20 Best Live Trap For Raccoons (2023 Updated)

In October 2022, bought first the Havahart trap 7 x 7 x17 inches for a skunk. In the morning, the trap door was closed. All evidence that the skunk entered the trap, ate the bait and escaped. Next day we bought a bigger Havahart trap 10 x 12 x 32 inches.

A trap door was also closed in the morning. Skunk entered the trap, left lots of traces of its staying, and left the trap. Skunk also bent the trap, so that the door was closing with difficulty now, touching the wall, which confirms other reviewers’ comments about the easily deformed cage of the trap.

Overall, this is rather an entirely useless for the purpose product, thoroughly designed to minimize the production costs and maximize manufacturer’s profits. With my experience, very much doubt about the ingenuity of the positive reviews.

We got barn cats a couple years ago, and I knew at the time the raccoons would eventually get in. They did this past winter, so I broke out this trap. The problem with the dog-proof traps is that you’ll catch opossums too, and sometimes cats.

I don’t want them hurt. The possums eat ticks like crazy, and they’re not breaking into the barn. I’m trying to help the cats. Even if you use a dog-proof trap with small marshmallows, you’ll end up killing opossums too.

After catching and putting down eight raccoons, one of them figured out how to pull apart the wires at the bottom edge of the trap a little. #9 pulled a wire out completely, #10 nearly got out, and would-be #11 ripped it apart enough to get out.

So 10 raccoons down, three opossums (one died) up, and two cats caught and not hurt, and the trap totally paid for itself. Planning to pickup another one next time I’m in TSC.

The Havahart Small 2-Door Live Animal Trap is a great trap for catching small pests that have found their way into your home. I suspect I was hearing rats in my crawl space and got the trap to see what I could catch.

When dealing with rats, you have to wait a while before they are comfortable enough to enter the trap because they stay away from anything new. I set the trap with peanut butter because they are very attracted to the smell.

After a few days, I trapped a brown roof rat. I reset the trap in seconds and placed it back in place. Thankfully, I did not trap another rat. I found the suspected hole and sealed it with chicken wire, steel wool, and foam to prevent other rats from trying to get in.

The Havahart Small 2-Door Live Animal Trap is a great product for either rural or city living. It stores away very easily and does rust when exposed to the elements.

I received this Havahart Small 2-Door Live Animal Trap from the Spark Reviewer program just in time. Recently I heard noises in the attic and determined that it was a squirrel that was entering the attic from an exhaust fan opening that was missing the metal screen.

I placed the Havahart Live Animal Trap in line with the exhaust fan opening in the attic after baiting it with a peanut butter/sunflower seed combo bait and waited. The next day after returning from work, VIOLA, Mission Accomplished! I covered the trap and removed the squirrel from the attic and it now lives by the lake, well away from my home.

I have since replaced the missing screen to avoid future intrusions. Thank You Havahart!.

I trap animals for a living and I absolutely love the raccoon size traps. I am surprised by some of the negative reviews in here and I have found just the opposite to be the case. To start with none of the traps on the market are perfect but I have found this trap to be exceptional in a lot of areas.

The trap door is solid and raccoons cannot manipulate the rings. Regardless of what trap you are using if you leave raccoons in any trap for an extended period of time they will probably find a way to dig and pry and pull their way out of it.

Raccoons are very destructive and very strong. Any one trapping for raccoons should check the traps first thing every morning and relocate raccoons as necessary. They should not be left in any type of trap for extended periods of time or they probably will find a way to pry and dig their way out also it is very stressful on the animal to leave it in a trap for an extended period of time.

One review that I read said that there were a lot of sharp edges and he kept cutting his hands. I have over 30 of these traps and have never cut my hand yet that I can remember and I have been using these traps for over 2 years now.

I’m sure that you can find a sharp edge somewhere to cut your hand on if you really tried hard enough as the whole trap is made of metal. The last time that I checked all raccoon traps are made of metal and you could probably find sharp edges on all of them.

I use my traps daily and after buying many different types of traps over the years I find that this particular trap works very well and is very sturdy. I am happy with all my Duke raccoon traps and have no plans of changing anytime soon.

