Box traps/baits/odd catches

[VaDutch]

I've been dealing with a family of raccoons for the last couple weeks. Really just wanted to share and have others share pictures and exchange ideas.

What are some interesting things people have used for bait? I found that the crunchy chips that you get at Chinese restaurants with soup work pretty good for raccoons. Having caught a neighbor's cat last week though I switched to peanut butter yesterday to give it a try. I've used marshmallows, soup chips, and deli meat in the past with decent success.

Caught a groundhog in a trap that wasn't baited last week. Other than a blackbird I caught on deli meat, probably the most surprising thing I've trapped so far. Anyone caught something weirder?

 

[TOR]

I use a hole set with 1.5 jaw trap. My last resort if I get problem coons. I live in hill country so I make the sets away from the chickens up on hill, no point drawing more presators to the chickens.
I use tainted meat, tuna, peanut butter, whatever I have on hand.
Even if get a few coon there will be more. Endless supply where I live.

Need to prevent them from getting chickens, than dont have to trap

 

[Huntmaster]

I use old eggs in live traps always woks great for me with Skunks, Racoons, Possums. No cat or dog or other domestic animals since using eggs. Doesn't attract from smell so you won't be drawing them in, so you need traps set in areas they are using around pens/coops. I have live traps in use around my pens most of the time and if they see that egg they can't resist.

 

[VaDutch]

I use old eggs in live traps always woks great for me with Skunks, Racoons, Possums. No cat or dog or other domestic animals since using eggs. Doesn't attract from smell so you won't be drawing them in, so you need traps set in areas they are using around pens/coops. I have live traps in use around my pens most of the time and if they see that egg they can't resist.

Hadn't tried that. I will now though. Thanks!

 

[VaDutch]

Peanut butter worked good. Still might have a couple more though. Stirred up the peanut butter jar and added some chips. Nothing last night so will try the eggs in a days or so.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Talked to someone once who was catching bearded dragons (yes, the lizards) in mouse traps in their new rental apartment (escapee from previous resident)!

 

[TOR]

Peanut butter worked good. Still might have a couple more though. Stirred up the peanut butter jar and added some chips. Nothing last night so will try the eggs in a days or so.

Well if the predators dont bother me or chickens, i dont bother them.
I have not trapped a coon in 3 years, I am sure they around as always.

 

[Sally PB]

This year, the chipmunk and red squirrel population exploded. I'm guessing it's due to the mild winter we had last year. Wood chucks abound as well.

I bought a tunnel style snap trap and have caught 2 red squirrels and one chipmunk so far with peanut butter.

I've used cantaloupe as bait for wood chucks. They're harder to catch in a trap, it seems, but I did get one. The melon also netted me two possums and a bunny.

I usually don't mind sharing a bit of the garden bounty with them. But they aren't sharing back. Something ate all of my row of bean plants down to the ground.

 

[VaDutch]

Talked to someone once who was catching bearded dragons (yes, the lizards) in mouse traps in their new rental apartment (escapee from previous resident)!

That's wild!

 

[VaDutch]

Well if the predators dont bother me or chickens, i dont bother them.
I have not trapped a coon in 3 years, I am sure they around as always.

I lost 6 of my younger birds over the course of a week due to them reaching in the pens and killing them. I have made adjustments to stop them but will probably also keep a box trap set by one of my big pens from here on our just to be safe.