What is the best bait for a smart ‘coon!?

[SueT]

well peanut butter has worked here...

 

[WindingRoad]

The best bait I have found is the poor chicken. I put it in the hav-a-hart trap and put it back where the coon had it. i also *slightly* rearranged some of the "stuff" in the area to help hide the back and one side so it thinks it found nice cozy place to eat. I have never had any luck with an other bait (except to catch curious chickens). Also, as someone pointed out, once they have the taste of blood..... Also, I think this may only work with the original coon? Lower ranking or transients just passing through may not feel confident enough to steal a kill. My nuisance, I'm pretty sure. was a momma with tag-along mostly-grown kits or one of the kits. A chicken is a quick, filling meal, easily shared.

I have wanted to try those humane paw traps--put in the food, they reach in, and they're caught--but I'm not sure where to look for them. Even after you've caught them, you have to do something with them.....DISPATCH THEM don't relocate them. They will be back--"the best techniques are passed on by the survivors"--and they will be smarter. They also carry diseases-and a parasite that could kill your chickens, pets, even you! A quick death is also preferable to sending them to starve in the woods--most raccoons I have seen seem more feral than wild and rely on humans to survive.

Maybe this raccoon is smart because someone trapped and relocated it near you?!?

Good to check local laws before doing anything. Also trap and release is a danger to you. Racoons bite and more than likely carry rabies.

 

[frankflonker95]

i have used jello and it worked

 

[Bonniebooboo]

Once a coon is trapped and relocated and set free, it has learned about the trap. can pass that onto offspring. Maybe that is what has happened with yours. They do return, might take a week or two but tend to find their way back. dispatch is best. You may have to sit out in the dark with night vision goggles and take it out. Hope you find something that works for you.

 

[JayceMusgrove82]

The best bait I have found is the poor chicken. I put it in the hav-a-hart trap and put it back where the coon had it. i also *slightly* rearranged some of the "stuff" in the area to help hide the back and one side so it thinks it found nice cozy place to eat. I have never had any luck with an other bait (except to catch curious chickens). Also, as someone pointed out, once they have the taste of blood..... Also, I think this may only work with the original coon? Lower ranking or transients just passing through may not feel confident enough to steal a kill. My nuisance, I'm pretty sure. was a momma with tag-along mostly-grown kits or one of the kits. A chicken is a quick, filling meal, easily shared.

I have wanted to try those humane paw traps--put in the food, they reach in, and they're caught--but I'm not sure where to look for them. Even after you've caught them, you have to do something with them.....DISPATCH THEM don't relocate them. They will be back--"the best techniques are passed on by the survivors"--and they will be smarter. They also carry diseases-and a parasite that could kill your chickens, pets, even you! A quick death is also preferable to sending them to starve in the woods--most raccoons I have seen seem more feral than wild and rely on humans to survive.

Maybe this raccoon is smart because someone trapped and relocated it near you?!?

I live in a pretty remote area, and I own 76 acres, so they would be trespassing to relocate an animal near me! But I have at least 40 chickens, so I’m willing to sacrifice one to save 10, thank you for this advice! Should I use a baby chick?
Or a grown hen?

 

[Howard E]

Which DP traps are you using and how and where are you setting them? That matters. Also, are the traps firing and missing or no activity at all?



This is the trail my resident coons have created and use to travel to and from the barn when stealing dry cat food. If you have coons coming to your coop, you need to find the pathway they are using. It will generally be a trail like this. As for dry cat food, they (along with possums, skunks, foxes, etc) seem to be addicted to it. Cheap barn kitty stuff I get at the local feed store in 40 pound bags.

If I wanted to catch coons.......I'd set up my DP traps smack dab in the middle of that trail...right on the red line........and initially, I'd not arm or set the trap. Just fill it full to the brim with cat food. I'd check and re-fill it daily and perhaps even setup a trail camera to monitor what comes and goes to be certain it was coons cleaning it out. You want to give them time to find the buffet......and how can they miss it when they have to trip over it? And time to overcome any fear of the trap and it's scent. By setting it up in the trail they are using, they will think I'm doing them a favor......saving them a walk the rest of the way up the hill.

After several days, when I was pretty certain they were comfortable cleaning it out, then and only then, I'd arm it. I might setup as many as 5 or 6 of them......far enough apart so caught coons would not get tangled with each other. Done right, you might catch a whole bunch the first night. Shoot em in the head and that's that.

If you are using Dukes, OK. In winter on frozen ground, and most other times too, you will get far better catch rates with the two way trigger traps like a Coon Dagger. Just don't fill it once you set it........just a little in the bottom and not even touching the trigger because it can go off pushing as well as pulling. Likely as not, they may set it off the first handful they grab. When the ground is frozen, Coon Daggers can be set on a small stick stuck in the frozen ground so it won't be frozen in place. Coon Daggers also come with double swivels....helps prevent the chains from twisting.

The downside to a two way trigger trap like a Coon Dagger is it will catch cats and possums too. Anything that can get it's paw down it. But then it's your choice.....kill em or release em.......(cats).

 

[JayceMusgrove82]

Once a coon is trapped and relocated and set free, it has learned about the trap. can pass that onto offspring. Maybe that is what has happened with yours. They do return, might take a week or two but tend to find their way back. dispatch is best. You may have to sit out in the dark with night vision goggles and take it out. Hope you find something that works for you.

