Hello all, I figured I would ask the experts. Do you think its possible for a skunk to enter a pvc spray proof trap remove all the bait and not trip the trap? And if so, how? I have the bait all the way in the back with a trail of bait to the front, he has emptied the trap four or five times and I can't figure out how. I have set the trap and fired it every day it works properly. I thought maybe it was just mice, my camera did show mice but also a skunk. Is it possible?

Possible but highly unlikely

what kind of bait? It could be the mice.

If it is the skunk that's eating all that bait, by now he should weigh enough to trip a bear trap. If nothing else works, put some

mouse poison in there. You can turn your problem mice into bait that way. No skunk can resist a big fat mouse that smells like

Contrac Blox.

Use a hanging wire trigger trap with two wires hanging down in the configuration like a "U" not a "V". Mice will center the wire, go through. The "U" fits the configuration of the tube, making whatever enters to walk right down the center. When the larger skunk comes through he fires the trap. If no mice, put bait right on trigger. Using a double door tube trap with body grip type wire trigger, put the trap where their hole is or funnel where they walk. Use same conformation on trigger.

On a larger trap say for beaver say a 12x12 swim through do the same and miss most of your muskrats. Change the configuration to a "W" and catch them.

Works the same way for otter. How you position the wire trigger helps to increase the chance of targeted animals only.

The bait is jelly beans, marshmallows, and puppy chow. I'm putting one handful behind the trigger and another in front of and outside. I just didn't think mice would take that much. And even if they did I thought the skunk would still go in because of the smell. I have caught five out of this barn but this one is giving me fits. I only have two live traps, the spay proof and a small Havahart. I set the other one where it was entering the barn but had a malfunction, door did not lock. Reset and it has not gone through there again. Tried to put the Havahart in front of the den, (thinking I got you now) only to have him burrow just around the cage. I didn't want to use the cage in the barn because chance of spray but am getting very frustrated. I might try different bait. Any suggestions?