I highly recommend this trap.

We have a major Raccoon problem where we live. I had a cheaper less well built trap, that would catch the critters, but they would almost destroy the closing mechanism. I did some research on YouTube and the Duke type heavy duty trap got good marks.

They are very well built, and nothing has been destroyed as of yet. I am batting 100%. Every time I set I catch something. sometimes it’s a possum! My first trap allowed them to get to the bait without setting it off, but no way with the Duke trap.

They are that good I bought another one. My only complaint and the reason I did not give 5 stars, is the paint is pretty crappy. Very thin and chips off too easily for an outside use item. It was rusting in place after about 2 days with the rain we have had.

As previously reviewed- a feral cat will be frantic to escape and ram against the trap door where it entered the trap. The rings that “secure “ the door ride up on impact and the door pops open. Lost 2 cats because of this.

Also, feral cats tend to be small so the plate mechanism doesn’t trigger unless it steps right on the far edge. Expensive trap for poor results. Would not recommend for feral cat capture.

I don’t like spring traps so I bought a gravity drop door cage. The con to that is that the critters can get out. In my case it’s used for trapping feral cats. If the cats hit the door hard enough at the right angle the door opens and they bolt.

This fork works fantastic if you get to the trap quick enough. I use a motion sensor that beeps in the house to alert me and then I quickly go out to the cage and put a weighted bucket in front of the door.

Then I put the fork in place and lock it in position with the included clip. I also lock the door with a caribiner. If the critter has to be in the cage for more than a few hours you can adjust the fork to slowly push the critter backwards so you can safely open the door and put water and food inside.

Then close the door and lock it. You can then readjust the fork to the front of the cage so the water and food are now on the side with the critter. It’s been quite handy all around and so very easy to use.

I was turned onto Tomahawk by a colleague who recommended them to me for trapping a local cat to be TNR’d. The issue is that when she recommended Tomahawk, and I used one of her’s it had a gated opposite end (Model 606NC) which allowed you to reach into the trap and remove / install the bait on the opposite side of the slam gate.

Makes it really easy to clean out or feed your trapped TNR kitty. Problem is, that I didn’t look at the description when I bought this #106 unit, as I assumed they all had the removable end on them. My bad, obviously.

They’re stilll a great trap, and work extremely well. The trap mechanism is superb. smooth and accurate. It’s a very high quality unit, and I will definitely use it. IMO, all these traps should have a removable end for easier access, but that’s just my opinion.

Good value, high quality product.

I’ve purchased a number of different Tomahawk traps, but this particular one is the best for a few reasons. One of the reasons is it’s a fantastic price for the quality you get. I think a paid around $50 something compared to the $87 for another Tomahawk model a bit heavier.

The second reason I would recommend this model is that it is a perfect size and weight. I’ve ordered others that are larger and heavier. No cat is coming out of this one though!! Very nice quality. The trip plate is larger than my other traps I believe.

Dual handles add to the benefit of hauling this around. I trap quite a bit for a number of colony cat feeders plus I help the local shelter with some of their complaints for trapping feral cats. I own 8 other traps including Safeguard and different Tomahawk models, so I’m speaking from experience.

If I decided to purchase any more traps, this is the one I’d go with.

The seller is fantastic, but this cage is not. I needed it to capture my lost indoor cat, who got out a week ago. Even though I knew it might catch other animals, I was really hopeful about this cage.

Within an hour of setting it up, a neighbor cat went inside and got trapped. After releasing him, the door simply would not stay open again. This costs ‘WAY too much for only one use. Talk about disappointing!!! And worst of all, my cat is still missing.

Instructions. NONE. Had to figure out the setup yourself. Having said that, many many adjustments had to be made to even keep the foot plate inside the cage. up. and connected to the arm/trigger to shut door, properly, to function.

It is warped. Never had so much trouble with a cage, never. Must use wd40 too. so it will smoothly shut on the prey at the arm connectors. It is heavy, sturdy, arrived quickly, comparable price. Using for neighborhood cats that get on my property, a major nasty nuisance esp in summertime.

Much valuable use will come of this humane cage. hope it lasts!.

