Buying traps tomorrow...any suggestions?

[farmgirl2477]

Like others lately, weve had a racoon stopping by for lunch during the middle of the day.

We are heading into town first thing in the morning to buy some traps. Any thing I should know? Will a can of cat food work as bait? Oh, and its ok for up to just relocate it several miles away? Itll have plenty of forest, and a river near by.

Thanks,
Shannon.

 

[Wolfpacker]

Be careful. I've always heard raccoons that are active during the daylight are probably rabid.

 

[rooster-red]

Cat food will work just fine, prefferably with fish flavor.
If you release the critter under 10 miles away it will most likely come back to visit you.
Keep the trap baited for a couple of weeks after you catch this one, you can bet it has buddies close to you also.
(I used to be an animal control officer)

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
Coons will forage in daylight without being rabid if they are hungry, I have one that will occasionaly come up on my back porch to eat the cat food.
I don't mind him eating the cat food since he would rather do that than to challange my big rooster.


Having said that, don't take any chances either.

 

[BeckyLa]

Well, give the cat food a try, my experience has been that sometime they'll go for it and sometimes not. Can tuna works well, too. Along with peanut butter. When you have chicken for dinner, save the drumsticks with just a little bit of meat on them, that works well too. We have a Hav a Hart (I think) trap and the best luck I've had was when I would tie the bait to the bottom of the trap just beyond the plate thing that trips the trap. I can't remember what it's called. But I would not recommend relocating unless you can take the animal 10-20 miles away. They are real good at finding their way back especially if they have a nest or den in the area. But also, to transport is illegal in most states. Sometimes, depending on where you live, AC might pick them up if you already have caught them. But, my opinion, the best thing to do is to SSS. (Hope I don't get flamed!)

 

[ivan3]

To keep the mess to a minimum, and decrease the turn around to reset, we place the havaharts up on short sections of 1"x2" or 2"x4" and place a twenty pound paver on top of the trap. The wood blocks prevent the coon/poss from digging up the yard/dirt/debris and piling it into the trap (along with waste) and the paver prevents the smart ones from pushing the trap over. This allows me to shoot it, dump it into a five gallon bucket, spray off the trap with the hose, rebait and have the trap reset in all of 10-15 min. Then it's just a matter of driving off the night's harvest to the turkey vulture feeding station in the morning.

When I first started trapping with a havahart I took no precautions (set one on the front porch - coon eating all the cat food). After being caught, the coon managed to drag/rock the trap about three feet where it got its paws on 100ft. of coiled extension cord and got quite a lot into the trap, wrapped around and around and chewed up, (what a time consuming mess - the extraction was akin to pulling a porcupine from a chinese finger trap). Steep learning curve.


Also, I use old screw on lid plastic containers with holes drilled in the lid to hold the bait (can smell it but can't make a mess with it). A paper towel soaked with oil from a tuna can and placed in the container will do the trick and can be used for several nights (really keeps down the nastiness and, in my cruelest moments, I can savor the fact that I'm giving them nothing at all to eat).

IMHO the only good coon was the one Franklin took with him to Paris...

Good luck!

 

[farmgirl2477]

If I get one caught, I might try calling animal control then. Easier on me. I dont have the heart to shoot an animal, it really is only doing whats natural to him. The park is a good 5 miles away, and it would have to cross some rather busy roads. We relocated possums that manage to get stuck in the trash can

and havent seen one since. Anyway, thanks for the tips, and wish us luck!

Oh, Im assuming I need to lock the chooks up somehwere else today? The coon is going into the coop, so figured that was the best place to put it. Might have to move the flock into the barn or mother in law house for a day or so. Or do you think its coming at night too, and just cant get in the coop?

Thanks,
Shannon

 

[Poison Ivy]

It's against Florida law to relocate raccoons because of rabies & they are concidered nuisance animal. If you don't want to deal with it yourself then it would be best to call animal control.

 

[NS2A]

Think hard about reloacating.

You may just be giving another chicken hobbist your problem.

And while releasing an animal in the woods or forest may seem like the right thing to do, the varmint will simply show up where the easy eats are - usually not in a wooded area.

 

[SandraChick]

Please, Do NOT relocate the coon.

Besides spreading disease, and most likely releasing it in an area that already has resident raccons (and they're territorial!).....you will be releasing a trap educated racoon basically in someone else's back yard. Oh yea...and then there's the legal issue.


On a trapping note....to lessen the chances of catching cats- racoons love marshmellows (I wire them to the bottom of the cage). A trapper told me to add a couple DROPS of vanilla to add to their "allure".

Sandra