raccoon or malicious spirit

[Gone]

Raccoons are malicious spirits!
Punch holes in the cat food or sardine can, and wire it inside the trap. It's cold, it won't get awful anytime soon.
I agree that you may be dealing with a trap wise critter, or more than one of them. Maybe the duke traps would be worth a try, and a larger live trap. Sometimes big live traps are available to rent at hardware stores or rental places too.
Then shoot!
And thanks for the update, do keep us posted.
Mary

Thanks for the great ideas. I'll try them and try to keep you posted.