Smart raccoon avoiding capture

[sekeyslaks]

So I have a coon that is been hanging around my coop and I’m trying to catch it before it hurts my birds. After 3 days of setting my Havahart trap it remains uncaptured! It has eaten the dog food bait and triggered the door but escapes every time but this morning took a turn for the worse when I went to check it to find that it ate one of my birds,and it LIFTED UP the trap while a shavings bail was still on it to get the bait underneath..Clearly this isn’t the normal runty coons I usually catch I think i’ve got a big one on my hands.I could use some tips and tricks from seasoned catchers please!

 

[cavemanrich]

Sorry to hear you lost a bird. ,, What do you intend to do with Rocky, once you catch him??
No location in your profile, so I don't know what advice to offer you.
Raccoons are smart, and once caught, know how to avoid getting caught again.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[sekeyslaks]

Sorry to hear you lost a bird. ,, What do you intend to do with Rocky, once you catch him??
No location in your profile, so I don't know what advice to offer you.
Raccoons are smart, and once caught, know how to avoid getting caught again.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Yeah forgive me but I refuse to give location because you know.Internet. I had intended to re-locate him but if he is this smart I might be doing others a favor putting him down..

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Nobody wants your address, just a general area, maybe your state, would be helpful to enable us to assist you. We're not going to hunt you down, I promise! Example, I live in SE Missouri. Sounds like you are dealing with a big boar. This is why we discourage people from relocating raccoons when they catch them. These critters are SMART. Transport them off your own place and now somebody else has a major problem: a trap-wise coon. If you catch one, shoot it in the trap. I wish I had an answer for you. Other than lying in wait for him, maybe even inside the coop with a .38, I have no suggestions. Good luck.

 

[Krugerrand]

Yeah forgive me but I refuse to give location because you know.Internet. I had intended to re-locate him but if he is this smart I might be doing others a favor putting him down..

FYI - (internet) unless you've moved since then, you've already mentioned your state in another thread.

 

[Ravenseye]

I still suggest using a trap with bait but not setting it to shut. Let the critter take the bait a few times to build confidence and then try.

 

[cavemanrich]

Nobody wants your address, just a general area, maybe your state, would be helpful to enable us to assist you. We're not going to hunt you down, I promise! Example, I live in SE Missouri.

I say to others, If you are concerned about personal security, just lie, and put an adjacent town or state with same conditions/climate, as yours. This gives respondents an idea on best solution.

BTW,, SE Missouri is beautiful country. Luv the Ozarks. Maybe by my username, you can figure out I have explored some of those underground dwellings in your state.

 

[50-45-1]

I suggest you tightly WIRE a chicken leg/thigh towards the back if the trap but not so close to the sides it can reach in and grab it.
Also take a small portion of tin and place it under the piece of chicken so he cant get the bait from underneath
Now how is he gitting out of the trap after it has sprung with him inside?
We had that exact thing happen to us and it turned out the trap was only catching the lock on one side, making it possible for the coon to muscle one door side open enough to slip back out. Coons are incredibly strong. There is a video on YouTube of a racoon lifting up a garage door to escape a garage
Test fire the trap and make sure it is locking securely when shut.
Make sure it's on a flat surface.
Setting up a trail cam will help you discover how he is escaping.
A baby monitor Could alert you when the trap is sprung and you could get out there pronto and dispatch this chicken killer.
Finally I will add that you should secure your chickens on a preditor proof coop so you dont have to worry about nighttime critters and sleep soundly knowing they are safe.

 

[sekeyslaks]

Nobody wants your address, just a general area, maybe your state, would be helpful to enable us to assist you. We're not going to hunt you down, I promise! Example, I live in SE Missouri. Sounds like you are dealing with a big boar. This is why we discourage people from relocating raccoons when they catch them. These critters are SMART. Transport them off your own place and now somebody else has a major problem: a trap-wise coon. If you catch one, shoot it in the trap. I wish I had an answer for you. Other than lying in wait for him, maybe even inside the coop with a .38, I have no suggestions. Good luck.

Haha all right I’m situated in Tennessee we don’t get boars here.And I’m certain it is a coon(or even multiple ones)because I’ve seen it’s prints if you want to see the prints let me know!

 

[sekeyslaks]

I suggest you tightly WIRE a chicken leg/thigh towards the back if the trap but not so close to the sides it can reach in and grab it.
Also take a small portion of tin and place it under the piece of chicken so he cant get the bait from underneath
Now how is he gitting out of the trap after it has sprung with him inside?
We had that exact thing happen to us and it turned out the trap was only catching the lock on one side, making it possible for the coon to muscle one door side open enough to slip back out. Coons are incredibly strong. There is a video on YouTube of a racoon lifting up a garage door to escape a garage
Test fire the trap and make sure it is locking securely when shut.
Make sure it's on a flat surface.
Setting up a trail cam will help you discover how he is escaping.
A baby monitor Could alert you when the trap is sprung and you could get out there pronto and dispatch this chicken killer.
Finally I will add that you should secure your chickens on a preditor proof coop so you dont have to worry about nighttime critters and sleep soundly knowing they are safe.

We think the coon is triggering the trap shut without going in and then digging underneath to get the bowl of food I place under the back of the trap,I keep putting heavy things on the trap like shavings bails and even a cinderblock to keep them from moving it but no luck so far.I had an idea though about making a square “treat ball” filled with dog food made with hardware cloth and using metal wire to either hang it up or attach it to the back of the trap? I wouldn’t attach any kind of meat as bait around here because the fire ants get attracted to it and kill the trapped animal hard to clear out the trap when ants are biting you as well!