Raccoon Box Trap

We had them tearing up the bird feeders hanging in the tree by the house. The Great Pyrenees cross finally figured out their pattern and took care of the problem. Coming from a patch of trees ½mile up the road. Saw their tracks in the road dust several times. Duke always brings his prize behind the garage or down to the barn where the goats are. They all end up in the burn ring.
 
Sawdust said:
Another catch this morning that’s two and maybe one more. This guy came out early at 11:06 pm and got caught at 12:26am. The field cam showed him wondering in and out of view twice then inside the trap. I don’t understand why it never shows them going into the trap. The same thing with the other one. A half hour in the trap he was really trying to tear things up. He was biting at the cage area then had the treadle pad flopped over biting at it.
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Are you going to make some Kentucky coonskin caps, Jim?----LOL!

DAC
 
Well guys I think I got the big one last night. He came around at 12:28 and got caught in the trap at 1:10. He was near the camera two times and then like before he was inside the trap no video of him going in the trap or tripping it. He tore things up pretty good. He chewed the wood frame bad, ripped the treadle board completely off just hanging by the trip wire. One video showed him reaching through the metal panel and ripping at the OSB board on the outside. These guys have a heck of a reach when mad.

We went and visited our new grand baby most of the day and ate out before coming home. When we got home I hurried up and did the repairs for tonight. I’m hoping this is all of them but I will continue to set this out every night for awhile. I don’t enjoy this but I’m tired of these things eating our corn and upsetting the chickens. Our egg count has been low lately and I know it’s the raccoons scaring them at night. Carol doesn’t know it but I’ve been seeing their tracks around the outside of the run. One morning after a rain I noticed their tracks on top of the metal roof over the nest boxes. Stay tuned!
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I wouldn't doubt there are possibly a few more, Jim, but I sure hope not. Seems like they multiply like rabbits.

Quite a few years back my wife came home from work crying one night. She told me she ran over a whole family of racoons about a half mile west. I took that way to work the next morning and she wasn't exaggerating! two dead adults, and I forget how many little ones still in the road! 3 or 4 at least! She didn't realize the help she did to curb a bit of their destructive activity. It was right in front of a friend's place who had a pretty big garden and they were probably heading there to tear into things!

DAC
 
Nothing showed up last night except another deer. I might order a couple of DP traps and set them out one near the chicken coop and one near a trail I 4 wheel on. Each time I seen these were early morning headed in that direction. I’m thinking that’s where the den might be. It’s too far to take that box trap. Since this has worked out so well I might build another one mostly using metal. That lower pair of 2x2’s I used for the framing won’t last much longer. It looks like a couple of beavers spent the night in there.
 
My son puts a trail cam near his deer feeding station, one night he captured 8 coons at the feeder. Between us and the neighbor trapping, we wiped them out in a couple weeks. They are nasty destructive critters when around a farm or homestead.
 
Those Turkey Vultures help a lot on keeping the dead critters cleaned up. They will be around till the eagles run them south. I use .22cal lead round nose on the coon that happen to stay to close to long. If our dog Duke hears the shot he is up her on the run. Trail cam has shown him going by on patrol several times a night. Watched a "family" of Racoon come over the hill on the gravel road the other evening. Came down as far as the timber patch and disappeared. Haven't seen hide nor hair of them since.
 
I think a opossum showed up last night. All I could see was a tiny part of an ear and a little furry back walk by the TC. The TC is only about a foot off the ground so that’s why I’m thinking opossum. He showed up around 10:15 that’s too early for a raccoon around here. I relocated the box trap and set the TC up for tonight.

Funny story, Carol is really into this raccoon trapping. She’s a country girl and by no means has any problem getting rid of a predator. She can’t wait to watch the memory card the next day. I check the TC every night to make sure it comes on before I leave it. Last night as I walked across the area I acted like a Zombie, I had my Muck boots on dragging one leg, flailing my arms around, rolling my head around, and the red light from the TC made my eyes glow. This morning while watching it she was fixing breakfast and I yelled out oh my gosh it picked something up. She came in all excited and when she tapped on the play arrow she screamed out then turned around and leaped at me. It was so funny.
 
