Best Bait for Raccoons?

[spartacus_63]

I have used lots of things to trap racoons. I have even used eggs (still in the shell) with success. A popular bait is sliced watermelon. Easy, cheap and effective.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Ok now I am being serious. You need a secure coop, that means nothing that can be ripped open. Nothing that they can reach through, Nothing that they can dig under. For your porch take rags tie twine to one end soak with ammonia tie around the deck very six feet. I used it so Mr skunk would not travel under my deck it works. Last most of the season. Put your chickens away before it gets dark. Let them out when the sun is truly up. Now you can supply them with cover so the hawks don't get them.

Doesn’t the ammonia smell unpleasant to the chickens so they don’t go under it either? Also we plan on sitting on our porch as well, wouldn’t we smell it? I am worried about not having enough protection from hawks so it would be nice

 

[David61]

Lead, apply it when you see them and relocate to the garbage can.

 

[The Phantom]

Lead, apply it when you see them and relocate to the garbage can.

My thoughts exact!

 

[spartacus_63]

Lead, apply it when you see them and relocate to the garbage can.

I agree completely. The normal operating hours for the Local Racoon Union is between 0100-0300. Since that is outside of my normal operating hours, I use a trap to hold them until my normal operating times. Then lead is liberally applied and they get sent to burn pit camp.
Chickens also have been known to enjoy roasted racoon from time to time.

 

[Big Doggie]

Coons are only dangerous to chickens if you have failed to do your part to provide safe housing. I'm up to my neck in all manner of varmints and as a matter of course, I don't trap em, because I don't have to. If you are going to rely on trapping to save your birds, prepare for losses. Plus there is an endless supply of varmints always waiting their turn......so pack a lunch.......you are going to be at this for awhile.

Where trapping comes in is as a temporary solution to stop any carnage until you can get the security shored up.

And as for relocation........that ain't the solution.....for a lot of reasons, many of which are about to show up to help explain it. So in general, assumption should be if you trap it, you kill it.......and if you can't accept that......then don't trap it. Find another way......aka, Fort Knox housing.

But that isn't what you asked for help with.........if you insist on doing it your way.....dry cat food......if you want to turbocharge that, give it a whiff of bacon grease. Make a "bread crumb" like trail starting just outside the door.....a morsel here, a morsel there.....leading to a bigger pile scattered around at the back of the trap. Scatter it loose on the wire.....so each piece is beneath the wire.

From my experience raccoons love garbage. Don’t go out and buy anything. You have everything you need to attract them with what’s in your garbage can.

 

[Gargoyle]

Marshmallows

 

[Taylorpolly]

So about a year ago on a dreary day I watched as a raccoon walked from our front yard along the side to our back yard under our deck. We didn’t see him after that. Fast forward to a few days ago, about 4 days after our fence was installed in our back yard, it was another dreary day and out was our lovely raccoon friend wandering the fence looking very confused. He eventually went under our upper building I’m pretty sure. We set a live cage trap with an apple but no luck. From experience what is the best bait to use?
We are getting chickens most likely this weekend so the faster we can relocate the boogers the better.

Cat or dog food is what I trap raccoons and possums with it works great....

 

[bobhoke]

So about a year ago on a dreary day I watched as a raccoon walked from our front yard along the side to our back yard under our deck. We didn’t see him after that. Fast forward to a few days ago, about 4 days after our fence was installed in our back yard, it was another dreary day and out was our lovely raccoon friend wandering the fence looking very confused. He eventually went under our upper building I’m pretty sure. We set a live cage trap with an apple but no luck. From experience what is the best bait to use?
We are getting chickens most likely this weekend so the faster we can relocate the boogers the better.

Coons are like Coyotes and terrorists, kill one and a new different minded one takes its place - territorial. Try to manage the chaos. If they’re common in your area they’ll always be back and don’t care. They eat any consumable. I catch / trap them often with everything. I just put available scraps in the live traps. This year, I’m feeding the coons to my chickens.

 

[gpresdo]

Very smart animals, the Raccoon.