Thought it would be a good idea to share some tips on baiting practices and even some of your favorite baits and lures for animals using cage traps.

One of the things I do is re-use old sardine tins. They make a great container to put raccoon and squirrel bait in. With squirrels, I fill it up and tilt it against the back of the cage on a 45 o slant. Because the bait is oily, rain will run off of it, for the most part. I normally use a light cover over the bait on all my traps to keep the sun and rain off. For skunks, possums and raccoons, I use the "tins" to put a fruit paste in with a few marshmallows for eye appeal. Often times using the mini marshmallows as a trail into the trap. I usually tilt the lured tin too but at a lesser angle. On chipmunks, I use a small clam shell baited with squirrel bait. Seems to be the right amount!

Here we go. I am waiting for the little debbie cakes, some fried chicken and dead chicken in the cage trap. LOL

They do make a good cream pie..........ummmmmmm, lil'debbie.

Well I do not use any of those... and I am having a more and more difficult time catching raccoons on what I used to so I am using and making alot more professional type baits and lures these days.

I use Bob's and others with great success, and some of my own with great results as well.

I suppose I should thank my compition for having caught and released raccoons for over 15 years. There are alot of them out there that are more difficult to catch. Funny thing is that now some of their customers are calling me to catch their coons... can't shake a stick at that... LOL, I should by them a lunch.

I blind set chipmunks though....

Any paticular way you place your bait in a cage trap, Paul? Blind setting for chipmunks? 2-way trap against a wall?

When I was a kid, we would glue some whole kernel corn on a Victor Rat Trap and sprinkle some around and across the front of the trap. Usually catch the chipmunk with his cheeks full going for the last (glued on) piece. We would squeeze him and make him drop every last piece and reset the trap. Then we skinned them with a straight razor and dried them on a weasel stretcher.

Cage trap bait placement is placed 1/3 outside 1/3 just inside and 1/3 behind the pan, unless of course it is a synthetic lure and that is always placed all the way behind the pan only.

Chipmunks are set up using victor pro rat traps, the ones with the yellow pans, I modify them and drift fence them to funnel them chippies down, it helps to lay on the ground and get a chipmunk's eye view of the terrain. (I do the same when blind setting for mink)

I do not bait rat traps to cut down on non-targets there are just too many otherwise. I do not want a grey squirrel in a rat trap on a chipmunk job for instance.

a word to the wise... never set just one rat trap for a chipmunk, always double them. I learned this the hard way, One time I had set my job up, had the traps in place, was signing the contract and collecting payment, shooting the bull with the customer, when out came Mr chippy. I thought this will be good the customer can see me in action... yeah right... Mr chippy ran the gauntlet of traps swiftly jumping over ever last trap I had set LOL.

I doubled the traps and he tried it again while we were still standing there. We both learned a lesson, and we both left that job together in the same truck. HA!

Chipmunks are also carnivorous, they will eat on each other. not all of them, all of the time, but some family units seem to be worse then others.

I do use some bait for them from time to time for live trap jobs when trapping for a sensitive customer, but even in these cases I perfer to blind set the holes with extruders or colony type traps and hardware cloth

Drift fencing for chippies....Hey LA, you gettin' this down?

LT GREY- What is a drift fence.
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Ron Fry

If i use a bait container it is a sm white foam bowl... I like the white for the attraction. I do not use bait covers.....I charge to rebait and inspect every 3 days in my contract.... As far as Bait.....Big Marshmellows, fig newton and chicken soup for the soul dog food are the main stay. I also use a LOT of apple oil.

Told you it was coming. Vinke what are we to do with you.LOL

He's got the Seattle influence...

Jimi Hendrex and Curt Kobain????........... Ted Nugent is coming to our little fair in aug.........Wonder what kind of influence he will have.........

Waaaaahhhhh Wango Z tango.........


Vinke, you're not r e a l l y using chicken soup and fig newtons for bait are you? Marshmallows, well even I use them but usually "with" some other bait or lure. Tell us what you really use, not some funny story.

LA, if you read Barkstone's post, you will see he says he uses a drift fence to guide chipmunks to his traps...

