For all of you expericanced Northern trappers at what temp do coons stay in thier den and not wander around looking for my traps?

When it gets down in the lower 20s

really, I believe you I just thought it would be more like lower 30s. So you are saying if it is 28 degrees to keep after them. Interesting.

here i'd say 30 and below. they will still move, but not far from the den. and mine seem to leave the stream edges when it frozen and hit high ground and fields, the only food around.

I have caught coons when lows was in the teens here

Here in SE.MN., in Nov, almost every night is in the 20s my catch is good right up to freeze up. Last year it came on nov. 28th.

Yeah, I agree with Jimby. Typical nights are in the mid to high 20's. Not uncommon to have the edge of cricks or culverts with ice on them.

I've caught coons many nights with temps in the single digits to slightly below zero.

~ADC~

Thanks for all the imput everyone.

"I've caught coons many nights with temps in the single digits to slightly below zero"

Ditto...I catch alot of coon on some danged cold/rough nights in my cat traps and snares.

Corey

I catch them in my coyote sets out in the middle of nowhere even when the temps are hovering around zero degrees. These are big boar coon though, the money makers.

Corey, when you are catching those cold weather coons in cat traps and snares, how would you say they are in relation to water. Do you think the coons actually AVOID water at those times, because all the food is froze up, and hunt away from it instead?

He said experienced NORTHERN trappers. LOL

Not unusual to take them in my cat sets in single digit or below slightly below zero if there is little moisture coming down...We used to hunt them with hounds on single digit nights and seemed to always score good on the boars...Tom

So what all you are saying is hit hard all season long. Even when it is real cold.

Coon will typically hole up for a few days after the first snow of the year until their sensitive feet get used to the feel of snow. After that they will venture out no matter how cold it is. Last winter I saw fresh coon tracks on the frozen river with a night time low of -22 degrees. I have caught coon in fast moving streams with overnight lows below zero.

It's been my experience that the first significant snow really slows them down, especially if there is a bad cold front behind it. Coon still move somewhat, but for me coon movement is always greatly diminished. It can pick up again though if the snow melts.

now you can get in to trapline management philosiphy. can I catch coon at zero degrees? YES.
do I want to run a 200 mile trapline for 2 weeks at single digit, to sub zero temps, burning feul at 5-6$ per gallon?
not on this budget. stick to the low 20 degree temps and above, for a productive efficient coon line, I dont care how big it is.
that seems to me to be when the most coon are running most of the time.

another thing, Im not trying too tell u you cant be productive in very cold temps Im just saying thats what has worked well for me. another thing if you want to get into specifics,? I'm talking averages in low to mid twenties, (now that i think about it) these nights seem to produce good coon movement, but yea there are also some other variables like said above.

I think it depends on if there's snow on the ground and also how long the snow has been there. If there's not any snow they'll move well down into the single digits. My best night(26 coons) the overnight low was 6 or 8 degrees and the highs were somewhere in the low to mid teens. Most of those 26 were caught high and dry in trails leading to cornfields or buckets set near den trees and/or toilets.
Like Goldy and Dave said that first snow really seems to slow them down for awhile. But when the overnight lows start getting into the 20s, they seem to start moving again. When the overnight lows get up to the high 20s and/or low to mid 30s they'll really pick up again.

I'll never forget one big boar coon caught on a night that the wind chills were sub zero and actual temps were low-single digits...came out of his den tree and made a B-line through 6" of snow to a dirt hole set about 50-60 yards from his den.
Seems like they'll run when and where the sows and yearlings won't.