I have a few creeks that are great for coons, but the bottom is too hard to drive a drownig steak and was wondering how much weight i would need to drown a coon? I was thinking about pouring some concrete into old milk jugs. Do you think that one would be enough to do the job?

Should. Thats a lot of work to make, and haul though IMHO. Feedsack, or sandbag with gravel or rock gathered on-site has worked for me in those cases. Cinderblock too if I didn't need to carry very far.

There was a good discussion about drowners previously. Not sure if it's in the archives, or current.

Well it depends on what size of "jug" your referring to and other things.

Lets look a a gallon jug. There are ~7.5 gal. in a cubic foot. A cubic foot of concrete weighs ~150 lbs. So a gallon of concrete is ~20 lbs.(Submerged in water you will have an effective weight of ~12 lbs).

20 lbs can certainly be adequate for a drowning rig targeted at raccoon. If the conditions are right.

Now take a look at 1) the shape of your weight and 2) the bottom where you set will be made.

Poured into a milk jug you have a shape that will be easily moved. Add a hard bottom and you are going to see a lot of coon sitting on the bank.

Better take another look at this before you go to the trouble and expense.

Something I forgot to type that Rics post reminded me of: one can insert spikes, or rod in the side of the jug while the concrete is still soft. Will make a grapple of sorts.

Regards,

if you have access to Charles Dobbins mink and muskrat trapping on small streams. He delt with this problem by running a sapling into the bank and running a drowner wire out to the end of the sapling from the bank the sapling is perpendicular to the bank . I have tried it in your situation and it works. and no heavy weight to carry.

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I only ask because i just bought a new 10ft flatbottom boat and the weight wont be a problem to carry anymore and everybody has access to milk jugs. Was just looking for something easy to throw over the edge of the boat and heavy enuff to drown the coon!

"the weight won't be a problem".OK. Myself I use the method Skipper mentioned,a lot of the time. A couple pounds of wire/cable vs anything heavy enough to do the job. Ponder on that a bit.

To add to what Ric wrote:

A boat is a boat and stuff happens. The less cable and weights you have to wrap around you in a mishap, the better things are.

Adding to what Ric & Musher posted:
Check the weight rating on your boats BIA/Mfg./USCG plate. I suspect it won't take long (or much) to meet or exceed "suggested", and safe levels w/ a 10' craft. My 12’ narrow (and shallow) John I’ve painted over, but seem to recall 350-375#- Occupants, motor & gear; 14’ wide John is rated for 560#; 14’ Mod. V, 900#. As you can see, one can get “uncomfortable” real fast!

Waterfowling and trapping, with the associated weather/gear, will test any small boats seaworthiness to the max. No critter is worth the risk of life or limb (IMO). From a safety standpoint, please plan & act accordingly.

Regards,

Personaly I think a milk jug filled with concrete weighing 20 pounds is plenty of weight to drown a racoon . I dont think a coon can drag a 20 pound weight back to shallow water no matter how hard the bottom! If the bottom is that hard the coon cant get traction anyway.