Flaustin1
Senior Member
With such a healthy population of coons does anyone know why we cant trap them in the northern zone?
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Coon Trapping in N. GA
- Thread starter Flaustin1
- Start date
Vernon Holt
Gone But Not Forgotten
Coon hunters have a strong lobby with the "good ol' boys" in Atlanta.
famlytraprz
Senior Member
Exactly, you would'nt believe how many coon hunters offer to buy coons from me too!
Alaska
Senior Member
Agree with VH on this one, I hear it was (years ago) a politician from north Georgia that was "persuaded!" I plan to speak my voice in Ringgold on 1/4/11 at the DNRWRD public meeting! To find one near you check page 54 of your 10/11 season regulation magazine.
krittergitter
Member
i hope thay do something soon its so hard to miss coons when im water trapping
javery
Senior Member
No shortage of them here either.
famlytraprz
Senior Member
This issue has been brought up at our GTA board meetings and I know its went high up in the DNR heirarchy. No trapping on all state WMA's is at the top of our list also. We can trap on National Forests but not on WMA's, go figure. I'll let you all know if any changes are coming.
Flaustin1
Senior Member
Keep us updated famlytraprz. If you need signatures to help move these ideas along just post it.
gkdir
Senior Member
Oh man, the opportunity to spout off is unreal--but I'll play nice.
GA DAWG
Senior Member
If north ga has sooooooooo many coon..Why is the limit 1 unlike the southern coon zone where its 3..Anybody that thinks north GA is over run with raccoons is off their rocker!!! I think hunters do a great job at keeping them in check..Maybe to good a job! I've hunted them everywhere and north ga is the bottom of the barrel for coon populations in the united states...Which it want bother me if I can trap them..I'll catch them and relocate them to where I hunt..OH YEAH! Thats why its illegal to trap coons in north Ga to begin with..Spreads disease! I guess it will never be legal
redneck_billcollector
Purveyor Of Fine Spirits
The Coon hunting lobby, for along time houndsmen were more anti-trapping than PETA. The houndsmen got legholds outlawed in Florida during the late 70's and tried to in south Georgia in the late 70's too. I was president of the now defunct South Georgia Trappers Assoc.(joined the Ga. Trappers Assoc. while I was away in the army) in 1979 and every public hearing I went to in south Ga. about trapping, the most vocal folks for outlawing it was houndsmen. I tried reasoning with them, I love hound dogs and hunted deer, bobcats, foxes and bear with them in N. Florida during that time frame but there was no talking to them.
During that time frame in North Ga. I would go to public hearings about trapping coon to support my north Georgia fellow trappers, and the hearings would be mobbed with coon hunters and they would literally threaten folks showing up in support of trapping. I like to coon hunt and most years we allow a course to be on our property when they hold the nationals in Albany, fortunately most houndsmen now realize that their sport is under attack and in many cases by deer hunters and other non-dog hunters. I always support the houndsmen at any hearings on the subject I go to and tell them the same things I did back during the late 70's when they were the main force behind attempting to outlaw trapping in Ga. and their successful attempt in Florida. That is, we have enough problems with PETA, the Humane Society, and all other whacko anti-hunting, all animals are people too groups, we need to all stick together and take up for any outdoors persons hunting rights, trapping rights and fishing rights....because the real enemy's agenda is to outlaw all that we love in the outdoors. As for coons in N Ga. I know a few folks who make a decent living trapping problem coons north of Atlanta. They are there, maybe not where folks can run hounds but surely where folks should be able to trap them.
During that time frame in North Ga. I would go to public hearings about trapping coon to support my north Georgia fellow trappers, and the hearings would be mobbed with coon hunters and they would literally threaten folks showing up in support of trapping. I like to coon hunt and most years we allow a course to be on our property when they hold the nationals in Albany, fortunately most houndsmen now realize that their sport is under attack and in many cases by deer hunters and other non-dog hunters. I always support the houndsmen at any hearings on the subject I go to and tell them the same things I did back during the late 70's when they were the main force behind attempting to outlaw trapping in Ga. and their successful attempt in Florida. That is, we have enough problems with PETA, the Humane Society, and all other whacko anti-hunting, all animals are people too groups, we need to all stick together and take up for any outdoors persons hunting rights, trapping rights and fishing rights....because the real enemy's agenda is to outlaw all that we love in the outdoors. As for coons in N Ga. I know a few folks who make a decent living trapping problem coons north of Atlanta. They are there, maybe not where folks can run hounds but surely where folks should be able to trap them.
Vernon Holt
Gone But Not Forgotten
In my mind there is absolutely no basis for allowing coonhunters to participate in their sport, while at the same time slamming the door on coon trapping.
N.GA may not have the numbers of Raccoons that S.GA has, but it certainly has a healthy population. The reason for this is simple. The Raccoon is an animal of the wetlands, feeding upon frogs, salamanders, crawfish, mussels, insects, fish, and turkey eggs.
S.GA has an abundance of wetlands. As can be expected it has an abundance of Raccoons.
N.GA has much less wetlands, and consequently fewer coons, when compared with other regions.
The important point is that the N.GA Raccoon population is an under-utilized resource under the current regs, and will remain so for as long as trappers are unjustly denied access to this resource.
Much is said on these Forums about the need to introduce youngsters to the sport of hunting. The same can be said in behalf of trapping, when and where it is legal.
I well remember some of the most exciting experiences of my lifetime occurred in the 1930's and early 1940's, when as a young lad I ran a trapline of rabbit "boxes" and a few steel traps. I never knew what "an allowance" was, but I didn't need it since I earned my own spending money by trapping. Most of my earnings were spent on 22's and a half box of 16 gauge shells.
