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-- I find it amazing (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=928282739)

About 10 years ago the state association and the US Forest Service put out den boxes and planted crab apple and saw tooth oaks. Each year we have checked the boxes and have added some more.
The boxes we put out have all been used by coons as nesting sites except for one. That one has had Barred Owls raising in it every year.
We placed them in areas near the creek bottoms and on pine ridges. On more than one occassion I have treed on these dens.
The USFS also does not cut den trees on its land, at least not in SC, they even girdle trees to promote dens.
If you have USFS land near you it may not hurt to stop by and talk with their biologist. Most of them are, like us, outdoorsmen. While they may not coonhunt most of them do hunt and are willing to help with a worthwhile project. With us they supplied the boxes, which are slightly larger than a duck box and helped us install them. They also supplied the trees and helped plant them as well.
Like Joe and Larry I read and study what I can on coons and their habits. Female coons will stay where there is ample food, housing, and low predation pressure. Males are territory dominant and will push other males out of their territory.
The animal control officer in town catches more coons than anything else. We take them and turn them loose. One coon with a deformed front paw he has caught three times. The last time we carried it over 5 miles away and ran and treed it with two pups that night. A week later he caught it again.
Knowing what they like and when it is producing or when is the best time for them to be foraging only increases my chances of getting a quick strike and a successful night.
To me deciding where and when to turn out is just as important as what I turn out.

Great thread Joe.

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O.K. here is some denning information that I found. The average den is 20-40 ft high, holes from 5"x3", 4 1/4"x4" to average opening size 12 1/2"x6" (they prefer smaller holes in winter), average tree diameter size is 25", they don't have any preference between top holes and side holes or vertical or horizontal holes. Average depth of a den hole is 38" and its diameter is 14"x 11 1/2". The average distance of a den from water is 409 feet.

Also several wood duck denning studies actually indicated that while coons have been found in wood duck boxes it is more rare than one would think.

I would think the above information would suggest a coon box to be 14"x12"x 38" at a minimum. Also, place the opening away from prevailing winds.

Hope this answers some questions.

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Larry Atherton

Aim small miss small

Joe,

When I did ADC work, I took the coons a minimum of 10 miles from capture site.

The bad news is if a coon living in a house is released it is likely to seek a denning location in another house.

One year I got a sow and 4 kits; I released them in a den tree along a creek next to a swamp. The sow and kits stayed in that den until September. It was a great puppy training spot!

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Larry Atherton

Aim small miss small

As a biologist and outdoorsman, I have studied the habits of raccoon somewhat extensively and much of my findings in SWVA are similar to what you all have said or described. We rarely have coons that den in holes in my area as we have plenty of dens but they seem to exist in small half acre plots of hollow trees. I have been interested in making some form of den box, especially for my honey holes but have never pursued it because of the high degree of dens in those areas.

I have caught raccoons and transported them a mile or two down the road and they'll be back where I caught them from within the next day. Does this suggest they routinely travel that area (several square miles) or do they have some of the same sensory advantages that some dogs do (I know you've all heard of a dog traveling great distances back to it's home).

I am most interested in carrying capacity of our area along with current population density. How many boars vs sows are in my given area? The old timers will tell you if you tree a boar, it may be the only coon in a given area but if you tree a sow, most of the time there are several more around. My data supports this to an extent (my hunting experience).

I have also been keeping some records on feeding habits of coons in my area. It seems like the poorest time for a coon with regard to food availability in my area is between January-April. During those times they hit my feeders hard! They will empty a 32" truck tire full of corn/water in 2 weeks easily. I can get about 10 gallons of corn in it. I can't hardly keep them filled! They drastically slow down on hitting my feeders when the corn first starts forming in the shuck in many of my hunting spots. Following the corn, they hit the oaks but I have noticed they really seem to hit them harder when they are still in the tree before they fall. Once they fall, the coons are back to my feeders once again. I have also noticed that in the past couple of weeks, they have really started hitting the creeks and rivers around my house catching minnows and crawfish. My grandfather has long preached to me that a coon has to have a place to stay (den) before they will stay in an area. I agree with that even despite rich food sources in an area.

One thing that has perplexed me though is how the moon phase affects raccoon. You see so much written about moon phase with regard to deer activity. How does this effect a creature that is nocturnal?

We also seem to have trouble treeing coons in the first week or two of January. I have heard reports that these coons go into a semi-hibernation during this period. It sure seems like we don't have any luck during that time here in the mountains of Virginia.

I think folks that don't take into consideration the behavioral patterns of these critters are missing out on lots of potential and more importantly, a much higher degree of success.

Good Topic!

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I don't have extensive "proof" but have some anecdotal proof that once a coon is live trapped, if it is kept for three or more days in a pen, then released, they almost never return to the original capture site.

