Beaver, otter, and muskrat habitats often overlap in lowland water systems like this.
Off season trapping scouting is one of the most important steps if you want to catch numbers. Scouting for furbearers, or prospecting as it’s often called, takes time but pays off when the season opens. Hopefully, the following will help.
Location, Location, Location
Location is the key to catching any animal. It doesn’t matter how good of a set you have, if the animal isn’t there, you can’t catch it. That is why it is so important to do your homework before season and even during season as conditions change.
When scouting, you are not just looking for “hot” spots to trap in the near future, but for spots to trap all season long. It does not take long if conditions are right for an area to go cold after you catch the easy animals. When this happens, trappers have to move. If trappers have to prospect every time they pull sets, it cuts into trapping time and results in fewer pelts. It is best to have new ground planned ahead of time.
Raccoons
Raccoons are always changing their food sources. It might be corn one night and berries the next.
Raccoons are one of the easiest animals to locate. They seem to be just about everywhere. The problem is their feeding habits can change very quickly. One day raccoons could be feeding on mussels and crayfish in a creek. The next day they might be feeding in a cornfield. The day after that they might be eating acorns or berries. For this reason, it is best to wait until a week before trapping to prospect for coons.
Coons are found along streams with large trees. They live in hollow trees, woodchuck holes, buildings, and rocky ledges. During summer and early fall, they spend a lot of time along water. Later they will move to crops and mast sources.
A trail is easily recognizable once you know what to look for.
Look for hollow trees and trails leading to water. Also check hollow logs, rock formations, and burrows. Watch for broken corn stalks near water, especially along edges of fields.
Look for tracks, trails, and scat. Check drain tiles, culverts, sluices, and under bridges. Wherever there is a stream near oak or beech trees, expect raccoons. Overturned leaves are a sign they are feeding on nuts.
Big single trees near water are also productive. Look for scat near the base. Farm buildings, whether in use or not, are also a major draw for coons because they provide both food and shelter.
The key to catching high numbers of coon is finding what they are eating and where they are traveling.
Coyotes, Foxes, and Bobcats
Trail cameras are a great scouting tool for all furbearers.
Trail cameras have become one of the best ways to scout during the off-season. Running multiple cameras gives a clear picture of travel patterns. Cellular cameras make it possible to gather information without checking them constantly.
This coyote was easy to pattern as it showed up on camera every night.
When finalizing trap locations, tracks are one of the best indicators—when conditions allow for it. Soft ground and snow make tracks easier to find.
Spend time before the season searching for tracks and learning travel routes. Make sure you know the difference between dog and coyote tracks.
A good pair of optics is a valuable scouting tool.
Look for scat, especially fresh droppings. Check fences for hair where animals are crossing. Drive back roads and observe movement with optics. Take notes on where animals go and how they move.
If you deer hunt, use what you see to your advantage. Watch where predators travel and how they use terrain.
Bobcats prefer large wooded areas with thick cover, clearings, and swamps. They den in logs, brush, caves, and sometimes buildings.
Focus on areas where prey is present: field edges, fencerows, CRP ground, and old roads.
Beaver, Otter, Mink, and Muskrat
A beaver lodge is not only attractive to beavers, but otter as well.
All of these species are relatively easy to scout because they leave obvious sign. Beavers are especially easy due to their dams and flooding.
Look for fresh cuttings, lodges, dams, and crossovers. Once you find a location, take a closer look at runs and travel routes.
Otters often share habitat with beaver. Start scouting near spillways and crossovers. Even if sign isn’t fresh, otters often return on cycles.
Otter scat often times is loaded with fish scales.
Look for otter toilets, which are easy to recognize. Also check secondary trails on the banks where they hunt on land.
Mink travel the water’s edge and leave small, pointed tracks in mud.
Muskrats are easy to identify once you are close. Look for huts, feed beds, and runs burrowed into banks.
Active runs will appear smooth from frequent use.
Final Thoughts
Consistent scouting pays off when it comes time to make sets.
Figuring out what the animals you are targeting are doing and where they are throughout the season takes work. It will not happen overnight.
The more time you spend on off season trapping scouting, the more fur you’ll put up. Simple as that.