This cage is EXTREMELY flimsy, feels like it’s made of tin foil!! The instructions are in Chinese so you can’t read them. The door is hard to close so the animals keep escaping. When we FINALLY got the door latched, it closes if you barely even touch it!! Back door had a cheap bar in the back that animals just break it.

WORST TRAP I’VE EVER HAD!!.

I have been struggling all season to discourage a raccoon(s) from raiding my bird feeders. Nothing was working. The last straw was when it/they almost completely ruined my vegetable garden doing a lot of physical damage besides eating or destroying an astonishing amount of produce.

I got a raccoon on the first night I set it out. A word of caution, be sure to anchor the trap’s chain VERY securely. I had mine wired to a a T post with a heavy steel wire that I thought was more than sufficient yet the raccoon managed to break the wire and had dragged the trap a considerable distance.

The dog proof design is quite clever and I believe it will prevent accidental trapping of a dog. However, I think cats may be susceptible. An examination of the trapped raccoon (after I dispatched it), revealed that the raccoon had a compound fracture of its leg.

Any pet that is caught by this trap will be very severely injured, so, if domestic pets are present, be careful in their use, location and bait. The spring is very stiff and setting the trap takes a little practice but once you get the knack it is quick and easy to do.

I’ve been using 2 of these traps for 3 years now around the garden and bird feeders. Never had one where the bait was robbed and no raccoon, and never had a raccoon get away. I’ve had egg traps, live traps, leg hold traps, and none can compare to this trap.

By FAR the best raccoon trap I’ve ever owned, and they’re inexpensive compared to others. Early in the year I drop a little peanut butter into the bottom and 10-12 kernels of corn, then smear a little peanut butter around the rim to attract them.

Later summer I use marshmallow at the bottom of the trap and one sitting over the hole on top for attraction. Bait at the bottom must be below the trigger! Also I’m trapping only on my property which is why I can trap all year.

(in Wisconsin) Definitely ordering more traps now.

very well built cage. i bought more than one size. the only thing about the large is it is heavy. so heavy i thought, wow if i do catch anything in it i wont be able to lift it myself. not a bad thing, but when u live alone it is.

very solid cages. highly reccomend.

Haven’t set it yet because its a little stiff. I want to use it on a squirrel. I think I can file it down. I don’t want to use lubricant because of the smell. Great size and price.

The trap was excellent. I really thought that a squirrel was running around and creating havoc in my laundry room but when I set the trap,using a small bowl of nuts as bait, I actually caught a large rat! I would definitely recommend this medium sized cage if you have a rat/squirrel issue.

A racoon is strong enough to bend this metal. I had seen reviews that claim that a racoon will destroy this trap. I have also seen photos where the racoon bent the trap door almost in half to get out.

I bought this trap knowing it was not strong enough to hold a racoon. SO – The first thing I did was reinforce both doors with steel 1/4″ rods. Also Added 1/4″ steel rod stabilizer that went all the way around the trap.

Zip ties were used to attach the extra Steel. Also used a bunch of zip ties at the trap connections for the top and bottom parts of the cage. All Worked FANTASTIC! – – Caught 4 Racoons and the only thing that got bent was the trip rod.

No problem – just bent it back into shape. With these extra pieces added the trap will no longer fold up for storage. But I’m plenty fine with that. Just so that I get these trouble making racoons out of here.

I received this animal trap in a flat box. Once out of the box the trap set up in just a couple of minutes. It is strong and well built. I set out to catch some belligerent cats that frequent my yard.

This trap worked well and contained some really pissed off felines. With this trap there is no chance of escape. The animal is contained alive and unharmed. I would recommend this trap to anyone who has a small animal problem.

This trap will work on rats, cats, squirrels, possums, and small sized raccoons.

Well built & desgned for its intended purpose. Set it four times & caught four pesky prodents. No more wasting money and effort on other better mouse traps. Cleanable, resueable and 100% effective. Safe around pets and children.

Will be buying another.

I’ve moved 3 skunks from suberbia to the country. Not my favorite job but works. Any protein seems to work. I’ve learned putting a few pieces of cooked chicken or beef stuck on a smear of peanut butter is a winner.

