I've found dog proof traps to work much better than live traps. I use dry dog or cat food and drip a little fish oil on it. Next I place a golf ball on top and drip a few drops of fish oil on the ball too. The golf ball helps keep the bait dry from rain or sprinklers and might discourage cats from getting caught.
I've caught 65 coons in my back yard in the last two years and I live in town. Got 32 last summer and 33 the year before. I don't bother to trap from Nov. 1 till March 1 because they aren't as active in my area.
I set six traps in clusters of three per set which helps to get more family members passing through because when one gets caught the others mill around it and get caught too. I dispatch them by bopping them on the head with a pipe while blinding them with a flashlight early in the dark morning. Their carcass gets bagged and put in garage freezer and then on garbage day they go into the dumpster. I imagine they are getting buried at the landfill before they even thaw.
