Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1839

What is the cause of low coon populations? It sounds like its mostly in the southeast but I'm sure there are places elsewhere. Is it that the habitat just can't support a larger population, disease, over harvesting, etc? It's too bad the game commission can't try to stock some to build the population in areas that need it but I'm sure they're worried about disease potential. I guess just about everyone except coon hunters consider them a nusance and don't care about low populations anyways.

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Al Tarantella

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Williamsville,Virginia
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I live in the extreme southeast corner of Virginia.Up 'til about the late 80's we had a lot of coon,but the population has been steadily dwindling over the past couple of decades.I think a lot of it has to do with human encroachment,but not near as much as distemper and rabies.Both those diseases have been runnin' rampant around here for years.Biologists say that it's nature's way of balancing the population,but who knows.I never remember it ever bein' around when I was a kid first starting to coonhunt.
Rob Gregory

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Williamsville,Virginia
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quote:

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Originally posted by robgregory
I live in the extreme southeast corner of Virginia.Up 'til about the late 80's we had a lot of coon,but the population has been steadily dwindling over the past couple of decades.I think a lot of it has to do with human encroachment,but not near as much as distemper and rabies.Both those diseases have been runnin' rampant around here for years.Biologists say that it's nature's way of balancing the population,but who knows.I never remember it ever bein' around when I was a kid first starting to coonhunt.And I'm 56 years of age.
Rob Gregory

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Registered: Sep 2010
Location: New Paris, Indiana
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I think it is all about food sources. Crops count. Human encroachment is a plus for coons. There are more in town than anywhere else.

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Registered: Mar 2008
Location: Western N.Y.
Posts: 4005

There are large areas in the south where the timber companys have cut down every tree that a coon might raise a litter in and planted pine trees in there place. No den trees= No coon.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: North GA
Posts: 14395

I've saw more this yr than any yr I can ever remember. I could count on one hand how many I've saw cross the rd in front of me in 15 yrs. I see them regular the last month or 2. Like where I live they are pretty thin but you travel south of me 80 miles it picks up. Then travel 100 miles below that. It really picks up. I don't know why. We have hundreds of thousands of ac of big trees in north ga yet less coon. One thing we don't hardly have is crops. Have to go south for that.

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Michael Ghorley

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Registered: Jun 2012
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quote:

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Originally posted by john Duemmer
There are large areas in the south where the timber companys have cut down every tree that a coon might raise a litter in and planted pine trees in there place. No den trees= No coon.

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1839

I think we have a pretty decent coon population in South central Pa. But let me tell you, I went to Indiana hunting a few years ago and it was just loaded with coon. We cut the dogs in a corn field and I just happened to shine my light around the trees on the edge of the field and saw literally 5 coons sitting in trees. I never saw anything like it. It was a good night of hunting and it didn't hurt that the guy I was with had a few nice walkers. I often think about how tough it must be for you guys in thin coon. Hopefully the population grows for you guys.

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Al Tarantella

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: Thomaston,GA
Posts: 3698

The almighty pine tree IMO. 40-50 years ago CRP about did away with row crop farming in the South East. Where there is a lot of corn planted in the south there are coons.

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: tioga co.pa
Posts: 1728

hunt around any dairy farm and youl run coon

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Registered: Nov 2012
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Posts: 50

quote:

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Originally posted by JiM
I think it is all about food sources. Crops count. Human encroachment is a plus for coons. There are more in town than anywhere else.

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Registered: Dec 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2027

I would imagine if one was really serious they could improve there hunting grounds using the same methods deer hunters do? Planting food plots, and improving habitat etc etc. Anyone have any experience with this?

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Registered: Jul 2011
Location: pa.
Posts: 341

pgc. warren told me fawns number one coon number two on there food chain.good hunting

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1839

quote:

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Originally posted by capt_agricultur
hunt around any dairy farm and youl run coon

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Al Tarantella

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1839

quote:

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Originally posted by capt_agricultur
hunt around any dairy farm and youl run coon

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Al Tarantella

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1839

I'll tell you another group I feel sorry for, the people that hunt swamps or bayou's or whatever you want to refer to them as. I hear people talking about wading neck deep in gator and snake infested swamps some even have to swim apparently. I've talked to people that talk about getting slapped on the snake boots/chaps like its no big deal. I hope those people at least have good coon numbers.

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Al Tarantella

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Grundy,VA
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Come to Buchanan Co- Virginia your lucky make two trees in a night in the fall. If you put out some feeder in the summer you can do alright but coons are thin hear!

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Registered: Mar 2009
Location: Greenup IL
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GOLD MALARD FLY Dope is the problem in Cumberland Co Ill it's really hurting the population round here every farmers using it, personally I wish they would do away with it they don't make it ten feet and are DEAD!!!

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Registered: Jul 2012
Location: Virginia
Posts: 367

Al, i live here in the mountains of va and i'll tell ya it's some rough tuff hunting. Yea there's coons around the bottoms and farms if your lucky enough to get permission to hunt these spots. Deer hunters and land owners with a bad taste in there mouths from poachers have most of the good hunting. So I hunt alot of government owned land witch is steep, rocky and THICK. I do have some private land I hunt and have tried releasing trapped coons in it, but they just move on. So for now me and my old pot lickers will just keep wherein out the boots.

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Grundy,VA
Posts: 516

quote:

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Originally posted by Shaw72
Al, i live here in the mountains of va and i'll tell ya it's some rough tuff hunting. Yea there's coons around the bottoms and farms if your lucky enough to get permission to hunt these spots. Deer hunters and land owners with a bad taste in there mouths from poachers have most of the good hunting. So I hunt alot of government owned land witch is steep, rocky and THICK. I do have some private land I hunt and have tried releasing trapped coons in it, but they just move on. So for now me and my old pot lickers will just keep wherein out the boots.

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Registered: Jul 2012
Location: Virginia
Posts: 367

The western part of Augusta county.

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Registered: Jul 2007
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Posts: 3085

It's not den trees are farm land where I live is big river bottoms and miles of farmland with crops ! Evry other tree has holes and the coons just aren't here! What I have seen and believe it is something to do with genetics and disease! I have been place with coon stacked on top of each other and in one instance it was an island and the owner wanted all killed and he was with us and anyway in three trips we killed 15 plus out of seeing 23-25 in a 2 hr period and every coon that has been killed on that island has been a sow!!! At my place you will catch 10-12 boars before you catch a sow !I would love to trap 20 sows off that island and put them at the house!!jmo

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Registered: Sep 2010
Location: New Paris, Indiana
Posts: 7076

quote:

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Originally posted by Ths74
i think u hit the nail
On the head..... i live in michigan the land of coon around big citys and farm ground coon everywhere . get in the big dry sections very few coon. i think planting them is ridiculous if they could thrive there they would already be there. everybody and their brother trap s up here and the population comes back every year

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You make an excellent point. Michigan is a perfect example of the fact that if you have the food sources and hardwoods, no legal amount of hunting and/or trapping will phase them long term. They are like Lipper threads, no matter what is done, they WILL come back.

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1839

quote:

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Originally posted by JiM
You make an excellent point. Michigan is a perfect example of the fact that if you have the food sources and hardwoods, no legal amount of hunting and/or trapping will phase them long term. They are like Lipper threads, no matter what is done, they WILL come back.

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: N.C.
Posts: 207

If even half of the rumors of illegal yote control are true I'd expect the collateral damage to animals such as coon to be high here in NC.

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