What % of coon do you loose in DP traps?

Iv lost several that had a little hair in opening thinking they might have hit dog from out side before being fully committed. Had a couple get out thinking grabbed on to something for leverage. Last one on trail cam in open field was there and chewed off in less than 6 hours.

I've never had a coon chew in a DP. They chew sometimes in a regular foothold because they can access the numb part of their toes/foot. They WILL NOT chew a part of their foot that still has feeling.

Dont know where you got that from...

I have seen chewing in dps above the trap many times. Sometimes severely. I suspect those particular animals were not right due to diesease.

I've seen chewing above the dog proof as well. But not often.

I still set them.

I've been using a lot of DPs for a long time and have had 3 pull outs.

If my dp"s are sprung there has been a coon in them.

I don't know if I've even lost 3 EVER. I did lose two in a culvert opening that I had staked outside the culvert so it would be easy to dispatch. The trap just reached the corner of the culvert and when the coons went inside the spring hit just right on the end of the culvert and when they pulled, it compressed the spring, releasing the coon. I didn't figure it out until the second coon. This is why I won't tie off to trees. They wrap around the tree until the spring rests against the tree. Always best to stake away from entanglement of any kind. The only other DP's I have had tripped and empty were from thieves or dogs pulling the coons out of the traps.

Yep, all three were due to entanglements - getting wrapped up in something that provided the coon leverage to pull or compressing the spring against something. I also avoid tying off to anything, but instead of rebar I run Berkshires on mine.

I don't often use DPs but when I do there is a coon still in it if he was ever caught.

Had a leg once but suspect a coyote or other varmint got the rest

Haven’t lost a coon out of a duke DP yet, and that is a jillion catches.
Jim

I have NEVER lost a coon in a DP.

I have NEVER had a chew out in a DP.

I have set on the edge of a little tiny creek and got about 3-4” of rain overnight that had me wading to get a drowned coon in the creek. If there was ever a time to chew, that would’ve been it.

I use earth anchors and even just cable off to trees and haven’t lost any either way. I have had the cable so wrapped around cover I thought I’d never get it untangled. And I’ve had them about head high up the same tree, but never lost one.

Curious what DP’s y’all are using where you lose them and how long between checks on chew outs? We have a 24hr check law here.

My experience mirrors your WB.

I have 120 Ztraps. Been using them for 8 or 10 years. I have had a fired DP still standing up a time or two.... Mice or rats....I'm sure. Have also captured a field mouse or 3. Have had deer kick them over.

I stake most DPs (at deer feeders)....1/2" x 20" rebar single stake.

Along creeks/branches, I half-hitch to trees.

I have never captured a coon and it pull out.

Did have a large gator remove most of a caught coon from a Ztrap. What a bloody mess.

I had half a rat one time. I didn’t know rats got that big or how he fit down that hole, but it was nasty getting the rest of him out. Caught plenty of other rats and flying squirrels. If bait is gone without tripping the trap I’ll set it with a hair trigger and have one of the above mentioned. I’ve found if I set the trap in water it cuts down on the above mentioned as well.

I don't catch hundreds of coons a year, but have never lost one. Never lost one due to chew off i use only z-traps. If the dp was sprung, there was a coon in it

When I really ran for coon I'd loose probably 2 a season In dps entanglement issue manily ..don't know how but I've had 2 dps with the coon foot in the trap no coon heck of a pull out there an no didn't look like something ate the coon in the trap just somehow pulled out leaving thy arm....oh I did have one climb a tree an then fell out causing it to pull out of the trap I mainly run Duke an ztraps

Less than 1 per 1000

Dogs will pull them out, but more than likely the trap lost its ability to swivel and the coon twisted until it either pulled out or probably got it loose from the entanglement then after the damage was done it was able to run to the end and pull it off. This will happen if you leave your rebar stakes out of the ground so the springs get caught on it, or if you push your trap into hard ground too far, or if it partially freezes the stabilizer in the ground. I figured this out when I had a skunk foot in a DP and it was never pulled from the grund. A farmer near here couldn't get the stabilizer in the floor of his hay loft so he wired it straight to one of the beams up there, asked me why they were "chewing" out. I never push my DP's in further than 1/2 way up the stabilizers.

Interesting most all my dps are cabled off to trees trying to stay clear of entanglement but dosnt always work out ...I've seen where I would cable off on the high bank trail coon get caught an dive down over an pulling out that way too ..I put a mid chain swivel on all my dps as well but yeah I'd have to say that foot in the trap was from twisting pulling an breaking out makes sense

I've taken a lot of coons in DP's. I've only lost 2, not due to pull out or chewing. If the ground freezes with the staked trap a twist off happens. I've only used pull only DP's. Lil grizz and Duke DP's.

I lost one last night in a DP that makes 4 so far. I'm about done with DPs.

If you set your triggers light or with a short drop or pull which one does many times to increase the coon pulling the dog up ( I am thinking pull only DPs, you may be using push and pull) then the animal, (coon) my be also applying pressure etc. to the outside trigger mechanism and maybe firing the trap with no foot inside the trap. There are lots of parts to a DP trap for an animal to play with. I don't catch many with DPs, and I have not had pullouts (Duke DPs) but what I do see is avoidance by tracks etc. that pass them by. I have started to gang set DPs more because once I have action many times that trap goes dead for me.