Those trail cameras are a very useful tool. I set one up at the neighbors creek crossing to see who was going across his property wo permission. Was the guy we thought it was. Thinks he is a big time hunter, leases hunting ground evcen if someone else hss it leased, just offers more $$ or favores. Whe aproached about it he flat denied that it was him till he was showed the picture. Then remembered d-he did go across once. - plus 5or6,
 
chieffan said:
Those trail cameras are a very useful tool. I set one up at the neighbors creek crossing to see who was going across his property wo permission. Was the guy we thought it was. Thinks he is a big time hunter, leases hunting ground evcen if someone else hss it leased, just offers more $$ or favores. Whe aproached about it he flat denied that it was him till he was showed the picture. Then remembered d-he did go across once. - plus 5or6,
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I need to get a better one I got this one as a gift. It has good reviews and I found out it cost around $65. I’ve only used the factory preset mode I haven’t played around with the custom settings yet. It’s not exactly old people friendly.
 
Well nothing again this morning except our cat Rusty looking into the TC. I’m thinking now that might have been him yesterday. I forget sometimes we have a cat. I’m going to end this thread for now unless something happens. Thanks guys for the comments and following along.
 
Well 13 days later I got another coon last night. It was mid size young adult. I’ve been setting the trap out every night. The only thing the TC has been showing are deere and Rusty walking by twice. I still don’t understand why this TC has never shown the coon entering the trap.
 
chieffan said:
We had them tearing up the bird feeders hanging in the tree by the house.
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When we went camping, Lynn wanted a bird feeder in the tree by the trailer. That night we were suddenly treated to what sounded like a panther fight next to us and under the floor. Yup, coons!
After that, I developed a plan to toss left over hamburgers into the weeds behind other campers.
 
Sawdust said:
Well 13 days later I got another coon last night. It was mid size young adult. I’ve been setting the trap out every night. The only thing the TC has been showing are deer and Rusty walking by twice. I still don’t understand why this TC has never shown the coon entering the trap.
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Some Trail Cams are more sensitive to motion than others. The Wild Game Innovations don't seem to pick up on the motion as fast as the Moultree and others. Especially slow motion. I have a motion sensor security light for the drive and walk to the house. I found if I move Very slow, I can get 1/2 to 1/3 way across the drive before it turns on. Normal walking it is on as soon as I am 2 steps down the walk from the house.
 
chieffan said:
Some Trail Cams are more sensitive to motion than others. The Wild Game Innovations don't seem to pick up on the motion as fast as the Moultree and others. Especially slow motion. I have a motion sensor security light for the drive and walk to the house. I found if I move Very slow, I can get 1/2 to 1/3 way across the drive before it turns on. Normal walking it is on as soon as I am 2 steps down the walk from the house.
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You would think if the TC picks up the coon inside the trap it would show the coon in front of or going inside.
 
Sawdust said:
Well guys I think I got the big one last night. He came around at 12:28 and got caught in the trap at 1:10. He was near the camera two times and then like before he was inside the trap no video of him going in the trap or tripping it. He tore things up pretty good. He chewed the wood frame bad, ripped the treadle board completely off just hanging by the trip wire. One video showed him reaching through the metal panel and ripping at the OSB board on the outside. These guys have a heck of a reach when mad.

We went and visited our new grand baby most of the day and ate out before coming home. When we got home I hurried up and did the repairs for tonight. I’m hoping this is all of them but I will continue to set this out every night for awhile. I don’t enjoy this but I’m tired of these things eating our corn and upsetting the chickens. Our egg count has been low lately and I know it’s the raccoons scaring them at night. Carol doesn’t know it but I’ve been seeing their tracks around the outside of the run. One morning after a rain I noticed their tracks on top of the metal roof over the nest boxes. Stay tuned!
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Would this thing catch a Bobcat too? I came across one today on the ride home about 1/2 mile from the house. It wasn't phased at all as the Ram 2500 approached it along the road. These are worse than a mean old cat Leroy Brown when approached on foot.
 
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