Coyotehunter.net

I was out and about checking traps and trying to scout more locations for some last minute coons. I spotted a nice bridge so I decided to put a bucket set underneath it. All of a sudden a truck came flying up to me, and ask what I was doing. I told him the story, and he told me that he had three taps stolen under the same bridge the other day, and two years ago he lost around $400 in gear due to people stealing. He told me there are guys that wait till you have game in your taps and they steal your game and traps. I also had a 220 stolen the other day, I thought I blended it pretty good by a culvert.

Long story short, does anyone have any tips of preventing your traps from being stolen? I have a LOT of money invested into trapping this year, and I don't want to loose any gear, but on the same point I don't want to be discouraged from trapping. Does a guy just have to leave key areas alone, like bridges, culverts, ect. Pretty sad someone has to F#$K with other peoples S@%t!

I try to check and set my coon traps as quick as possible, and wait till there are no cars around the area. I guess all I can due is put my hands in the air and go on with trapping, I just feel fustrated, and It takes the fun out of trapping, knowing someone could be F%@king with my traps. Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

Not much else you can do in high traffic areas. Only other option is to follow the creek back a ways and set out of view of any roads. It would take more time checking but probably prevent some theft. Culverts and bridges can be awesome but unfortunitely that is where all these idiots are looking. I can't believe people would do that, I would like to catch someone in the act and see what they have to say. Another option would be to set a big a$$ bear trap in front of your sets

huntinND wrote: Another option would be to set a big a$$ bear trap in front of your sets

I would love to see that one!! Make sure it is the one with the teeth on it I know levis luck he wouls forget about it and walk into it himself Then i will get a phone call asking me if i can come help him get out of his own trap

Another option i thought of was to stake the hell out of it!!! With the ground starting to freeze i would love to see him pull out 2- 30" stakes out of frozen ground I dont know what others think of it but if you were to take one of your critters and put it in a trap and make it obvious in the area he is stealing and then either wait yourself down the road or hide a infra red trail cam and get that bastards picture.

huntinND wrote:Not much else you can do in high traffic areas. Only other option is to follow the creek back a ways and set out of view of any roads. It would take more time checking but probably prevent some theft. Culverts and bridges can be awesome but unfortunitely that is where all these idiots are looking. I can't believe people would do that, I would like to catch someone in the act and see what they have to say. Another option would be to set a big a$$ bear trap in front of your sets

LOL

Next year my plan is to take a boat up and down river, that way my gear is out of everyones sight and mind. I would love to set more on bridges and culverts, I see coon trails up and down them, but it don't pay to catch a few coon and then loose a few traps. Thanks for the input, the bear trap sounds like a good idea, I was also thinking a 330 conibear to the cherries if I ever caught them

Levi, first you need to mark your traps in a way that singles them out as yours, drill a home in the pan in a certain spot, a file mark on the baseplate, something, this way if you ever do catch the guy or think he is the guy a check of his equipment and something of yours is in his truck or garage and you have a case. Something unique to your equipment, I always tried to avoid the pull over tire marks on the shoulder of the road if possible, a quick check and off you go and made note of what type of tracks were present if things started up missing, you can get some good information from this, was it a car, a fourwheel drive, wheel base, etc. Anchoring with earth anchors will help somewhat, use a J hook to attach it, most guys don't have anything to open the J hook. Check you line at different times , reverse it from time to time, run it at nite sometime, funny things happen at night.

Nothing worse than a trap thief and sorry to say it's usually another trapper or hunter, dog guys hate trappers sometimes. Do you have anyone running coondogs around there??

I caught a trap thief in the act once, I calmly approached him and he knew he was screwed, I wanted to punch the young man but I think the ass chewin about why he was scewin up my sets that I was working so hard to keep goin along with the fact that his name was going to be mud if i ever had any more trouble, I was going to tell everyone but for now it was going to be and still is just between him and me. We are friends now and he still apologizes for it. Not good friends but friends .

Never lost a piece of fur or equipment in that area ever again!! This was the son of one of the adjacent landowners, I only trapped the road right of ways, about 150 miles a day. He was jealous and wasn't catchin as much as he had thought he should on the private side. It all worked out.

Another tip would be if and when you start making some substantial catches, numbers wise. Don't go rollin into the fur buyer with a mound of fur for everyone to see, if you can get him to come to your place, if not show up way toward the end of a stop when most people have come and gone, your buyer will understand, mine always did, he always stopped out to avoid every trapper knowing how many you are getting. I have had trappers want to see my stuff, especially snares want to know what I use and how, want me to order them some just like it, and then find their stuff in my spots that coming year!!!

Anyways it will always be a part of trapping, just like the where the hell did all my stakes go mystery??? I always have the same amount of equipment but I always need to make more stakes???

RandyRoede wrote: I have had trappers want to see my stuff, especially snares want to know what I use and how, want me to order them some just like it, and then find their stuff in my spots that coming year!!!

Thats why if you live within a 150 miles radius of Craig O'Gorman he won't allow you to take his classes!!

Good Tips Randy, Thanks for the input!

I have dealt a little with the same thing only the guy wasn't stealing my stuff just putting things over my trap so it wasn't functional really really made me mad but i let him know what would be done if i caught someone in the act and i think he got to picture

Infra red trail cams would do it I suspect-IF,big IF,you can hide it.

Dcoy wrote:Infra red trail cams would do it I suspect-IF,big IF,you can hide it.

First thing that crossed my mind!!!

Unless they find it then you are out even more!!!! I would put the camera away from the set maybe where they would park so you can see the licens plate