Raccoon breeding

ny hunter

ny hunter

Member
I’ve been looking around for raccoon signs but I’m not seeing any. Everything I’ve read says the should be in the prime of there breeding season. I’m up in the north country of New York there’s between 1-2’ of snow on the ground. I’d think if there out looking to mate there’d be some sign.I’ve checked ponds,streams and even walked roads to see if there’s any signs of them crossing nothing. Do they stall there breeding during cold snowy winters? Or am I looking in the wrong areas.
 
I’m in the Hudson valley of NY. Raccoons were fairly frequent visitors to my roadkill deer bait since October. Didn’t shoot them as they didn’t eat much and their fur is pretty much worthless. Then we got 20” of snow, and none has melted yet, haven’t seen one since. Then again not much is willing to brave trying to forage in that.
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I don't set traps when raccoon bellies will drag/touch snow. They don't move around much, they'll wait until snow settles/crusts up. Those types of winters I see small coon in late summer and fall(later breeding).
 
Thought y’all’s coons went into hibernation during y’all’s cold winters up there? Down here they’re active right now, but our winter is slightly warmer than y’all’s, 😆
 
The cold doesn’t seem to bother the squirrels or gay fox. I haven’t seen any coyote track in a few weeks.
I just trap the fur for my own personal use. I’m getting a little better at tanning the hides but would like to be able to do an animal from start to finish someday.
Thanks for the reply’s
 
Haven't seen a coon since deer season save 1 night in jan where it was above 30. Ours (n. Pa) must hybernate a Lil bit when the winters are bitter. I do shoot a bit of them because my coyote hunting ground is cattle country and the coons eat calf feed by the ton. After a couple years of shooting coyotes, fox, and coon, he's getting a decent turkey population again.
 
Raccoons here are torpor (partial hibernation). Sleep thru cold spells,deeper snow. And will wake up pretty quickly if disturbed. When we check old buildings/barns/grain storage during cold(below zero) temps, we find raccoon curled up sleeping. Sometimes in small groups/family. One or 2 shots with a 22lr survivors wake up and start trying to escape. If snow cover is thin or hard crusted, boar raccoon will get out of dens and move about looking for sows. The sows move much less. Get a light wind ,rising temp afternoon/evening the boar will climb up high in the den tree and lay up on big horizontal limbs. Their watching and smelling for sows down below.
 
I’m going to start trapping a little earlier next year. I was waiting for the fur to get prime, but like I stated earlier it’s for personal use anyway.
 
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