Need some advice. Cape cod style home. Upstairs bedrooms have partial vaulted ceilings with small attic space overhead and attic space on outer walls starting at waist level. Furthest bedroom overhead ceiling 50% intact, drapes from window are used for climbing purposes from coons. Feces all over floor along with ceiling and small amounts of insulation. Above said window is an area where fascia is gone (roughly 6') and arborvitae branches are literally growing inside house. Front bedroom full of misc. stuff scattered around however no feces. Set 2 cage traps in furthest bedroom with canned cat food (salmon) and mini marshmallow trailer. Checked with no luck. Opened side attic access door, coon wakes from nap (just out of reach) and scurries under floor (between first and second). Relocate cage in there. Just difficult to find and area clear (and flat) enough to set cage. Rejuvenate bait with Fireball ADC. Upstairs access is block off so basically critters dwell on second level. Located (I think) all external access holes but hard to spot with shrubbery. Temperature were warm, today nose dived to 10 degrees.
Now what?

The upstairs sound like it is trashed. I would use DP's. I would set a DP in the center of 1/2 sheet of plywood (and shorten the chains) So, they don't trash the place any further.

It is rough! That's why I'm not hesitating on putting cages right on feces and urine saturated "carpet".
I am going to take pics, my phone camera was getting enough "detail".

Sounds like a great place to bait with fish paste.

Conibear?

sounds like a good place to make money.....

X2 lots of it!!

Can you find the entrances and set positive sets?
Either cages or conibers. Or if it's rural enough
Try calling them out of the house and shoot em.

Raccoons is NOT a word.
It's 'raccoon', regardless of the number...(like fish, not fishes).

No no the plural of raccoon is raccoons. Unlike the plural
Of deer is (deer). Lol

Whole exterior of house is an entrance. I know for sure they're coming in the at missing fascia board but they want to do the "repair" work themselves after eviction. I would have to block/move so much to get a narrowed down area for a coni (Only legal size allowed is a 155), figured I'd just as well use a cage. I like the DP idea. It's residential, so no firearms. Could of shot the one waking from it's nap. I'm going to get pics to show. Of course they want it out yesterday now someones on the case.

Sheeps N Elks

No disrespect intended but you had better get them caught or youll have to change your user id.HAHAHA!!!! Sorry weve all been there before just couldnt resist.

Well I can keep my name. Got one, however, when I was swapping out cages heard scurrying in between floors. Had hunch there is more than one. Here's pics





Got the one where you see cage. Others under that part of floor.

wow. not really much hope for that place. what are you gonna do as far as repairs?

Let the raccoons keep it.....

Me I am heading outside to where the coon (LT is there an s on coon plural lol)are going onto the house. for a few reasons. one I or the trap does not belong inside there in that safety zone of the coon. sure the dumb coon will be caught, but if that coon has done that been there, well it may not take of but may avoid the trap. it wasn't there when they choose that place to live. they know everything about that place. that trap does not belong there. If you moved that trap to where you saw the coon and it moves to another spot then, you are seeing the answer why no catch now you have to believe it. By going outside for me and going to the place or places that the coon are going onto the structure. you first have a trap where that coon is going to be every time they come and go. coming back, the coon may not want something because they feed all night, leaving they may want it. either way every time they come they are within a foot of the trap. 2nd reason outside is neutral ground, things change all the time. things come and go. human smells come and go. if there is nothing negative about the trap then it is or can be just something new lets check it out. Just think about something, there is not a person reading this that does not think about human odor when hunting deer, predator calling or even trapping, Trapper phrase 3 day cool off. yet we pay no attention to human stink in control work Why? because in our minds they are use to human odors, and they are. But I have found out that unknown human odors can have a negative effect on the critters in their safety zones. the folks that live in the homes, the animals get use to and I guess see them, both smell and voice as a ok or safe person as long as they are doing what the animal has come to expect. but add something new to the safety zone and they become alert. Any of us that has done this work for a few years can tell of times when just standing in a room with the customers talking, and the raccoons will come to that place right above us or as stated in the knee wall and start to smell loud enough that we hear it. why did it come? simple, something new was added, the wall or ceiling kept the safety factor but they had to see what new voice is there and try to smell it. I have had both coon and squirrel jobs that I could not get the animal to enter the trap till I had the customer put their odor in the trap( wiping their hands on a napkin and putting it in the trap. I would hope that there is not a person reading this that thinks they will leave no human odor in the attic or space when they go in to inspect. like wise I hope all people realize that by the time a person opens the door or hatch and gets up in the attic that the coon does not realize something is up. if they feel safe they will watch if they are uneasy then they move. all these are negatives in a safety zone. outside these negative may not have an impact on the animal. also baiting the traps certain ways can increase catches by 50 to 80% I have seen Bob J a lot of times refer to segregating odors, I have hinted to some what of the same thing many times plus a few more little things that go over folks heads LOL the baiting of a trap is I believe more important than the baits or lure used. 90% of the coon may be easy to catch and 10% will be hard, but we don't get paid till we get that 10%

More common sense in that paragraph than most books Ron

There is not one single thing that Jonesie said that I disagree with. But, ( There's always a but ) when I was still young enough to get sent on these type of jobs ( I think that was the day before yesterday ) I would look for a trail in the insulation, and having brought a cage up into the attic with me, would set the trap in these very pronounced trails.

I would then proceed to find Mrs. Raccoon or sometimes Mr., and scare the heck out of him or her. ( Those of you that know me realize that seeing my face can do that ) The funny thing is that when most animals even feel that they are being chased, they don't watch where they're going ( sound familiar? ) and run right into the trap that's set in the middle of their flight path.

If I hadn't seen this done so many times I wouldn't even mention it. Also, if you find that insulation trail but you're not sure of a catch, grab a couple of pieces of screening for either side of the cage. ( Almost guaranteed if you're going to cheat like that )

I don't tell anyone about those methods Paul we got to have some secrets, but heck since you let it out it even works on squirrels and coon in the living space, just put alittle pressure on the animal it will go some where that you see you can put the trap, then push it out of that spot easy, set the trap in that spot and scare the heck out of it runs right into the trap and hits the back so hard if it missed the trigger the force of the trap bouncing makes the trap go off LOL

By the way I aint crawling around any attic unless I have to anymore LOL