Trapping Marsh Coons

By Paul Duguay

I am from NC. I've always been interested trapping and hunting. But one day I went to my neighbors house to see if he could give me some tips on catching the opossum that was getting my chickens.

He gave me four number #11 long springs. So I went and set my traps and caught the opossum. He said I could keep them for as long as I want cause he's wasn't trapping that season. So I decided to take the traps to my grandmas, and catch a coon and a muskrat. She lives on the waterway. I knew there were lots of coons in the marsh, but I couldn't find any muskrat tracks or dens. So I went to a place in the marsh away from the houses so I wouldn't catch any dogs. I set one of the traps on a heavily used coon trail, with another one I made a bait set. I stuck a fat branch in the mud and nailed a (spot) fish to it, then set a trap in front of it. With the other two, I made a floating log set in a creek that ran into the waterway for muskrat. The next day I got up at 6 o'clock in the morning. I was so excited I could hardly wait until I checked my traps. The first one I checked was the one that was baited with the spot. I had a huge bull coon in my trap. Then, I went and checked my trap that was on the trail. I had a good size female coon in that one. I had nothing in the muskrat sets.

I was so glad that I had caught something, but that was the last day of trapping season. I want to buy 12  #220 conibears for coons, and 12 #11 long springs for coons, and 12  #110 conibears for muskrats, so next season I can do a lot of trapping. I am 14 years old and hope to be a true trapper one day.

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Buckshot for letting me tell my tale.