Hi there , ¡
I would like to ask you If tomahawk live capture cage trap is efficient for capturing racoons , and If the animals don´t scape of it opening the door...
Thank you ¡

In my honest opinion the Tomahawk trap is the best for raccoon. It is all I use for raccoon trapping now.

we have the model of WCS , it´s not compulsory to modify anything ? It´s all right and ready for starting without modifications ?
really thank you ¡

Their pro series model is a fine trap. Heavy, but stout.

thank you ¡

I haven't used a tomahawk in years and certainly not the newer pro model but it looks to be an excellant trap. There are basic areas of the tomahawk/safeguard/havahart design traps that need to be watched or beefed up.

*Any rear bait/release door needs to be wired or zip tied shut when in use. Raccoons are pretty crafty with nimble fingers so be sure to lock the door.

*Almost all of these designs have internal operating rods and depending on the maker can be lightweight with few reinforcing rings to quality heavy weight with many rings. With the rod on the interior of the trap it will always be available to the raccoon to tamper with. The tomahawk looks to be very sturdy in this regard but always check after each catch that the rings are still there and the rod hasn't been bent.

*The pans on these traps, depending on make, can be more or less vunerable to being pulled forward and bent so always check this. Excessive pulling can detach the pan from the operating rod or loosen or even seperate the pan from the bottom of the cage.

*The cage mesh can be vunerable in lighter weight gauges and the lightweight wires can be pulled loose from the mesh. Tomahawk in this regard uses a heavier gauge and in the pro model a smaller mesh so should hold up just fine. I would check it anyway after each catch as I do on any cage.

*While on the mesh size this should be 1/2"x1" at least on the bottoms backs and half way up the sides to prevent the raccoon from reaching through. This not only keeps a raccoon from robbing the bait from the outside it prevents damage to the captured raccoon (raw legs) and damage to the site from raccoons pulling dirt and debris into the trap. This is very important if the trap is placed on sensitive surfaces like lawns, roofs (they will rip shingles loose), attics (insulation and wiring). If in doubt a 2'x4' piece of plywood can be wired to the bottom of the trap with the trap placed in the center to prevent the raccoon from being able to reach anything.

* All of these designs use a spring loaded lock bar on the door. Two issue can arise from this, one trap design and the second by human abuse. On the lighter weight cages to top of the trap can flex (havaharts are notorious for this but both tomahawk and safeguard have welded wire frames at the door just for this reason) and when the animal pushes against the door from the inside the lock bar pushes up against the top of the trap. If the top flexes enough the stop for the lock bar will be raised enough for the spring loaded lock bar to fall out to the front unlocking the door. Raccoons fortunately are not as prone to do this but it has happened, in my experience armadillos are the number one animal to escape this way. The next is a variation on this where an untrained human not knowing that the lock bar is to be pushed inward to open the door will rip the lock bar out to the front to release an animal, this usually bends the lock bar and the obvious sign of tampering.

All in all the biggest issue with raccoons damaging cages has as much to do with a raccoons curious and aggressive nature combined with length of time in the trap. The longer they have to get into mischief the more damage they can do. Check early and often and give them something else to do. I like to toss a small stick about a foot long and the size of a broom handle in the cage to give the raccoon something to do while they wait for me to pick them up.

David is absolutely right about "something to play with". We have used old golf balls in the same way. If David is talking about the cage that Tomahawk sells that has a bar over the top of the pan, I've done an article in WCT on how impressed I was with this very simple idea. With more than 30 raccoons caught in this cage, it still looks just like new.

If any of you buy this cage and have any problems what so ever; would you please let me know. I have not been able to find a thing wrong with this cage, but if there is, I would really like to inform the manufacturer. ( This goes for Comstocks as well. )

Paul, that is exactly the trap I speak of. I only know it from photos but from what I see they have addressed all the weaknesses of the design and perfected the most common commercial cage design. I've never done it but I knew the pans needed some sort of stop and the bar over the top is much needed. Amazingly it is probably the only thing havajunk got right with their el cheapo homeowner model with the external operating rod. The rod runs the full length of the back of the pan and out through the mesh before turning ninety degrees, the mesh acts as the stop. Of course it's still to light of a gauge and everything else is junk.

Now that said my favorite is of course Kirk's advanced trap. Think the above trap with fully welded 1/4" rod frames and doors with quadruple the spring power.

David, I know exactly what you mean. I advertise as much for Jim Comstock as you guys do for Kirk. Like Rick says, there's been too many positive posts for both of them to believe that you could go wrong with either one.

I'm eventually going to have to order some of Jim's traps and I've even spoken to him about that. Just haven't been the need for more traps. I must in full disclosure admit that my loyalty to Kirk's traps goes beyond the excellent quality of his cages I consider Kirk to be a friend and genuinely good people. I hope when I get to know Jim better that I can say the same of him.

Warrior, I don't know how much beaver work you do but for jobs where 330's and 7.5 inches foot holds are risky, Jim's beaver trap is a must have. I wouldn't want to be without one.

Yankees aren't as smooth as you southern gentlemen (it's the frigid temps.) but don't let that put you off. Jim is a good guy with many, many years of experience to share.

Warrior was right on about the bait doors. I had an otter almost take a chunk out of my leg a few weeks back after it broke the chain while I was carrying it. The trap has never been used other than transferring bigger animals from time to time.

All of the traps written about in this thread are good traps that have good customer service if you have a problem. I pick up dead tennis balls around tennis courts. They hold the lure well and they really give wome action to entertain Mr. coon. If you really need to protect the surroundings or your trap put a couple of dps on the cage. He always pulls them both then he's handcuffed.

thank you for your indications guys ,as I have understood , i will use the cage traps without modifications , and I will use small balls to entertain the racoon inside the box.
Regards ¡

Okay Brooker, how can you tell a live tennis ball from a dead one and where were you when you were supposed to be in Cleveland?

Judy says to bounce them.

Wink, the dead ones have no pulse. Silly.

I wish I could have read Winkelmans before he edited it. Thanks Jim and Dave for explaining to Paul I was gettong ready to refer him to the Mrs. for an explanation.
I wish I could have been in Cleveland I heard it was a very good seminar.