Several instances of rabid raccoons have occurred in Gilmer County this year. This is a good indication that the coon population needs to be reduced. Trapping is a practical way of accomplishing this.
I no longer trap, and have never coon hunted. It seems to me to be unjust to allow one group access to the resource, while at the same time denying the other.
N.GA may not have the numbers of Raccoons that S.GA has, but it certainly has a healthy population. The reason for this is simple. The Raccoon is an animal of the wetlands, feeding upon frogs, salamanders, crawfish, mussels, insects, fish, and turkey eggs.
S.GA has an abundance of wetlands. As can be expected it has an abundance of Raccoons.
N.GA has much less wetlands, and consequently fewer coons, when compared with other regions.
The important point is that the N.GA Raccoon population is an under-utilized resource under the current regs, and will remain so for as long as trappers are unjustly denied access to this resource.
Much is said on these Forums about the need to introduce youngsters to the sport of hunting. The same can be said in behalf of trapping, when and where it is legal.
I well remember some of the most exciting experiences of my lifetime occurred in the 1930's and early 1940's, when as a young lad I ran a trapline of rabbit "boxes" and a few steel traps. I never knew what "an allowance" was, but I didn't need it since I earned my own spending money by trapping. Most of my earnings were spent on 22's and a half box of 16 gauge shells.
Several instances of rabid raccoons have occurred in Gilmer County this year. This is a good indication that the coon population needs to be reduced. Trapping is a practical way of accomplishing this.
I no longer trap, and have never coon hunted. It seems to me to be unjust to allow one group access to the resource, while at the same time denying the other.
shakey gizzard
Senior Member
If north ga has sooooooooo many coon..Why is the limit 1 unlike the southern coon zone where its 3..Anybody that thinks north GA is over run with raccoons is off their rocker!!! I think hunters do a great job at keeping them in check..Maybe to good a job! I've hunted them everywhere and north ga is the bottom of the barrel for coon populations in the united states...Which it want bother me if I can trap them..I'll catch them and relocate them to where I hunt..OH YEAH! Thats why its illegal to trap coons in north Ga to begin with..Spreads disease! I guess it will never be legal
I gots em thick!
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famlytraprz
Senior Member
I agree with VH and RBC, I support coon hunting as well other dog hunting groups, but as you see above, few coonhunters support trapping. I also disagree with the no coons in North Ga, I travel by train everyday or night through N.G and its not uncommon to see 15-20 coons in a night crossing the tracks.
Throwback
Chief Big Taw
If north ga has sooooooooo many coon..Why is the limit 1 unlike the southern coon zone where its 3..Anybody that thinks north GA is over run with raccoons is off their rocker!!! I think hunters do a great job at keeping them in check..Maybe to good a job! I've hunted them everywhere and north ga is the bottom of the barrel for coon populations in the united states...Which it want bother me if I can trap them..I'll catch them and relocate them to where I hunt..OH YEAH! Thats why its illegal to trap coons in north Ga to begin with..Spreads disease! I guess it will never be legal
the same reason the deer season ends jan 1 up there and jan 15 in south georgia--politics.
I know virtually every coon hunter in my area. The overwhelming majority of them kill so few coons I don't even know why they call it coon hunting, they should rename it coon RUNNING.
The idea that north georgia can't sustain the trapping harvest of a small handfull of trappers is a laughable notion. THink about all the areas that you CANNOT coon hunt on for logistical reasons such as small pieces of property, lack of permission anywhere near there, etc. there is no reason that it can't be done other than politics, ignorance and the selfishness of a very few dog hunters.
T
Flaustin1
Senior Member
I didnt start this thread so that houndsmen could bash trappers. i would actually like a little respect on our opinions. we do not bash your ways. That being said i support hound hunting and have done it quite a few times. In my co. we have a very large coon population and as Throwback said, its hard to keep the population in check when you have 2-3 acre lots and not enough room to run dogs. Every creek pond and swamp around my part has new fresh coon tracks around them every morn. it would be great if we could share this resource.
Flaustin1
Senior Member
By the way Ga. Dawg as far as the spreading disease thing goes, trapping would actually help reduce that simply because the coons we trap would be killed and pelted, not relocated as you mentioned. And i am firmly on my rocker.
coggins
Senior Member
As an avid coon hunter i'll admit i'm still pretty new to the sport. However, it surprised me to learn here that hound hunters were fighting trappers! I feel very strongly that ALL outdoorsmen/hunters/trappers have equal rights. As has already been said, especially in North Ga, their are numerous places on small tracts of land that we cannot hunt with our dogs so why the opposition to some trappers getting in there and doing there thing?
I'll say that a lot of the places we coon hunt, they do seem pretty thin at times, but I personally think a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that any big tract of land that hound hunters can run are becoming increasingly rare in our area. The problem is not a lack of coons but a lack of hunting spots. I can only speak for myself but i'd never argue a trapper's right to practice their sport the same as I practice mine.
I'll say that a lot of the places we coon hunt, they do seem pretty thin at times, but I personally think a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that any big tract of land that hound hunters can run are becoming increasingly rare in our area. The problem is not a lack of coons but a lack of hunting spots. I can only speak for myself but i'd never argue a trapper's right to practice their sport the same as I practice mine.
GA DAWG
Senior Member
I will join in with the trappers just as soon as the deer hunters join in with the hound hunters!
Throwback
Chief Big Taw
I will join in with the trappers just as soon as the deer hunters join in with the hound hunters!
fwiw I support my local dog hunters fully
T
