Friend with land and "mission"

[Shawn Leonard]

I agree about hunting them but if legal and with landowner permission just shoot them with a .22 to save a lot of hassle, head shots work wonders. Shawn

[Haikan]

Okay, I'm relieved to hear that grabbing a wounded animal isn't part of the procedure! My hunting safety course only talked about deer, and a little was mentioned about hogs. I wasn't sure what 'run it down' meant so the explanation is truly appreciated! I'm pretty good at hitting moving targets and within 13 yards my night shooting is pretty good, so I think running it down is something I can handle. 15yards is a bit of a gamble in the dark and 20 is a shot I can only make wih daylight or at least twilight.

[Haikan]

Oh but if I get a red light it won't be that dark! I'm gonna do some online window shopping right away so I can maybe get one and practice shooting by red light in my yard at night!  :D

[Haikan]

Anybody have suggestions for a good light to use? I'm not sure what to search for. (Also should i get those nockturnal red glowing nocks for my night hunting arrows?)

[Converml]

Originally posted by gringol:
I wouldn't grab a wounded coon at all.  Just keep shooting.

Now this thread is really getting good.  

[Jedimaster]

Wouldn't advise just grabbing a "recently dead" coon either ... but that's a story for another day. Unlike some critters, coons have levels of "dead" and you want them to be sufficiently dead before touching. Trust me.

[John Scifres]

Cold and rotting is a good indicator of "dead" for a coon  

If at any time you have the impulse to yell "Hey watch this!" while hunting coons at night with a bow and a glass of scotch, stop and think how painful that round of rabies shots will be after you sober up  

Pics and video are greatly appreciated.

[4dogs]

Originally posted by Jedimaster:
Wouldn't advise just grabbing a "recently dead" coon either ... but that's a story for another day. Unlike some critters, coons have levels of "dead" and you want them to be sufficiently dead before touching. Trust me.

Wise words from a voice of experience from the sounds of it  

[Hawkeye]

A live trap might be a better solution than any of the above, in some cases.  Find out what you can do without getting in trouble with the law, though, or your bowhunting career could be over before it starts!  Good luck helping your new friend, AND with your pursuit of our great sport.

[nick_the_tinkerer]

Originally posted by Shawn Leonard:
I agree about hunting them but if legal and with landowner permission just shoot them with a .22 to save a lot of hassle, head shots work wonders. Shawn

Agree 100%

I shot one in the city, so no firearms were allowed. DAMN 2 arrows from 2 different guys and that SOB still removed the arrows and never found the body in my garage!    :eek:

Head shots or spinal shots are only things to pin them suckers down for good.    

[Converml]

Originally posted by Hawkeye:
A live trap might be a better solution t.

It's true. If you want to make a good impression with the least v trauma a live trap then immerse it in a garbage can filled with water for about 20 on a coon should get through all 3 phases of coon death.
   If your just bent on shooting something it may not be the best situation. Dispose of it in this way and it could open up a better relationship with the property owner.
   Again check the town laws etc some can be pretty crazy requiring a pest control permit.

[DEATHMASTER]

Make sure you have someone film the part with you grabbing a live wounded coon.I love the funniest home videos.
A small one will still kick you arse.

[S. Brant Osborn]

I'm going to beat this dead horse one more time. "don't touch it unti you absolutely know for sure it is dead.". They can grab and hold on with their hind feet as goods their front.  And that cute little face is full of teeth.  Shoot till you run out of arrows  if you think he is still alive.

Make sure if you're chasing after (running after) that all broadheads and knives are in a protective cover.  No running arround with nocked arrows.  Not only can you hurt yourself, but more likely poke anyone there with you!  I've seen that happen before.

Then serch on line for recipes!  Been a while but I love them!

[LoweBow]

Coons love to grab chickens and put what they can thru the wire.  Best of luck!

[Haikan]

Thanks. I still don't really know what to get in terms of a red light but I did grab some nockturnal night shooting nocks from the archery store and that has made night practice a lot less frustrating, since I can always find my stick-in-the-dirt arrows right away. Another neat thing about the lightup nocks is  since  the nock lights up after you release the string, I can see generally where I hit the target from far away, and confirm the straightness of the arrow when I approach the target..  That being said, I'm still amazed at how the 10 yards and 13 yards are still fine, but my skill at 15, 17.5 and 20 just disappear when the sun sets (which In turn leads to the embarrassing walk to pick up arrows out of the dirt). I'm guessing that my nocturnal longshot accuracy will get better with more night practice.