Question about Placing Live Traps

[jywel417]

While I was building my coop and chicken run I had a few midnight guests come up on my front porch, discovered he was frequenting the porch while taking my dogs out for a late walk one night. I had the trap set over to the side of the house near the woods and caught 2 coons, 6 opossums, and a feral cat. I have since moved over half my flock out into the chicken run and their coop. After the first few nights I did not see any signs of predators around the run but my trap wasn't being triggered where it was either, so I moved the trap, it is now about halfway between the run and where it was located originally yet have not caught anything in several nights there either.

My question is: was moving the trap closer a bad idea? Do I perhaps have trap smart critters? or do I really live on the only wooded 5 acres that is home to only 2 coons and 6 opossums ?!

Thanks for any replies!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Coons learn fast but possums will get caught just because. My guess is that the coons got smart and the possums that used the path you had the trap in before were caught. Placement is 95% so if you could put the trap in a known pathway or along a fence, or against a building, you may be able to get more.

That said, I usually only get 2-3 coons a year if that, and ever since the HOA swept developments wiped out the trees and require locked trash cans, haven't had a single possum sighting on our 7 acres which is pretty much now land locked by the city.

Where you are, my guess is that you may have gotten the coons and possums that called your home their home, and that in about a year, or by fall when the new coon pups move out of their parent's land, they will start to fill in the gap of the ones you took out.

 

[Boyd]

bait placement in the trap is also important. I have actually tied things to the trap trigger because you get a coon with a long enough paw...... well he can trip the trap, and still eat all your goodies. If you trap is a little on the small side and you are dealing with a big coon, he can waltz in, grab the bait, set the trap and when the door hits him on the bum, he simply backs out ....

Or he could be trap smart

 

[briana1975]

We have been trapping too. We got 5 coons and now 3 possoms. But nothing in the last 3 days. I am hoping it is because no more are coming into our yard. But we will keep trap set just in case.