Live trapping advice needed

[Uzuri]

I'm actually currently trapping a non-predator, but I have no doubt that I'll need to trap some troublesome coons when my chickies end up outside, so...

What do you do about a trap springer? I set a live trap for a 'chuck yesterday and this morning found it sprung with the bait missing (yeah, no comments on how dumb I was for leaving it overnight and risking skunks and coons when the 'chucks are quite happy to come out in daylight and play on my porch

). What do you veteran trappers do to handle this sort of thing?

If his hiney's getting in the way of the door I don't know that there's much I can do (save get a bigger trap; the one I've borrowed is pretty big already.) But if it's what I think it is, and he got the bait out by rattling things around (springing the trap in the process) and pulling it out through the wire, I was thinking a little bit of something gooey on the bait to stick it to the pan and a little less of a hair trigger setup on the door might solve it.

Thoughts? I want to know how to do this right for if I need to protect my birds from coons

A chewed on porch is bad, but not as bad as a chewed on bird.

 

[antlers]

Full grown chucks are extremely tough an powerful. Depending on how the trap is designed, it is possible that he forced the drop gate open. I have had a coon do that maybe 2 times in 2-3 years. I had one in a leg hold by accident one time. Had all I could do to pull him out of the hole he dug when he got caught.

 

[Uzuri]

That's not at all reassuring XD

But it might explain a lot. Hmm, may have to resort to the old shotgut-on-a-lawnmower method that a friend of the family used to use.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I attached a piece of plywood to the botom of my traps so they could not easily turn them over. I drilled holes in the plywood and used wire to attach the trap.

Depending on the bait, you might try putting it in a cloth pouch and tying the pouch to the pan.

 

[Mrs.Puff]

Put the trap inside a cubby hole type area---put hay bales around it, or maybe put it up against a wall. Something as simple as a mouse might have sprung it in the night. I've had little birds get in and spring the trap.

I had a chuck named Phil and a little chuck (we decided it was Phyllis) living under my back porch for 3 years. They lived there til we got a dog. We never had any problems with him being "destructive". He really enjoyed corn and acorns. And especially watermelon.

 

[willheveland]

Can you post a picture of the trap with a way we could tell of it's type and size? Home-made or Hava-hart?
not sure of the trap but normally you'd want the bait beyond the pan so he'd have to cross the pan to get the bait. Unless it has a bait trigger.
small havaharts sometimes are no good for coon if they can't get all inside including their long tail.If the trap drops down on their tail it may be up off the bottom enough not to latch. post some pics
Will

 

[Uzuri]

Wish I had pics -- I don't even have a digital camera. But it's definitely a havahart, it's an older model (borrowed) so I couldn't find it on the site, but it's similar in size and behavior to this: http://www.havahart.com/store/live-animal-traps/1085 the major difference being that the door catches under a spur to hold it shut -- if it shuts properly, I have major difficulty getting it back open; I sure couldn't do a catch and release with this trap, not without getting my fingers chewed off. I did know to put the apple as far away from the door as I could get it -- which is one reason I think it was taken out through the bars (the other reason is the apple sauce all over the outside of the cage

).

Mrs.Puff -- he lived there all last year without causing trouble and I left him be because I knew he'd keep out the skunks. It wasn't until he started chewing my porch posts that I decided that he had to go

It's definitely him doing it; I've seen him at it.

 

[willheveland]

Quote:
If anything with a long tail went in,it could easily get out.32" is pretty short for a box trap. The big havahart is 48".If it's a woodchuck you want ,why not try to wire an apple slice to the bottom of the trap kinda under the pan so he has to fiddle with the pan to get it and can't reach through the wire. good luck Will

 

[Uzuri]

Ah thanks -- wire's a good thought.

 

[antlers]

Yeah it ticks ya off when you should have got em but they got away.

Was there poop in the cage? Any animal in there for more than 30 minutes will poop or have a lot if hair in there. If there is not it lends crecidence to Ms. Puffs idea of a mouse or something. Like ridgerunner I lost fewer by attachign it to a wider piece of ply. I lost on coon once to them panicking and rocking the trap over. Then the door just flops open on mine. It has to stay upright.