I’ve found building a wall around trap using cement blocks works best as they want to move the sucker if they can and something heavy on top. I have a piece of wood with a handle I can pull out when I lay my safety tarp on the trap.

If buying another I would spend $ for the automatic gate but so far havunt been sprayed and does get my stress hormones activated releasing. Well built. I could trap at least 100 and trap wouldn’t be damaged I don’t think but if I stay at 3 I will be happy.

I bought to catch racoons. The size was perfect. However, the trigger was too sensitive. It was always going off with the smallest cage movement. My husband was able to adjust the wires and it worked! Yay! Racoons gone!!.

An abundance of grey squirrels in our neighbourhood since a few neighbours think it’s cute to feed them. I have two of these traps and have had to get pretty creative since the squirrels often gain experience for a few visits to the trap(s) but now I actually “wire” peanuts to the sides and at the end of the cage.

It’s comical to watch them spot the bait and then trying to steal it from the outside. Attach at least 3 inside, be generous for their last bit of human-offered food before they get relocated to a park, sometimes even to the outskirts just past the city limits.

Use long and sturdy twist-ties or light gauge steel wire, twist it around the center of the double peanut. Yeah it ends up costing me a lot in fuel to drive such distances but just the way it is. I used to drop them off at Kildonan Park but after a few hundred had been banished from my community, I felt that it wasn’t fair to the residents by the park since my problem then became theirs.

Squirrel Psychology: when you have a few in your neighbourhood, they’re often the same ones for awhile. They defend their “zone” and when you kick them out, others move in and the cycle continues. When you introduce the whole bunch of different ones to a park like KP, it’s a battle zone and of course all that food they stored in our neighbourhood, isn’t easily found by the new residents.

Every spring we have found hundreds of whole shell peanuts buried in our flower beds, under anything you can imagine and often under the hood of our vehicles, often on top of valve covers, in ducts etc.

We keep our finds for baiting our traps. Nasty little hoarders as well as wreckers of nice lawns (they dig holes and leave their prize just below the surface). If you want your traps to fire quicker, fiddle with the mechansim in a few ways to get the hand of it.

Don’t forget to put down a dropsheet etc. inside your vehicle when transporting, they like to drop little nuggets and will leave some urine for sure. The reds chatter and the greys grumble and ours often sound like an earlier Bob Dylan.

P. S. try to check on your traps often, squirrels can end up injuring themselves when trapped and we’ve witnessed a fair amount of skinned & bloody noses which really isn’t fair to these poor creatures.

I am a pro trapper, and have loved the 603 traps since 1999. They are the cage traps I go to for trapping large squirrels, such as rock squirrels, or if you wish, gray squirrels. The triggering mechanisms on this trap are typically very smooth, and consistent, as opposed to many of the other traps out there.

The back door of the 603 trap is a luxury feature, which I find beneficial for transferring squirrels into another container. If you do not need a back door, order the 103 trap and save a few bucks. If trapping smaller rodents, remember, this trap has 1″x1″ grid wire mesh.

Small rodents might squeeze through such gaps.

My not so big frog pond was taken over by a huge snapping turtle who proceeded to eat all my frogs and rip apart my lily pads and I fear made holes in my liner. I didn’t want to hurt the turtle so I decided to try this turtle trap.

It worked great and I caught the turtle the first evening. I used sardines as bait and to release the turtle I just clamped the door open, flipped the trap and slid the turtle right out. I own some swampland so she was relocated in a good habitat although it is close enough to my pond that I fear I will be repeating this next spring.

Hey that’s ok because I now own a great turtle trap. Shipping was super fast, much quicker than the estimate they gave me.

The consummate joy one experiences when one realizes that a stray, feral cat has had a litter of kittens in your neighborhood was mine to enjoy a few weeks ago. An evening stroll to the trash cans behind the garage revealed 4 wild kittens cavorting around the feckless neighbor’s property.

Recognizing that four would become 16 in a matter of months, it was time to take bold and decisive action. These small animal traps at Harbor Freight are literally half the price of the same item on Amazon.

