Where legal, how many of you release very small coon caught in foothold traps? If the foot\leg is in good shape,I have been letting them go. A local trapper said even if I only get $2-$4 for each, I should harvest them. I have been using my judgement on the size.

I respectfully request your opinions\experience on this practice. Thanks

i have released coon that are to small also mainly because we dont have many coon around my parts anymore. My personal opinion is that if you are over run by them or have an abundance then sure but if your in my situation or you only have an average amount of coon id say keep doin what your doin.

I have been releasing small coon for years I use mostly #11's and they don't seem any the worse for it.

As a rancher, 3 legged coons create havoc in grain storage areas and many have poor fur and health. The young are no exception. Do the right thing and skin your fur or leave it alone until later in the year when they are bigger.

OW..I don't think anyone is advocateing the release of an animal that may be injured.

Around here the amount of land available to you is porportional to the # of coon you harvest.You start turning some lose and you will have some unhappy land owners.Not saying that I don't try to avoid small coon till they have a chance to grow some

Ric has brought up another consideration. Sometimes animals reach "nuisance" proportions. Raccoon and beaver are prime examples. Releasing small animals, or any animals for that matter, under these conditions is not a good conservation, or wildlife management, exercise. So, if you are trapping in an area that has an overabundance of your target animals you should consider dispatching every one you catch.

-- Hal

Hal and Ric both bring up a very good point. By releasing small coon you might irrate the land owner and then he might take the matter into his own hands. Also if the population level is to high then disease will take the population back down. So there are reaons why releasing of small coon would not be appropriate.
Now what if the pelt is worthless. Are you wasting the resource. In my opinion better to reduce the population this way then have the pelts of most or all of your population wasted due to disease.
Bill

Ninety-five percent of my trapping is done on private land, and we don't have a super-big population of coon, my landowners would run me off if they caught me releasing anything (coon/beaver). Think about it, does any farmer benefit from having coon (or any wildlife) on their property? The only animals that I can think of that would possibly be beneficial are deer or turkey, if they lease the property for hunting.

Back in the late 70's my Dad had a pair of really good coon hounds, a guy invited us to hunt his property one night, the dogs "split-treed" in a patch of white-oaks. All together they had 6 coons up their trees, our daily limit was 2 coon. Dad and I picked-out the biggest 2 coons, and shot them out. The landowner almost "ordered" us to kill the other 4. More or less, he said they were his coons, the heck with the DNR's crazy rules. The landowner was my uncle, to keep peace in the family, Dad told me to pick em out. Here in WV, landowners or their "agent" can, without permits, eliminate nuisance animals. As far as uncle Arville was concerned, the only good coon was a dead one. I know a lot of other farmers that feel the same way.

no i don't release small coons here where i live, they are a nuisance .

Here in Ohio, you may not release any coon caught during season..coon caught in adc situations during "off season" may be released only on prop. thay were caught on..We are also not alowed to sell or give any furbearers to anyone,like fox for the live market..Over the years, I have heard both ways,but this is what the law reads here..