Hey guys I love the posts and help all provide here, I basically read and don't reply as I'm a rookie here. I have a Raccoon job that I am currently pulling my hair out over. These raccoons are living under a shed and absolutely destroying the property. I have been able to remove 2 coons but the last one refuses to be caught. I have tried both cage and Dp's. The setup would allow for snares to do the job in 1 try however its not legal here in NY. What can i do I am at a loss here. The baits used are Marshmallow in the Dp's and Hunks of fresh salmon in the cage traps. I even closed off the opening and made access to the trap the only way out. Don't you know this [Please excuse my language... I'm an idiot] destroyed my setup to avoid the trap. I have been onsite for almost 3 weeks and finally i ask for your HELP.

Thanks in advance

Take your cage trap and cover the bottom with leaves and dirt and cover the trigger pan with dirt also. Also camoflauge the outside of your trap with sticks and leaves. For your Dp's try using dry cat food and grape faygp pop,its a good attractant for coons. Put a golf ball on top of the dp and dump grape faygo pop all aroung it and in it. The golfball will make the coon work the set harder.

First, need your location in your profile. House rules. Try a bigger cage if you have one. Sometimes, they will go in a big cage trap. Also change baits. Maybe, fish shy. If they have been in a cage and let loose/got out, they will be hard to get in another cage. Use a bait that they can taste and like out in front of the trap. Then trail them in. You did not say anything about body grips. If legal, in front of the hole.

Body grip is my last last last resort and I am getting to that real soon. I will try changing the bait up I placed the cage trap inside a large garbage can to help change the cage look to a garbage can but so far no luck. I always put yummy food outside the cage to attract the wildlife Its just a bust with this one coon. O.k off I go to check my traps thanks for the replies

Cover the cage floor, maybe use the same cage you caught the other coons in and use a Boiled egg for bait.........Now ya have him caught, just go do it.lol

If there's only 1 entry, put the cage trap in front of the hole. Put bucket s or something to the sides to force said critter into trap. If there's more than one entry, close the others to make him use just one. Also, did you clean your trap?

You could make a positive set with a Comstock trap. Or try a plastic catch trap. Sometimes a trap wise coon will walk into a plastic catch when they won't even look a cage trap. It is a good idea to have a few different types of traps in your arsenal.

you might want to try to out smart the raccoon. try rigging the door to stay open by shoving a stick throw the side and set the bait in the back. lure the coon on by putting small amounts of bait in the front of the trap. when the raccoon is use to the trap he will think it is just another food area. then remove the stick se the trap like normal. using a cover scent and raccoon pee should help also.

O.K after 3 weeks i finally caught momma coon. Her 2 pups i caught within the first three nights then the long stale mate took place. Come to find out she could not resist the huge salmon steak i wired to the rear of the cage that was placed in a garbage can covered with well GARBAGE. My customer didn't like the idea but I almost assured it would work. Patience is the key and man do I lack that... Urban coons are much smarter than deep woods coons. Thanks for all the suggestions, I really do appreciate it .......

One thing I do for cage smart coons is use a very large cage, dog size, and put a piece of plywood to extend the trigger and bait the heck out of it. When the get part way in, whammo its over.

trap smart coons can be caught, by some little tricks and baiting strategies, you have to rely on THAT coons behaviour not habits of coon to catch THAT coon, trap shy coons you really have to confuse them. Most really trap shy coon will not be caught in a cage trap. here in my area a really trap shy coon will leave the house with just placing a trap by the hole not bait or even set. you have to make them think this is not a negative.

So do you care to share your little tricks and strategies?

See it all the time. And as soon as you pull that trap that coon comes back.

It seems for me the really trap shy coons are usually old beat up mamma coons who have been around the block a time or two.

trap shy are hard to catch, they avoid the traps, and like Nathan stated they will leave the trap site as long as the trap is there. a trap smart coon can be caught. I try to take the coons attention off the trap and on to the inside of the cage. I do this with the way I bait the trap. if they still will not go and trip the trap I will do a few other tricks depending on what the coon is doing. I bait ever trap the same way from the get go. I don't want to wait 3 days to find out if I have a shy or smart coon.
this is the way I bait traps this pic shows one trap with egg shells and one trap marshmallows for sight and taste. both have bait on them. it also shows me how they react to the trap.
http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr114/redneckspride/100_6170.jpg

By baiting the trap tis way you can tell what you are dealing with.

This trap has a trap smart coon, notice how much it worked the outside of the trap and inside the trap right up to the pan. the coons tracks completely covered my boot tracks in the sand.
http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr114/redneckspride/050_zps8cd5a076.jpg
http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr114/redneckspride/051_zpsb19850e9.jpg

you can tell how the coon is working the trap, on how much it is going to be a pain. the coon above is a real pain. notice how much it worked the outside of the trap yet did not spring it off.


if a coon is going in and stopping at the pan a few nights in a row. then I will many times turn the trap around 180 degrees. the door is now at the back and the back is at the front. I also do this on coon where they are firing the trap off. If the coon does the same thing after I do that, I will load the trap up with bait and shut it down and wait till the trap is moved or flipped then I will set it up again. most time the coon will get caught at that point. I am not putting that much effort in a fur coon for 20 bucks LOL.