I know in Indiana the ADC regulations specify that a live trapped coon "MUST" be released immidiatly.

I have some studies on crop depridation and coon that are pretty interested.

http://tailgateadventures.com/crop-...n-and-deer.html

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Joe Newlin
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Home of Oak Ridge Kennels

quote:

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Originally posted by Larry Atherton
Joe,

When I did ADC work, I took the coons a minimum of 10 miles from capture site.

The bad news is if a coon living in a house is released it is likely to seek a denning location in another house.

One year I got a sow and 4 kits; I released them in a den tree along a creek next to a swamp. The sow and kits stayed in that den until September. It was a great puppy training spot!

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The 1 thing that really puzzles me down here ( S.W. Ga., 40 miles from the Fla. line ) is they slow down on their eating around mid Jan till early March. I dont know if it is just natural for them since that time of year there is the least amount of natural food or what.

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James Lawrence, Big Slough Kennels

quote:

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Originally posted by Slough
The 1 thing that really puzzles me down here ( S.W. Ga., 40 miles from the Fla. line ) is they slow down on their eating around mid Jan till early March. I dont know if it is just natural for them since that time of year there is the least amount of natural food or what.

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Joe, I too used to wonder why some places I hunt that used to have a healthy coon population now seem completely void of coon....then I figured out why....Jeremy and Justin started hunting those spots

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Please accept my opolagy I have not taken the time to read the responces. But reading the first post led me to show this about racoons on PBS. Im not sure how to corelate these city coons to country coon BUT if you havent seen this video you will find it interesting.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2192070266/

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quote:

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Originally posted by Oak Ridge
The Raccoon is related to the bear, so they do indeed have some ability to do what some might call a modified hibernation.

At this time of year, it makes sense for them to "slow down" a bit as it would require that they burn more calories looking for food than they would gain by foraging for food.

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James Lawrence, Big Slough Kennels

i saw a den in the second story floor of a beach house. the house sets on pilings and the den was in the space between the floor joices.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Oak Ridge
I don't have extensive "proof" but have some anecdotal proof that once a coon is live trapped, if it is kept for three or more days in a pen, then released, they almost never return to the original capture site.

I know in Indiana the ADC regulations specify that a live trapped coon "MUST" be released immidiatly.

I have some studies on crop depridation and coon that are pretty interested.

http://tailgateadventures.com/crop-...n-and-deer.html

---

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Did you know during hard time; snow, cold, scarce food supply, a coon will kill a possum and steal the food right out of his stomach?

lee, i watched the coon video. very interesting. thanks!

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you would be suprised to find out how many coonhunters ACCUALY BELIEVE the track there hound fallows is a series of "tricks" the coon has played to shake the dogs......chalk that one up to red fern bs........the truth is its a search for food, or in the right time of year mates (thats why dogs mark so many den trees in late winter sometimes before they get hooked)

your average coonhunter doesnt even know what his dog is doing 99% of the time, let alone raccoon habits.....and prob 3/4 dont know what dog is theres in a pack (dont believe this go to a night hunt sometime)

lots and lots accualy believe coons ALWAYS wash there food before they eat it :/


dens are way down on the list when it comes to coon populations...........if there is food, water, and lack of disease/parasites.......they will find a place to raise there young...


the biggest reason northern states tend to hold bigger coon populations than southern ones realy isnt food supply believe it or not, its that the warmer temps south of the mason dixon promote disease better, as well as paracite levels...northern winters tend to kill those off better...

raccoons are remarkable at keeping fed........i have trapped and treed hundreds of HUGE boar coon over the years with stomich contents that range from deer offal to bugs, some even had pack rats, pinky mice, snakes....... in fact the huge old boar coon tend to prefer large dead kills like deer, cows, roadside kills,ect that most people assume only coyotes and possums eat...

I remember one year i had a pair of sets on a pond dam at one of our farms......when i checked them one morning there was a 34lb bobcat in one trap and 15 feet away there was a 25lb boar coon in the other..........i always wondered who was the bad azz who ignored the first one caught to work the other set......both were baited with dead pack rats.

quote:

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Originally posted by blackflagginit
you would be suprised to find out how many coonhunters ACCUALY BELIEVE the track there hound fallows is a series of "tricks" the coon has played to shake the dogs......chalk that one up to red fern bs........the truth is its a search for food, or in the right time of year mates (thats why dogs mark so many den trees in late winter sometimes before they get hooked)

your average coonhunter doesnt even know what his dog is doing 99% of the time, let alone raccoon habits.....and prob 3/4 dont know what dog is theres in a pack (dont believe this go to a night hunt sometime)

lots and lots accualy believe coons ALWAYS wash there food before they eat it :/


dens are way down on the list when it comes to coon populations...........if there is food, water, and lack of disease/parasites.......they will find a place to raise there young...


the biggest reason northern states tend to hold bigger coon populations than southern ones realy isnt food supply believe it or not, its that the warmer temps south of the mason dixon promote disease better, as well as paracite levels...northern winters tend to kill those off better...

raccoons are remarkable at keeping fed........i have trapped and treed hundreds of HUGE boar coon over the years with stomich contents that range from deer offal to bugs, some even had pack rats, pinky mice, snakes....... in fact the huge old boar coon tend to prefer large dead kills like deer, cows, roadside kills,ect that most people assume only coyotes and possums eat...

