Raccoon bait for dog proof traps

[Nine Banger]

So the golf ball just sits on top? I have barn cats running around my farm, can they get caught in this style of trap if I use cat food?

Thanks!

I don't think the golf ball will change your numbers. Just one more thing to keep after if you add it to your sets. If anything it will dampen scent versus keep it drier and be a trade off?

I haven't caught a cat but it seems possible if they are persistently digging for that last morsel. I think they are smart enough to knock it over and bat it around.

 

[summs]

So the golf ball just sits on top? I have barn cats running around my farm, can they get caught in this style of trap if I use cat food?

Thanks!

Yes. golf ball on top.
1. It stands out and draws the eye
2. It some rain out of the trap and the bait lasts longer
I would not use cat food, I would use my comment above. Oats and corn mixed with vanilla and molasses, maybe forgoe the sardines if you have a lot of cats, but racoons do love fish.

a cat can get stuck... they just have to reach in and pull up on the trigger. Getting a cat out, my trappers class pretty much said just shoot it.

 

[Wprinkle]

Dog food and bacon grease

 

[EdP]

My go to was canned mackerel (broken up) below the trigger, marshmallow on the trigger, and a little honey and molassas with anise on the lip. I also put a piece of rubber gas line on the trigger of all my DPs so the trigger would feel like food. If I couldn't put the DP right in the travel path I might drizle some of the honey & molasses mix between the trap and the travel path.

 

[Nine Banger]

Fish and sardines and stuff like that will:
- freeze around the trigger
- start to stink and attract flies
- make your traps nasty and gunked up and make the trigger fail

Kitten chow sized dry bait is the way.

We should run some data on the golf ball thing. Why add something to your buggy/pack to carry around that isn't needed? I'm still dubious about the sight attractant rationale; its dark.

I'm talking about running a trap line for a few months every day, not just screwing around. All the extra stuff and unoptimized stuff will fall by the wayside over time.

 

[EdP]

I'm talking about running a trap line for a few months every day, not just screwing around. All the extra stuff and unoptimized stuff will fall by the wayside over time.

Lot's of truth to that.

Kitten chow sized dry bait is the way.

Except it will be wet mush after a rain and

- freeze around the trigger
- start to stink and attract flies
- make your traps nasty and gunked up and make the trigger fail

without something to keep the rain out.

I used marshmallows to help keep water out of my DPs. Not as effective as golf balls but much lighter to carry.

 

[go_deep]

Instead of the golf ball, has anyone ever tried a chunk of bark or a small length of a dead branch on top, or even a rock?

Keep the mice out, but it's something you could just pickup at the trap site rather than dragging more stuff along.

 

[Wheels]

Instead of the golf ball, has anyone ever tried a chunk of bark or a small length of a dead branch on top, or even a rock?

Keep the mice out, but it's something you could just pickup at the trap site rather than dragging more stuff along.

I used to set a rock on top of the trap, worked fine. Seemed like I could never find a rock when I was looking for one. Switched to golf balls that I drilled a hole thru and ran a cable thru and looped it over the chain. Lost lots of golf balls before attaching them.

 

[georgiaboy]

I tripled last night and it was my first time using dogproofs. So take this for what it’s worth.

Golf balls on top, rocks on top. Didn’t make a difference.

I used what I had: cat food, deer corn, some stale Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Mixed in some old cheap hard candy the kids didn’t eat.

Last year I was running only foot holds and once I caught a few, the coons left the feeders alone. I was trying to catch coyotes but we had so many coons u couldn’t keep them out.

Once deer season is over or the members get tired of hunting, I can night hunt more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Joshk358]

I use the jumbo marshmallows. They work great for me. But honestly, I'm just trapping them around my chicken coop. So, not a trapping expert at all.

 

[Grainraiser]

I use canned sardines and they work great.

 

[Kifaru_Kinda_Guy]

I just make my own mix with tuna/sardines marshallows on top.

 

[Big_wals]

Haven’t trapped anything for a few years, but my go to was dry cat food with some cheap cherry flavoring mixed in. Seemed to work pretty well for coons and also for skunks.

 

[Laramie]

Region of the country matters. The below advice is for the Midwest.

I ran a long trap line for about 10 years when they were worth trapping from a money standpoint. I use cheap dry cat food with fish oil and a little shell fish oil mixed in to drizzle over a large bag of bait. I then add baby marshmallows to the mix. The mix should be dry when fully mixed. The oil adds a strong scent to the mix which will draw them in from distance. I check my traps at least daily so I only use rain caps when precipitation is in the forecast. Solo cups and golf balls have worked great in the past.

Only fill the traps up to the internal trigger- anything above is a waste.

I never use anything wet as it got old cleaning out the old hardened or frozen bait.

I averaged about 50% fill rate per night. Set location and picking the right nights is key. A warm evening after a cold spell always has high activity. Avoid nights when a cold front is coming in or when there will be heavy precipitation. High wind nights are also less productive. Anchor your traps securely! Never set traps where a trapped coon can reach branches or a tree to give them upwards leverage.

Dispatching trapped coons is a personal preference thing. I started using 22LR but switched to a small baseball bat. One thunk on the head and then place your foot on their side so their lungs can't expand while they are knocked out. It sounds cruel and barbaric but it actually was more humane than the 22LR which required more than one shot at times. This method also eliminates the bullet holes which will leave blood all over the fur. (I sold mine on the carcass 99% of the time).