And- My question to you was

Do they really work??

Ron Fry

OOOOOOoooookkkkkkkk........I have a "Magic" Flute and a Genie in a bottle who can not count

Man Vinke, I want some of what you're on! Ha!... You must be R E A L close to Canada, if you get my drift!

LA, Kinda wondered that one myself. He said he uses them to help guide the chipmunks to his snap traps... ? I use squirrel bait myself but maybe his way is better? I never heard of anyone using it to catch a fox either... Possums,groudhogs, 'dilla's, and skunks, sure! But foxes? Learn something new everyday!!!

for coons in a no cat area (not many of those i know) I use smoked oyster oil (leftover from what I can't stop eating myself.)
I mix in a little glycol to "thin" it (or make it last longer)
I use mellows as well for eye candy... If I have gotten a smaller coon but not the moma and pa, i use a little coon urine on a fuzzy dog toy...

bushy tails usually get a multi catch unbaited <(Oooh, look, a compound adjictive)...Or rat traps, or 110's up high. I use smaller cage traps with nut oil and peanuts or other nuts to trail them on the ground or as backup..
I use a pheasant wing on a wire from the back of a cage for fox with some quail, grouse, or duck scent...( I just don't have any pheasant scent around)
I have made a large backing, #2 cs flat set with a "nest" of duck feathers and duck scent for yotes and it has worked well. Sucks when windy though.

( OT-BTW- toss some feathers in your duck decoy spread for realism, works good - but again, windy days ruin it)


Has anyone used fur in or at a set? I was thinking of trying it, but just have not yet. Figured it would work well on K9...

Don, You should be aware that it is illegal to use "ANY" part of a native "game bird" (ie: ducks, geese, quail, pheasant,doves,etc.) for bait, for any trap, in the state of OHIO! I certainly wouldn'd put it on a public forum when people know who you are. Had you read your manual that comes with your trapping licence, you would know that. You'd also know that it comes with a serious fine, if you're ever caught doing it!

Smoked oysters, I have tried those but they are way too expensive for my taste to use as a coon bait. On that line of baits, I would rather have a tin of sardines in soybean oil. and a splash of shellfish. I have (and do) caught hundreds of coons every year on no more than that. You can also use the soybean oil as a trailing scent, out away from the cage. Of course it will catch housecats.

Pheasant wing on a string? Soungs like a housecat set more than a fox set. Feathers are no doubt big attracters for all predators, but I would want something they could actually eat. Even LA Trapper (and maybe Dave Vinke), who is as far as I can tell are probably the best trapper at getting a fox in a cage trap, at least on this forum, would use a more substantial bait that a bird wing to try to catch a fox in a cage trap, even a young one.

Pheasant scent? Just what "is" pheasant scent? I trap the biggest Pheasant farm in Southern Ohio 10 months a year. So one could say I am around 10's of thousands of birds,at every stage of their natural life. Other than the body odor of 30,000 birds, , can't say I've noticed any special odor other than the normal poultry scent you get with that many birds all together. Just how does one get this "scent" from a pheasant? Is this a synthectic product like they train a young dog with?

You must make it LT GREY. Like I do. HA!!!! Grouse, chukar, duck etc.No and I am not telling how I do it.........

OK well if Bobby J says there is a pheasant scent, then there must be one. Sounds like a gun dog training scent(?)to me. I mean, I never heard of a trapper using it. I still can't see it being better than a good lure or bait that was made to trap with. Back in the early and mid 80's, while it was still legal, I trapped hundreds of fox pups for the live market in 1.5 softcatches. Pretty much a dirthole with some bait in it. Of course now, we can't sell foxes live. Well Bob, then maybe you should tell me which oil gland or what ever it is you need, because I could have these guys who process the pheasants after they are shot collect them for you. Otherwise, they just give the scraps to me and I use them to fatten up the coon, fox and coyotes, at least until December 1st. A big pile of pheasant parts can be found and devoured in a hurry. Just can't use it as a bait with a trap near it.

I formulate the bird scents for dog training specifically. I have not used them for general fur trapping or control work. Even though I am sure it would have an impact on predators. Just not the push of a good bait or lure as stated.

