HE CAME UP ON MY PORCH!!!

Chris09 · Jan 30, 2015

Sylviaanne said:
We did try tuna and canned cat food and I don't know how many other things. I think bought marshmallows but that was about the time we caught the first one or this one previously if it found it's way back.

I sent my husband out for more tuna a few nights ago and he did a smart thing. It didn't catch the raccoon but it kept the cats/kittens from eating the food up. He just stabbed the can. It is open enough that the smell can float out but if a cat or kitten gets caught in the trap trying to eat the tuna, they can't get it.

Raccoons love things sweet.
Most of the guys I know that trap for raccoons will use a number of homemade bates and some use store bought baits. They use marshmallows with jelly on them, reese cups, and honey buns.
I've caught a good number of raccoons with honey buns with a bit of sweet strawberry syrup or jelly on the middle of it, jelly filled donuts cut in half works well for me also.

If your using a cheaper all wire trap like "have a heart" you might want to make a "sleeve" for it or at least fasten it to the ground with some heavy duty tent stakes.

A sleeve is nothing more than a box that slides over the trap leaving only the door of the trap exposed.
The sleeve keeps the raccoon from trying to get the bait through the wire and nocking the trap around and tripping the trap.The sleeves I made were made out of plywood and were just big enough to slide over the trap.
I also drilled about 4 holes (the size of a 1/2 dollar) along the 2 long sides and 2 holes the same size along the back.These wholes were 2 inches down from the top and helped with letting the sent on the bait out of the now boxed in trap. One other thing, I like to set one cement block on each of the long sides to keep the raccoon from moving the trap.

ShaVirginia · Jan 30, 2015

Kudos to all large breed dogs! At 4 my grandfather brought me home a German Shepherd, that was rare in North FL. in 1940. I now have my 12th one. They are great pets and natural guard dogs. I have had them that we trained, minimally, and, ones with different degrees of training, even a Personal Protection Dog. They all lived with us at different times: from helping us raise horses, to tolerating Geese, ducks and chickens.
I wish you all luck with all of your wonderful dogs.
If I weren't 78, I would give the Giant Breeds a go!
Regards
ShaVirginia

Sylviaanne · Jan 31, 2015

FishaRneKed said:
Get sticky paper/glue traps. There are large rat size ones. They smell like cotton candy.

put them up where your chickens wont get stuck to them. Like on the porch but on your wall.

the coon wont be stuck to the trap, but the trap will be stuck to the coon. if he gets stuck with a few of them, it will cause him to fight him self.

you can whack him with a shovel while his hands are all stuck.

Actually, I had thought of this but I didn't know they made "fly paper" for rats. Thank you for that information, my husband was complaining about having to go out and urinate around the pens at night because it is so cold out there. LOL I will be visiting some feed stores and looking for sticky paper for rats.

Have you caught one like this? Or know of anyone who has? If so, does the raccoon make lots of noise? I would hate to miss the show. LOL

Sylviaanne · Jan 31, 2015

Chris09 said:
Raccoons love things sweet.
Most of the guys I know that trap for raccoons will use a number of homemade bates and some use store bought baits. They use marshmallows with jelly on them, reese cups, and honey buns.
I've caught a good number of raccoons with honey buns with a bit of sweet strawberry syrup or jelly on the middle of it, jelly filled donuts cut in half works well for me also.

If your using a cheaper all wire trap like "have a heart" you might want to make a "sleeve" for it or at least fasten it to the ground with some heavy duty tent stakes.

A sleeve is nothing more than a box that slides over the trap leaving only the door of the trap exposed.
The sleeve keeps the raccoon from trying to get the bait through the wire and nocking the trap around and tripping the trap.The sleeves I made were made out of plywood and were just big enough to slide over the trap.
I also drilled about 4 holes (the size of a 1/2 dollar) along the 2 long sides and 2 holes the same size along the back.These wholes were 2 inches down from the top and helped with letting the sent on the bait out of the now boxed in trap. One other thing, I like to set one cement block on each of the long sides to keep the raccoon from moving the trap.

I know that I knew in the back of my mind somewhere that raccoons love sweet stuff but until I read your post, it didn't register. Thank you. I'm going to see how much the sticky paper is and if I can't afford it this month I will try the sweets. Do you think grape jelly on a piece of bread would work? My husband did stake it out so if the raccoon managed to get out but caught his tail or something, he couldn't run off with it.

chickengeorgeto · Jan 31, 2015

Sylviaanne said:
We haven't tried the marshmallows in the trap but cat food, canned tuna, left over chicken he has killed and I don't remember what else. He is a big guy and I think it is possible that one of the times we found the trap tripped that he almost got caught and won't go in again. On the other hand, we keep catching the cats and kittens around here. They don't seem to learn to stay out of it and we do put food out for them but they are like gluttons, can't get enough.

Cats are not fond of marshmallows. Coons on the other hand are bigger omnivores than chickens ever though of being.

The trap pictured will almost never pinch anything other than a coon.
It's called a Duke Dog Proof Trap.

Sylviaanne · Feb 1, 2015

chickengeorgeto said:
Cats are not fond of marshmallows. Coons on the other hand are bigger omnivores than chickens ever though of being.

The trap pictured will almost never pinch anything other than a coon.
It's called a Duke Dog Proof Trap.

I don't know if it would reach in there but would this trap catch a opossum? I don't know where my raccoon is but haven't seen him since I saw him on the porch but I'm hoping and praying that the opossum didn't have any kind of family around here.

chickengeorgeto · Feb 1, 2015

Sylviaanne said:
I don't know if it would reach in there but would this trap catch a opossum? I don't know where my raccoon is but haven't seen him since I saw him on the porch but I'm hoping and praying that the opossum didn't have any kind of family around here.

I don't wish to be the bearer of bad news but Mr. Possum's natural life expectancy in the wild is but brief, maybe two years or so, so North American Opossums are a fruitful lot.

Yes that trap will catch a possum, the fact is that possums are the only major by-catch but the truth is that your stash of sweet potatoes will likely rot while your waiting on a possum to oblige you by dropping by to accompany them.

Sylviaanne · Feb 1, 2015

chickengeorgeto said:
I don't wish to be the bearer of bad news but Mr. Possum's natural life expectancy in the wild is but brief, maybe two years or so, so North American Opossums are a fruitful lot.

Yes that trap will catch a possum, the fact is that possums are the only major by-catch but the truth is that your stash of sweet potatoes will likely rot while your waiting on a possum to oblige you by dropping by to accompany them.

Great! LOL I was hoping for better news. Well, one thing, I think they don't move as fast as a raccoon. If it had been a raccoon approaching my chicken run I think it would have turned tail and ran and my husband wouldn't have been able to get a good shot at it. The opossum didn't seem to care that my husband was coming at it with a weapon.

HE CAME UP ON MY PORCH!!!

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