Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping bait for Coons

Have a Coon hanging around my bird feeder and want to try to catch it with my HaveaHeart trap.

What would work best for bait, on the trigger?

Will shoot 'em IF I see 'em in the daylight!

Thanks! Virgil B.

I use marshmallows.

can of sardines....the cheap stinky ones.....marshmallows are good too as duckcall said.....

I found that fish, fresh fish would pull them outta the corn fields to my dirt hole sets I made on the perimeter of those fields. Smelt heads from cleaning all the dipped smelt were the best, but a minnow trap will getcha some killer bait in a few minutes if you've got minnows to be caught somewhere near by.

smelt work good,yep.

Half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Thanks for the replys!

Used a chunk of a sausage. Didn't work...got some sardines to try next.

Virgil B.

The Raccoon is precarious little creature...<Grin>

If you didn't mind sacrificing more of what he's come there for... (bird feeder food)

Since it seems he likes it then I'd say put that trap under your feeder stocked with what he is already there for.

As for those sardines (in oil)... Don't open that can completely. Make him work for it by just lifting the top edge here and there so that he has to pry on things. Being that the can is shiny will help too, sometimes. You might do well to also wire that can to the trap so he can't just run off with it without tripping the trigger.

Sleepy Creek #1 coil spring secluded in front of a dirt hole is less intimidating than that big box trap.

Marshmallow or Peanut Butter

Used cheap canned cat food or leftovers. Never tried marshmallows, but I'll give that one a shot next time.

Just some leftovers will get him.

+1 or some fish scrapes after you fillet them. I use fishing line to tie them to the trigger. Works well for feral cats as well!

forget the trap, put your pets up, get some gold malrin, and a can of pepsi, toss some cut up hotdogs in, and put it all in a old saucer. you';ll have a dead coon in the morning.

Eggs work for me.

I just caught one yesterday. He was pretending to be one of the cats at the cat dish. I used tiny marshmellows --- made a little trail to the live trap with a handful on the trap pan. Cats don't eat marshmellows so I don't end up releasing cats every morning.

Iuse a snickers bar in a live trap we live on my father in laws farm and they have cats so the snickers draws the coons but not the cats it is a quick way to get them out of the sweet corn

.....or you could hire the coon whisperer. I believe he uses strips of bologna

Eggs work well.

Fish flavored cat food works great!

Purina Cat Chow will pull 'em in from miles away.

Orange Soda, and fried chicken

I thought it was watermelon and Colt 45

+1 for marshmallows. Trapped tons of them out of the cattle shed that way. My dad caught two in the same live trap one time that way. I don't even know how that happens.

Use the small marshmallows and use several. A coon will sit on his hind feet and reeeeech into the box trap and get the big
ones but he will be so busy digging for the little ones he will be there and not too happy in the morning..... and they melt faster in your hot chocolate milk too.

Marshmallows seem to be the go-to raccoon bait, especially if you want to limit catching other species. Raccoons seem to be one of the few animals that prefer "sweet". Fish-type baits will attract them but be prepared to catch everything else around as well...
If you want to extend the range of your bait you can add a scent lure especially designed for coon. I have also heard that anise oil and vanilla extract work too.

Jelly donuts from the day old store, marshmallows,peanut butter,honey and bread. Sardines, catfood and fish will draw cats and possums and stink up the place. And yes the yellow fly bait and pepsi works and kills everything that eats it, just illegal as heck in most places used in that manner and very unforgiving

moonpies and white women.

marshmellows and sweet lure to avoid cats in dog proofs, otherwise jack mack.

Another vote for marshmallows. I also sprinkle the set with some cherry flavored pre-sweetened Kool-Aid. Very fragrant.

CB

In 1987 I had some luck with Capton Crunch cereal. It all seems to be the same idea.

I have used cheap canned cat food and marshmallows and pulled them into connibears many times.

I've had good luck wrapping the pan with tin foil, shiny side out. They can't resist reaching for it especially on clear moonlit nights.

I have had good luck with stinky dried cat food and with miniature marshmallows.

With either, I sprinkle around all the way to the trap.