LOL. Did not say I used it in Ohio...
I have hunting dogs so i have lots of bird scent (and feathers) around... you can get all of them at places like Bass pro, cabelas, some at Dicks... etc... I am putting this info on here not because it is my mainstay, or because i use it every day, Mellows and sweet baits for coon is what I use the most with some of Bobs trailing lures for skunks, etc. Just figured why put something on here that everyone else is going to use. I guess I figured since the topic is "favorite" baits and lures, I'd put what my fovorite is... not what I use every day...LOL. Thought thats what you were asking.

You have to understand LT GREY he at times has a senior moment as do I at times. LOL

I am still not telling how I do it.You start with the pheasant urine, uterus, bladder and anal vent. :)Add some duck juice and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add noodles for effect and a lure holder.

no biggie...

No Bobby J , it has to be the glands! Since all animals smell like their glands, it has to be the oil glands on a bird! Pheasant urine? Surely you jest! Wait until I tell the boys at the Pheasant farm that one ...Ha!

LOL

One thing to add: I rarely use one scent / lure / bait for coons. I find a variety of scents helps the curiosity set in.

Eye appeal I find is the more important criteria many times then the type of odor. Animals imprint upon known and favorite food types and sources that they know and recognize from their experience.

This recognition is at times the fatal attraction. By simply rolling up a ball of color newsprint newspaper or white wrapping paper scented and placed into a cage is reminesicent of a torn apart garbage bag with some goodies inside.

Also something as simple as a suspended bagel cut in half smeared with bait or lure will give eye appeal and better scent dispersal. A few large marshmellows speared and suspended from a wire in the rear of the cage is another great example that many have found much merit in this application.

Eye appeal is where it is all at in the mix of things once you are on location. Whether fur trapping or cage trapping in someones back yard. Focus point items with scent will do more to support a presentation then most realize. Trailing scents show animals the door and discourage an animal from working through the wire at the rear or side of the cage to get to the odor or eye appeal.

Just some food for thought from an old timer.

I have tried the hanging bagel in the village of Goldberg but the trap always upset...

Some hobo beat the coon to it or ?

In regards to Bob's last comment I like the foil cheesy paper form Sonic and Rally's for that eye appeal.

Goldberg is a Jewish community....( Guess he missed that)

Sorry I didnt know what you were referring too. My error.

Okay, I must admit it. I've got a soft spot for the sure fire catch all. Sardines. So much so that I just got to snag one or two for myself before I slide it to back of the trap. LOL

Ahhhh, a man after my own heart. Ha! I do catch myself doin' that, when I hope no one is lookin'. You can "still" catch that coon with one less sardine, right? Ha! (Sardines, peanut butter, marshmallows, apples...) One good thing about being a nuisance trapper, if you get hungrey, you can always eat the bait!

spread a little "Gusto" or "Magnum Martin" on them sardines for flavor! MMmmm...

I only use a skunky lure in cold weather, then it really makes a difference. Warmer weather, a loud shellfish type or fruit paste with sweet aditives, are my main stay.

What do you guys use for cage trapping skunks when cats and dogs are around?????


mtbadger

Use smaller cages and reasonably domestic animal proof bait and lure. I have only caught 2 cats in over 31 years nuisance trapping. Caught many more fur trapping tho.

LMAO... except for the fact that I use tuna from Aldi's I have had that gourmet meal too many times myself.

When my 12 year first went on the job with me, several of those tuna cans had lost thier wrapper and I told him we were going to have coon bait for lunch and he flipped! Funny thing is he loves tuna. Well he ate it with a grimace... looked up at me and said "You know this coon bait tastes alot like tuna" I still laught at that.

Just received some of Bob's "Fireball" so I'll let you know if that becomes a favorite soon. Makes me want to go out and get some jaw breakers!

Smelt

Back around 1988 or 90 (or so....) I bought a gallon of FIREBALL off Bob and caught 90 some coon's on it, and he'll confirm that, so it payed for it's self, no doubt. Bob makes some very good products and I've caught animals on all I've tried.