Live Traps Not working

[Sally PB]

He zip tied a plastic jar to the back of the trap and dropped the bait in there. Then they have to go all the way in to reach down into the jar.

Excellent tip!

I caught two this last spring, but I think I got a bit lucky. I used peanut butter as bait. They're fertilizing my garden now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I cut a piece of 1/2" treated plywood about 6" wider and 6" longer than the bottom of the trap. Then wired the plywood to the base of the trap. That wide base stopped them from turning it over or going in through the bottom of the trap to get to the bait from underneath. Then I built a box that fits over the trap out of plywood. The bottom of that box is open so it fits on that plywood base. The back of the box is closed. The only opening is in the front of the trap. The only way they can get to the bait is through the front.

I used to use some peanut butter wadded up in a piece of paper towel in the back of the trap as bait. It worked pretty well for raccoons and possum but I never got a skunk with peanut butter. I started using the debris left from making chicken broth as bait. By debris I mean the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, whatever is left after straining the broth. Again, some of that wadded up in a piece of paper towel behind the trip pan. If the trap is sprung there is practically always something in it. It's never turned over. And if you get a skunk it's in a box, it will not spray. You can deal with it. In addition to raccoon, possum, and skunk, I've caught feral cats and once a groundhog.

 

[Sally PB]

^^ What excellent advice. Thank you.

 

[ViKulik]

Dukes Dog proof traps! Your neighbor hasn't trained the raccoons to raid this one!

 

[CBDean]

So Saturday night, the raccoons got into one of my pens and killed 5 out of 8 chickens. Casualties were two year old Black Copper Maran hens that laid eggs on the darker end of the spectrum. 2 - 4 month Copper Maran Hens, and my 4 month old Copper Maran Roo that was just starting to look nice. It was heartbreaking to see. Dead chickens, and parts of chickens strewn all about.

I have these in a chain link dog kennel with 1/2 welded wire on the bottom and electric wire around it. Top flight netting on the top. Electric had gotten unplugged and the coons got in through the top.

I added more electric wire and got it really hot. Think the pen is safe now. I set two live traps Sunday afternoon. Since the coons have a taste for chicken I baited the traps with some of the chicken parts that they left.

Monday, I expect to have caught 2 coons. One livetrap was drug off into the woods, laying on its side, chicken parts gone and not sprung. The other was setting where I set it, parts gone and not sprung.

Monday night, I find some freezer burnt chicken breast and bait the traps again. I was careful to get the chicken way back into the trap.
Tuesday, chicken gone, traps not sprung.

Tuesday night, I put two chicken breasts directly on each trigger. The traps spring on me a couple times while trying to bait them. The trigger seems sensitive.
Wednesday morning. Chicken gone traps unsprung.

Last night, I put chicken behind and slightly under the trigger thinking that the coon will have to stand on the trigger to reach under to pull out the food.
This morning. I have one trap with the food gone and it is sprung, but no coon, the other is turned on its side, food is gone, not sprung.

At this point, am I just feeding the coons? There has to be a better way to catch coons. They are obviously not afraid to go into the traps, but they are careful.

Put a couple of steel rods thru the trap into the ground to prevent the coons from dragging the trap off. The picture is showing the trap on its side. I guessing you have it set correct when trapping.