Bryce

Describe lost? What brand of DP’s? Push/pull or pull only? And how do you know you “lost” something?

Folks talking about them passing them by, when I have that I’ll take my drill and auger and drill a hole and put my DP in the hole. Just make sure you have plenty of room for the trap to fire. Occasionally I’ll get one that’ll ignore it in the open, but bury it and he’ll reach in all day long.

Never lost a single one yet. Mind you ive never set a DP and we dont have raccoons here so yeah....

I have use almost every brand and type of "DP" traps for over 15 years now. There are a couple styles I would not use again but all the common tube type DP's like Dukes, No BS, Z-traps, etc... all work the exact same way and if you are losing coons out of them, and someone or something is not pulling them out, then it is 100% operator error IMO.

100% agree ^^^^

What would the operator error be?

Tell us exactly how you set the traps. How did you stake them, what bait, how far was the stabilizer in the ground, was the trap straight up and down or angled? What brand and style of trap?

Was there a catch circle? Any part of the coon still in the trap? Trap treatment? Waxed, painted etc... Was it for sure a coon and not some other critter?

Well, the DP are dukes was sprung and wrapped tight around the bottom of the 4 inch tree I had it attached too. There was also a half of a catch circle. The other half was a huge 3 foot oak. The DPs are pull only and I set them with the middle of the dog in the center of the catch lever.

Tied to a tree. This morning it was tripped and wrapped around the tree I attached it to. There was half of a catch circle. Used corn as bait with a long call racoon lure. I assumed it was a racoon. Nothing in the trap and no corn on the ground. Painted traps no wax. Baited the trap straight up and down. Stabilizer was in the ground up to the chain stop.

Sounds like based on that the coon wrapped the trap around the tree and the spring on the trap rested against the tree so when the coon pulls it compresses the spring slightly releasing the coon. This a pretty common. I suggest staking your traps away from anything they can wrap up around.

Ok, that's sounds like operator error. In all 4 cases they were wrapped around a tree. I never thought that might be happening. Hopefully that's all it is. Thanks.

Good luck to you and I hope that solves your troubles with the DPs.

I hope so too. I appreciate all the help I get from everyone when I have a problem. Hope Ya’ll don't mind. I've learned an awful lot here.

Iv learned from input from every post. First and most important is traps must not loose ability to swivel. As i original posted two wrapped spring into stake washer and will not happen again. Had one I think hit trigger from outside of trap without being committed. The last one in front of trail cam I cannot explain. Left paw behind, open field staked well. I am a little leery using cables now and getting wrapped up possibly loosing ability to swivel.

[quote=Spike369]I hope so too. I appreciate all the help I get from everyone when I have a problem. Hope Ya’ll don't mind. I've learned an awful lot here. [/quot
It's frustrating when things don't work out as planned and its easy to become defensive and contrary. You didn't do that.
You are a good listener. I can appreciate that in a man.

If it makes you feel better I put a DP up against a huge stout log once. Drove by and nothing, after morning #4 with nothing in it I knew something was wrong. I was in a dang trail with coon tracks outnumbering deer.
Sure enough that trap was empty of bait and sprung!! It was shoved in clay and so tight against the log I didn’t account for the spring. It tripped, but couldn’t go but maybe 1/4” and that’s a big maybe, lol. Moved it about 6-8” away and a coon the next day and the following 3 days, lol.
Operator error does occur.

I’ve lost three that chewed out , paw still in trap. We have big coons so thinking they broke leg fighting trap then chewed out. Happens

I would bet a lot that you had the stabilizer pushed too hard in the ground, or something else stopped that trap from swiveling, the coons twisted without it coming free of the ground or trap stake top or whatever stopped it swiveling, then the coon pulled loose. They don't chew at the parts of their foot they can feel. We have big coons here too. That will never happen if the traps are set so the stabilizer pulls free from the ground easily, and the trap is free to swivel without getting hung up on something.

I use Duke DPs that are pull only. I pound an 8 inch long piece of 3/4 inch or 1 inch PVC pipe in the ground and stick the DP in that so that it is never froze in, or solid etc. The white PVC is also an attractant as well. The DP learning curve for me is still steeper than I would like it to be.
I have never used a push down DP, but I could see the push down and firing would maybe grap foot above the paw or the foot joing and make twisting off issues more common.
Bryce

I’ve had Season’s of 600-800 coons and I’ve seen very few pull out. I’ve seen where I thought a coon chewed out but after closer inspection it was a coyote or several coyotes that took a coon out for me and left whatever was left. Even then, 1 in 300. I can’t say I’ve ever seen chewing above the trap. My thought is this…a coon will chew ON a trap because it’s got a hold of him. Eventually, the foot goes numb and they continue to chew. They don’t get anything off of the trap but when they start getting meat on that foot, they keep going.

My point being that they aren’t chewing to get free, they’re chewing to get the trap off but they’re misguided by the foot they can’t feel. They’ll chew out of boredom as well. Look at the chewed up sticks in the area.

I've caught hundreds of coons in DPs over the years and have never seen one chew on itself. They will chew up everything in the area but have never seen any self inflicted damage.

Looks like beavers have been in the area if a coon is caught around cover, lol.