Raccoon Trapping Tips & Methods
STEP 1: Purchase a large and sturdy steel cage large enough to hold raccoons. 12x12x36 is a preferrable size.
STEP 2: Set the trap on a flat and stable surface in the area you are having raccoon problems. Make sure the trap doesn't wobble. Be sure the trap is set correctly, with appropriate pan tension. Make sure the trap is not near anything that a raccoon can destroy, because they will reach out of the trap once caught and
tear up anything within reaching distance, like wires, screens, etc. They will also dig.
STEP 3: Bait the trap with non-meat bait. Meat will attract stray cats. White bread and marshmallows do well. Lead some of the bait up to the trap, and put some in the back of the trap, behind the trip pan.
STEP 4: Once caught, be very careful handling the trap. Place it in the trunk of your car or bed of your truck and relocate the animal at least ten miles to an approved area.
If you're not licensed to trap and remove or relocate animals in your state, which you are probably not, it's illegal for you to trap and remove raccoons yourself. There are many intangibles and risks that make do-it-yourself trapping problem-ridden. I've seen an amazing amount
of user error when it comes to trapping wildlife. Your best bet, although pricier, is usually to call a licensed professional. Below is an email that I recently received regarding a raccoon problem.
Hi,
I have read your website with great interest. We have raccoon problems,
namely raccoon triplets. We leave in suburban Philadelphia in a densely
populated residential area. We do not barbecue or leave food out. (but
our neighbors do.)
For about the past three weeks we have seen three, sometimes only two
raccoons. I usually hear them coming across our kitchen roof and then
they come down and go across a plant rail around our deck. I have taken
a number of photos of them, and they do not seem to be afraid of much of
anything. I think they are young, and I haven't seen a larger animal with them.
I actually don't think they are foraging for food. They seem like they are out
there to "have fun" We have sprayed them with a hose and they just climbed
high enough in the tree so the stream of the hose wouldn't reach with any force.
They actually looked like they might have enjoyed it. My husband has used
a BB gun when they were in the tree. I have gone out swinging a long bamboo pole to
try to get them off the deck area. That makes me uneasy, as there are three of them
and I am now afraid one will jump off the roof on to my back. When I open my
back door to go out, they are actually only 2 ft from my head!!! Last week they
were up crawling around there in broad daylight, about 5:30 in the afternoon!!
Most of the time I don't hear or see them until about 9:30PM. A few nights
ago in the rain one was sliding around on the skylight right above where I
sit at my computer.
We have just gone up to our attic and don't see any signs of them there, but
I am almost positive they are in the soffits.
Our township game warden has given out all of the traps and suggested that
I buy one, which I did, and he said he will "service it." It is a hav a heart trap.
We have baited it three times and been unsuccessful at trapping anything.
I know we are supposed to put it in their pathway, but I don't think we should
put it on the plant rail or on the roof.
The first night we put it on a paved walk in our back yard and the next morning
the bait was gone and the trap door shut and the trap was over into the flower
bed. The warden felt that the raccoon had been caught halfway and struggled
and struggled to get free and that's why the cage was in a different spot.
I am not sure where to turn next, as we have been unsuccessful at trapping them.
The local warden said he was a little concerned that there were three of them.
Do you have any suggestions about how I can proceed? We are only about 3 miles
from the city limits of Philadelphia and we have neighbors about 20' away on either
side. Recently I heard that there was a TV program about raccoon problems in
the city itself, but I didn't see it, as I don't watch TV. I will send photos in the
next email.
Thank you in advance for any advice you might give.
Best,
Diane
Diane - I'm very surprised that the game warden gave you traps. Nevertheless, raccoon trapping is often very tricky. Follow the above steps, but if you're having bad luck, you may have to call a pro. - David
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