamp with a colored lense, not to bright, will work. Just beat on you pan or rattle your stick in the can and shine the trees as you walk around the woods at nite. It works great on young coon and the first of season is the best time to do it, before all of the dumb coon are killed.

 

[texwelder]

We used a woodpecker or chicken tape......drove the coons nuts!!!

Just my .02

texwelder

 

[MrMajestic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq4CEef-1p4&feature=fvsr