I remember one year i had a pair of sets on a pond dam at one of our farms......when i checked them one morning there was a 34lb bobcat in one trap and 15 feet away there was a 25lb boar coon in the other..........i always wondered who was the bad azz who ignored the first one caught to work the other set......both were baited with dead pack rats.

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Hang a feeder in a tree in one of your hunting spots then hang a box in a tree at one of your other spots and see which one fills up first.

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Re: I find it amazing

quote:

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Originally posted by Oak Ridge
I find it amazing that many of the coon hunters on this message board don't study the Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

I don't mean this as a negative towards anyone, but I look at deer hunters and they study deer habits, deer managment, deer reproduction...if a deer farts in the woods there are 12 deer hunters there to study the methane produced.....

We as coon hunters don't understand that first and foremost coon population is drive by denning sights. We as coon hunters don't understand the relationship between food source and hunter success rates. Sure, we know when the coon are eating white acorns, but what about the rest of the year?

We find it amazing that a block of timber that holds a health population of coon can suddenly appear to have never had a coon in it at all. Yet we don't think of the fact that the wet spot in the middle, that normally holds water is now DRY and has been for several months...what do you think the coon have been drinking all that time.

Am I really the only person that studies coon?

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bluedog44, are you saying the feeder will fill up? because if it's enpty you fill it up again. or that the coon box will attract a family sooner? i don't understand.

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Joe, the guys that don't understand this are the same ones that think you cheated when you bring in 1200+ points in a local hunt and they have 350 ???

Re: Re: Re: I find it amazing

quote:

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Originally posted by Oak Ridge
Food supplies become important as the "carrying capacity" is reached. That is fancy speak for saying that there is usually enough out there to eat for more coon than there is room for them to live.

Coon will in fact migrate to chosen food sources. However, if there are no den sites, they can't live in that area. Coon will travel great distances to a food source, so the probability of the population outgrowing the available food source is low...however the probability of them "moving out of town" to find a place to live is high.

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Re: Re: Re: Re: I find it amazing

quote:

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Originally posted by Randy Tallon
[B]Many people wonder why certain times of the year a lot of coon are killed on the roads. /B]

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Joe Newlin
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Years ago they did a study in Kentucky at the Land Between the Lakes. They found that the size of a coon's teritory depends on the food supply but that most coon have a home teritory of app. 90 acres. Their food (nuts, berries, corn, fruits, frogs, fish, etc) is what ever is in season but insects make up the majority of their food year round.

Only 2 out of 10 kittens will survive their first year. Older coons have learned to survive and often will live 8 to 10 years if not harvested. If you tree a litter and want to shoot one, shoot a kitten. Odds are against the kitten surviving and the sow is a proven surviver and reproducer.

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I find it amazing

Joe what is the reason that you think coons aren't moving too well right now? I hunt big timber and usually my dog has a pretty easy time in there. Lately she has been going deep just to strike a track. Seems like the coon are gone but there is too many in there for me to believe they are gone. I'm the only one that hunts it because its rough walking a lot of cliffs and hollers. It's really got me stumped though. I dont get it. There is a big river that goes through it and tons of den trees. The woods has never been logged.

quote:

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Originally posted by Oak Ridge I
Believe it or not, but every year the State of Indiana does a raccoon population study by counting road kill. They do it during the same time period each year, and somehow calculate the coon population by counting dead ones in the road.

I find this absolutely unbelievable. Around here, a coon doesn't have to travel very far for any reason, most of the time. They have ample food, ample nesting places, and ample water. Every year just before the rut there is a population shift as "young of the year" boars are run off from momma, sisters, and any older more dominant boars. The soon find a new "home"...but no real migrations.

For me the number of road kill has more to do with moon phase than anything. If the coon are moving very early in the morning (5 AM to daylight) there are far more coon killed on the road. WHY? Cause that is when there are more cars on the road. Most coon are killed by someone going to work in the morning....traffic patters on "back roads" is higher in the morning than in the evening....if the coon are moving early in the evening, you will have some loss to roads, and if it is like it is right now...you can't find a road kill coon cause they just are not stirring at all!

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