I’m thinking about taking my old .308 and busting some coons and ‘yotes!
I’m tired of losing my chickens to the masked bandits! I’m buying more traps, and I will most likely use my trail cam and see what I can get! I want these things gone!

 

[JayceMusgrove82]

Which DP traps are you using and how and where are you setting them? That matters. Also, are the traps firing and missing or no activity at all?

View attachment 1620176 View attachment 1620177

This is the trail my resident coons have created and use to travel to and from the barn when stealing dry cat food. If you have coons coming to your coop, you need to find the pathway they are using. It will generally be a trail like this. As for dry cat food, they (along with possums, skunks, foxes, etc) seem to be addicted to it. Cheap barn kitty stuff I get at the local feed store in 40 pound bags.

If I wanted to catch coons.......I'd set up my DP traps smack dab in the middle of that trail...right on the red line........and initially, I'd not arm or set the trap. Just fill it full to the brim with cat food. I'd check and re-fill it daily and perhaps even setup a trail camera to monitor what comes and goes to be certain it was coons cleaning it out. You want to give them time to find the buffet......and how can they miss it when they have to trip over it? And time to overcome any fear of the trap and it's scent. By setting it up in the trail they are using, they will think I'm doing them a favor......saving them a walk the rest of the way up the hill.

After several days, when I was pretty certain they were comfortable cleaning it out, then and only then, I'd arm it. I might setup as many as 5 or 6 of them......far enough apart so caught coons would not get tangled with each other. Done right, you might catch a whole bunch the first night. Shoot em in the head and that's that.

If you are using Dukes, OK. In winter on frozen ground, and most other times too, you will get far better catch rates with the two way trigger traps like a Coon Dagger. Just don't fill it once you set it........just a little in the bottom and not even touching the trigger because it can go off pushing as well as pulling. Likely as not, they may set it off the first handful they grab. When the ground is frozen, Coon Daggers can be set on a small stick stuck in the frozen ground so it won't be frozen in place. Coon Daggers also come with double swivels....helps prevent the chains from twisting.

The downside to a two way trigger trap like a Coon Dagger is it will catch cats and possums too. Anything that can get it's paw down it. But then it's your choice.....kill em or release em.......(cats).

Releasing is out of the question, and I live on a farm that doesn’t have much grass! So I haven’t been able to find where they come from, but I have found where they leave out! I have a dirt trail, and we recently got a lot of rain...so the little sucker decided to make one wrong move, he walked across that road, and I have found many tracks near, or exactly where those other tracks were, obviously he is leaving out that way! I will set up some DPs and paw traps right on that trail! Thank you so much I hope I get something, and if I do get em, I owe you all the thanks

 

[Howard E]

PS: While you are trapping, you may want to hold off on the deer corn......or just use that for bait......with no other deer corn or anything else around for them to eat, EXCEPT what is being used to bait the traps. The only choice you give them is take the bait or go hungry.

 

[JayceMusgrove82]

Which DP traps are you using and how and where are you setting them? That matters. Also, are the traps firing and missing or no activity at all?

View attachment 1620176 View attachment 1620177

This is the trail my resident coons have created and use to travel to and from the barn when stealing dry cat food. If you have coons coming to your coop, you need to find the pathway they are using. It will generally be a trail like this. As for dry cat food, they (along with possums, skunks, foxes, etc) seem to be addicted to it. Cheap barn kitty stuff I get at the local feed store in 40 pound bags.

If I wanted to catch coons.......I'd set up my DP traps smack dab in the middle of that trail...right on the red line........and initially, I'd not arm or set the trap. Just fill it full to the brim with cat food. I'd check and re-fill it daily and perhaps even setup a trail camera to monitor what comes and goes to be certain it was coons cleaning it out. You want to give them time to find the buffet......and how can they miss it when they have to trip over it? And time to overcome any fear of the trap and it's scent. By setting it up in the trail they are using, they will think I'm doing them a favor......saving them a walk the rest of the way up the hill.

After several days, when I was pretty certain they were comfortable cleaning it out, then and only then, I'd arm it. I might setup as many as 5 or 6 of them......far enough apart so caught coons would not get tangled with each other. Done right, you might catch a whole bunch the first night. Shoot em in the head and that's that.

If you are using Dukes, OK. In winter on frozen ground, and most other times too, you will get far better catch rates with the two way trigger traps like a Coon Dagger. Just don't fill it once you set it........just a little in the bottom and not even touching the trigger because it can go off pushing as well as pulling. Likely as not, they may set it off the first handful they grab. When the ground is frozen, Coon Daggers can be set on a small stick stuck in the frozen ground so it won't be frozen in place. Coon Daggers also come with double swivels....helps prevent the chains from twisting.

The downside to a two way trigger trap like a Coon Dagger is it will catch cats and possums too. Anything that can get it's paw down it. But then it's your choice.....kill em or release em.......(cats).

The traps have been tampered, and set off, but those re

PS: While you are trapping, you may want to hold off on the deer corn......or just use that for bait......with no other deer corn or anything else around for them to eat, EXCEPT what is being used to bait the traps. The only choice you give them is take the bait or go hungry.

I have been doing just that, and they always figure out a way around them!