They are easy to assemble (just fold open and snap the clips), and easier to operate. I set up two traps with a little tuna for bait, and put a piece of cardboard on the floor of the trap to conceal (and better trigger) the switch.

On the first night, I captured two of the kittens. Looking forward to getting the rest of them. Dealing with the SPCA that doesn’t want to do its job anymore is another review. but the traps work great.

If you’re into catching urban wildlife without a permit or whatever, these would probably also work great for that, too.

Trap is no good, squirrels chew. ulra thin wire and get out. poor design too weak of wire for enlosure. worthless for ground squirrels. Don’t buy!!!! Maybe good enough for small mice or small schrew.

Trap very weak.

Easy to setup. Easy to use. Works Superbly! I did lay a square piece of 1/4 inch plywood 9×10 on top of the trip plate to extend it and that added extra weight to aid in tripping the latch. One feral cat gone.

One youngster to go. Please Neuter your cats, Thank You.

Our cage traps were proving ineffective against marauding raccoons, but doing a pretty good job catching our free range chickens, and a couple neighborhood cats, so, I tried 2 of these. Wow! The 1st night, the one trap I put out near the chicken house & caught a raccoon in 20 minutes, then an opossum a couple hours later.

The next night, another raccoon. I skipped the next night. The night after that, I put a trap near our house – nothing. The night after that, I “seeded” an area about 2x past the chicken house, where I’d seen eyes glowing back at me, leaving the trap near the house – nothing.

But earlier this evening, I added the 1st trap back out 2x past the chicken house. I checked it @ midnight – Bingo! Got another raccoon. Bait = 2 tbs. leftover waffles cut into roughly 1/4″ x 1/2″ pieces, partially saturate with Log Cabin “original” syrup (has a fairly strong aroma), add 1 tbs.

grape jelly, one tbs. peanut butter, and stir well. Drop enough into trap to fill up to the catch / trip lever. I smear a little more peanut butter around the inside of the trap, with a small spoon, for good measure.

Between padlocking the chicken house (at first I thought we’d been forgetful, then I realized the raccoons had figured out how to work the ordinary gate latch!), and these traps, it looks like our predation losses should go way down.

We have not yet caught the “Mom” raccoon, which is a big one (I’d estimate well over 30 lbs. – hope her “hand fits in the trap!) Dispatching the varmints is via a high power. 22 air (pellet) rifle. I hate to kill them, but, I am NOT going to take a chance on getting bitten — not sure how some here manage to accomplish “catch and release” 100% safely.

(From observing the trapped raccoons, and watching You Tube vids, it looks dicey to me, esp. if the ‘coon is on the large side. ) I have looked up recipes though, to be at least a little bit of a good “steward” of the “resource”.

If they were good enough for President Jefferson. Otherwise, burial is in the garden. I may try to figure out how to combine one of these with a modified cage trap, so I could “catch, transport, and release” safely.

Trap and bait works great. I recommend tool to set trap just so much easier then with screwdriver. Raccoon seem completely unharmed by the trap does not seem to damage there leg at all. so much more humane then a old style leg trap and much saver for pets and live stock.

I’ve trapped my whole life, and I think I have used just about every trap there is. By far one of my best investments. I’ll be buying some more. I’ve caught some pretty cagie critters where they would haul out or trip my other traps.

Works amazing. Highly recommended for raccoons. Few pieces of cat food in the Bottom of the trap, and a little coon lure of your choice. I anchor it and just set it and leave it flat on the ground. Had one in every trap I set the first night.

One within an hour of setting up.

Tried numerous times to set trap: no go. Bought tool to help set trap: no go. Have even used a “cheater” pipe on tool for leverage: no go. In order to set “tongue” in “trigger”, the “ring” (the piece that holds the raccoon in trap) needs to go past housing.

It stops at housing probably because “ring” is sitting a little low.

As others have pointed out it rusted within week. Lots of WD-40 to get it to work. I caught one raccoon and one fox, which was practically a pet. Don’t know how to get the fox out alive. My only reason for buying this trap was so I ONLY caught raccoons.

Will throw it in the garbage.