Raccoon Baiting

[Azmomm]

You need one of these, lol

 

[Larry Rose]

There's a raccoon that's been wandering around the neighborhood killing chickens, and I'm trying to help my neighbors trap it.
They have trap that looks sort of like this:
View attachment 1722592
What bait should I use? Any tips? Thanks!

I have a trap exactly like this one, and I put table scraps of chicken under the treadle area. Just put bait on the ground and set the trap over the top of it. Or, you could get a small can of Cat-food and set it at the very end of the trap inside. Coons are not real fussy. Hopefully you don't catch a Skunk! If you catch anything, remember to wash your hands really well after handling! Lyme Disease is deadly, and other things are messy and nasty. Exercise Caution!

 

[Conan]

@aart
you’re not implying that you sometimes temporarily dispatch them are you?

What kind of crazy Dr Frankenstein stunts are you pulling with the critters you catch... you’re not hooking up dead raccoons to the car battery and reanimating them are you?

I'm reminded of the classic film, Re-Animater.

 

[George3240]

If you plan on releasing him please don’t take him into the “country” and release him near anyone with poultry. We have enough problems without someone dumping more on us. It happens constantly. Dogs, cats, raccoons, opossums and once even some durn Emus. Be careful about releasing them on Federal Lands as well. Feds are kind of touchy about it here.

 

[BarredRockMom]

Those raccoons are smart critters!! I've watched one go in for the bait and keep one foot in the doorway so the trap cannot completely close and lock! Use a bait like tuna or peanut butter and spread it so it cannot be taken with one swipe. Once a coon has figured out a trap, you'll be hard pressed to catch it in one! And always release it a couple/few miles away or it will find its way home again!!

When you kill it, you save yourself any future problems from that particular varmint & don't end up foisting your problem critter onto someone else...which is always a bad idea.

For that reason, I never favor the ''relocate 'em & let 'em live" plan. I kill them all.

 

[aart]

Once a coon has figured out a trap, you'll be hard pressed to catch it in one! And always release it a couple/few miles away or it will find its way home again!!

See, it's people like you that spread trap savvy critters around
If you're going to trap, kill and bury!

 

[ajpisciotta]

Peanut butter.....I tried sardines with no luck, but with peanut butter, first night I caught a large male (at least 20 pounds) reset it on the second night I caught a smaller female. Of course it was is too late for my flock, went from 8 birds to 2 before catching those murdering monsters.
Hope this helps

 

[definitely not a farmer]

For raccoons I only use basically empty grape or jelly jars.
Jelly or jam will draw a racoon or opossum but will be totally ignored by cats, foxes and coyotes.
A jelly jar in the back of the cage is something a racoon has to get right in and manipulate, assuring the animal is totally in and almost guarantees the pressure plate will be triggered.
...some some live traps are very good at holding raccoons While others, like the all wire mesh one from Harbor Freight, is of too light of a build to hold a raccoon for more than a half an hour. Especially if the raccoon has been trapped in one before.
Be careful, raccoons are always considered rabid, at least in my state. Use Extreme Caution, although they are cute and look cuddly they tend to be extremely vicious.

 

[Tony Hawkins]

Another tip is to dispatch the coon BEFORE you dump it out of the trap. They are quick!

 

[ColoChickenLady]

There's a raccoon that's been wandering around the neighborhood killing chickens, and I'm trying to help my neighbors trap it.
They have trap that looks sort of like this:
View attachment 1722592
What bait should I use? Any tips? Thanks!

I use marshmallows with peanut butter... for some reason it works like a charm. I've caught probably 25 of the murderous beasts with that same trap.