Trapping a Raccoon - Baiting / Setting The Trap

[chicknmania]

Marshmallows work best if you want to trap just raccoons. But anything works. We used sardines, tuna fish, marshmallows and strawberries. A friend of mine said she can set an empty trap and they will go in. You don't really need to get them used to it. You can also cover the trap with a smaller meshed wire, or a trash bag, to keep the coons from reaching through the bars from the outside and grabbing your bait. That might be how your trap was sprung. This is the distasteful part of having chickens, as I hate to trap the wild critters. If you don't get rid of the raccoons, though, you'll have mayhem.

 

[usbr]

Cute kit, remember there will be 2-5 of its brothers and sisters running around as well as its parents. Oh, dont forget that weird uncle that never leaves home (come on, every family has one) and many cousins. Many, many cousins.

No need to acclimate the trap to the coon, they will go in if hungry but that dont mean you cant place several piles of food around the yard. As the piles disapear, leave less and less of them so they seek out more food (which will be in the trap). They will eat anything but it works best to leave out and bait with what the coon has been hanging around to eat. That probally means dropped chicken food or corn, or whatever other animals you are feeding at your place.

That trap is notorious for missing the animal. Learn to set it light and make sure the linkage moves freely (dont touch the side of the trap and hang up the levers). It helps a ton by putting some scrap sheet metal in the back of the trap, I used an old license plate. Set the trap and measure the height of the trip lever. Fold the same amount of sheet steel over on one end so it creates a 90 degree angle. Place the folded end at the far back of the trap and the non folded part should extend tward the front so it sets on the trip lever. Now set the bait on this new platform. When the animal comes in the trap, he places his paws on the platform and trips the trap. Without the platform, it is too easy (its actually natural) to step over the trip lever, eat the free offering and then walk back out. If you have to go somewhere to get license plates (junk yard, friends, whatever), get several because the coons will tear them up after the trap locks them in. I had a big male in my trap once and I swear he ate the plate. I couldnt find a piece larger than a dime and only about a dozen pieces.

Please dont "rehome" any trapped animals, its not fair the the animal or the people and animals in the area that you let it loose near.

Happy trapping

 

[unlikelyfarmers]

We use leftover salad with dressing on it. I think they'll eat just about anything though. We had a mother raccoon that would climb part of the way in and hold up the door so her babies could go in and eat. We discovered what was happening when she didn't quite make it out and one of her babies was stuck in the trap. It would be kind of sad if it was some other creature, but raccoons are very nasty. Once you see what they can do to your chickens you don't care what happens to them. Best of luck!

 

[Poison Ivy]

I use cat food and bacon plus I had to start putting concrete blocks on the sides of the trap. The raccoons figured out they could roll the cage to get the food out. Good luck on catching it.

 

[peacebird]

The racoon rolled the cage and got the food out once, but last night my son set the cage and put straw over and beside it to make it a little hobbit tunnel into the cage. The coon went in for the apple core and banana... This morning I went out and the coon was sitting on a huge pile of straw inside the cage. Apparently he pulled straw inside all night...

Anyhow - I hope this was "the" coon, and not poor old Uncle Harvey who just happened to hear rumours in racoon-town about a great new chicken restaurant....

We're setting the trap again tonight.

 

[SilverJeep]

I had a coon take all 6 of my new chicks in may. That's when i bought a "have a heart" trap.

I use anything for bait. I put two BIG rocks on top of the cage so they don't roll it over. Still have had a lot steal the bait. So now i put the meat (or whatever) under the trap at the end (where I want them). With the rocks on top the only way they can get to it is to get in the trap, past the trigger and try to pick it through the bottom.

Since May:
11 raccoons
2 cats (let them go)
1 fox
1 possum
1 skunk

The skunk was the last thing i caught. That was so horrible, i don't know if I'll get back in the trappin business.

SilverJeep

BTW, this is my first post here!

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, I use marshmallows to catch coons, and air to catch the possums (they are that dumb).

The type of trap I have is the type with the door that falls shut. Animal steps on pad with food and door shuts. I like it because you can set the sensitivity of the cage because it depends on one gravity hook thing and friction. The chickens love to sit on the cage and walk off the door and shut it so I have to reset it every night.

Another strategic method of setting the trap would be to place it against fences or buildings as the animals like to travel along edges. I also try to put the opening towards the direction they like travel and try to funnel them into it because if they find the back side, rather than the door, they will reach in and grab stuff.

 

[panner123]

Well Niffy, have you caught the coon yet?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Quote:
Funny you should ask. Almost every night since posting this thread I've put a different bait in the end of the trap... fish, cracked eggs, fruit, etc. etc. etc. Tonight I tried marshmallows.

I am very worried about possibly catching a skunk... that would totally stink!

I've got my trap super secure. One side is against a stone wall. The back and other side have boards against them and held in place by stakes. To top it off I've got a super heavy cement block on the top.

I guess I just keep waiting...

 

[peacebird]

we snagged a coon last week when we put overripe banana and apple quarters in the trap! my son hid the trap in a bale of hay so only the entrance was visible.

We'll be setting the trap again tomorrow night as well....