Need help catching a raccoon

[Scott Shepherd]

I've got a raccoon that's clearly has a higher IQ than me. I've been trying to catch him for a couple of weeks now, using a trap. On the trap instructions, it said they like crisp bacon, marshmallows, cat food, sardines, and a few other things. So I get the trap, I head to the grocery store and buy some bacon. While I'm cooking it (it said "crisp bacon"), I'm thinking "how come this thing has me cooking for it, and cooking bacon that was $6?".

Didn't touch the bacon.

It rains a couple of days, so I dump the bacon out.

I can't do all the fish and cat food options because there are a couple of neighbors cats that roam around and last thing I want is to catch a cat at 3:00 in the morning and listen to it screaming for help, only to tear me up when I try to open the door on the trap. So no cat food or cat friendly items for me

I've been trying for about 2 weeks now and I'm getting no where. I know he's there, he jumps on my roof and wakes me up (he's trying to get into gable vents).

Any ideas on how to catch this thing without catching the cats?

I did catch a squirrel today, eating marshmallows. He was happy for me to let him go and he didn't like the marshmallows after all. I think he was just curious.

I don't want to hurt it, I'll relocate it, I just want to catch it and get it out of here.

[Curt Fuller]

Peanut butter works pretty well for them around here.

[Joe Pelonio]

Don't do like my brother and I back when we were about 12 and 13. We trapped one in a culvert under the driveway. I chased him by yelling at one end and he was ready to get it with a broom, of all things at the other. He got in one or two blows but it didn't bother the raccoon. We were after him because he ate the big goldfish in our pond. You might try buying some of those cheap 20 cent feeders at the pet shop and put them in a shallow bowl in the trap.

[charlie knighton]

they seem to like getting into trash cans, how about beanie wienie cans, empty but do not wash out

[Stephen Cherry]

I would recomend Kentucky Fried Chicken-- load the trap up with chicken, wipe down the outside with gravy, and wait. If that doesn't get it, nothing will. Normal chicken won't work, Kenny Rogers used to be great, but you can't get that anymore.

[Dave Lehnert]

Don't ask me why. Crazy, but had one that would get in my trash can and only take the empty bread wrapper. Kept them up in a tree.

[Sam Murdoch]

He (she) is not up there looking for food - she is probably scouting for a nest. Just make certain that there is no way to get in. Also check out a recent PBS Nature show for some ideas as to how to keep raccoons from climbing your house http://video.pbs.org/video/2192070266/
Good luck with this.

[Scott Shepherd]

I would recomend Kentucky Fried Chicken-- load the trap up with chicken, wipe down the outside with gravy, and wait. If that doesn't get it, nothing will. Normal chicken won't work, Kenny Rogers used to be great, but you can't get that anymore.

Original or extra crispy?

How do you keep the squirrels out if you use peanut butter, or the cats out if you use fish?

[Jim Koepke]

I've been trying for about 2 weeks now and I'm getting no where. I know he's there, he jumps on my roof and wakes me up (he's trying to get into gable vents).

I did catch a squirrel today, eating marshmallows. He was happy for me to let him go and he didn't like the marshmallows after all. I think he was just curious.

Have you seen the raccoon? Are you sure it isn't the squirrel trying to get into your gable vents?

If it is a raccoon, then the live feeder fish idea someone else suggested might be your best bet at getting the raccoon and not the other animals.

jtk

[Sean Richards]

Another not quite so useful video on raccoons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WmIo1eRaaM

[Matt Marsh]

Thats a tough one! Cats and racoons have very similar tastes when it comes to food. Just for the record, I'd be much more concerned about getting torn up by a coon than any puddy tat when you release them from the trap. Maybe after spending a night or two in the trap, you'll get lucky and the cats won't come back either!

My wife and I moved into our current home in rural Northern Minnesota back in 1992. Unknown by us, the previous owners had fed the racoons table scraps on the back deck for a number of years. When the first crew of the entitled little buggars showed up, we thought they were the cutest little critters, but resisted the temptation to feed them. All went well until a couple weeks later when we hung up two bird feeders on the deck. In the middle of that very night we were awakened with a start by what sounded like several ferociously crazed Tazmanian Devils battling it out back there. When I flipped on the deck lights, I was astonished to see at least 15 to 20 of them lined up on the handrail of the deck, all battling for position on the pole that held the feeders. We love the wildlife, but we quickly realized that the racoon population must have been artificially high because of the previous owners. I bought a live trap that next day and baited it with sardines. That was early July. By the end of September I had uhhh... relocated over 50 racoons. They get trap-smart real quick, but there are lots of little tricks you can use to out-smart them. Let me know when you're ready to try the sardines.

[John Shuk]

I love how he threw the change at it.

Another not quite so useful video on raccoons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WmIo1eRaaM

[Myk Rian]

We had a Coon problem last year. Set the trap with an apple in it.
Got a big ole' Possum instead.
Took him for a few mile road trip.

Reset the trap and waited. Got him!!!!
Took him for the same road trip.
Big bastard crapped all over the place on the way to his freedom.

[paul cottingham]

It's funny. We lived on a small farm for thirty or so years, and my we had a cat who probably weighed around 8 pounds or so. She lived outside, and every now and then we would hear a hellacious racket coming from the lawn. None of us wanted to look in the am, cause we were sure the lawn would be covered with bits of cat. Instead there would be raccoon fur everywhere, and one very smug looking cat on the porch. This went on for a long time.
Finally, the raccoons and the cat came to some sort of peace, they would come and steal some of her food at night, but leave any that was too close to where she slept. That old cat lived for 22 years.

[Joe Pelonio]

I have never seen cats go after live fish, they hate water.