"It's hard for people to look at an empty trap and think that it is working."

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I don't keep them empty very long.

Nothing like finding Cheerios in a skunk trap because your bait wasn't working right.

or think what bait you are using is going to work. doesn't the bait have to be peanut butter?

Jonesie, I now have new cutting edge peanut butter. Planter's cherry/chocolate peanut butter. I'm not making this up.

They like the Honey-nut Cheerio's better. LOL


Paul, thats just too much.

Theres a few different kinds...this one is cinnamon/raison PB

I use cortland apples (don't turn brown like the others do) carrots and iceberg lettuce. Lately I've been catching skunks and possums though. *shrug* I also dab on some attractant, but I can't remember who makes it.

Cabbage apples or just snare them or dirty cage trick

So many bait choices....and it still isn't the bait.

I'm not positive that Dave's bait and mine are the same thing but I certainly wouldn't be surprised. PM me and I will be happy to let you know what I think is the best bait ever!

The best bait ever is whatever bait the groundhog wants at that time, That simple. I have many many many pictures of groundhogs in traps, over the years to prove what I catch on bait. But I believe that lure has more pull power than bait, that is why I never just use bait without lures of some sort. and I didn't say I only use food lure. Matter fact Mike Page, Mike Flick and I touched on this very thing last night on my show,

If that hog has too much in the area to eat, I am not setting a cage, I am setting a snare. LOL

The bait as DaveK stated is not the make and break of the set, it is the presentation of the bait and lure, that may entice the groundhog or any animal to enter an enclosed area Meaning trap. The reason a force set or positive set works is the animal only has 2 choices to choose from go in or stay in that simple. so knowing when to use a baited set vs force vs snare is the real answer.

We all have our ways of doing things. and most of the us that speak up here, can prove, if we want to prove, or care to prove, that what we do works. it all comes down to our area, pressures and our own individual style of doing things. My way will not be good for some and their ways will not be good for me. that is what is great with this adc work.

A well lured, baited and eye appeal set up cage placed on an active feed or travel activity area, that ground hog is usually caught in a few hours to a day or less in most cases. Gang sets will speed up the family units removal as well.

This year I have also noticed that some animals don't take too kindly to force/positive sets. One coon just avoided my positive sets altogether and made her a new hole at the other end of the house. One squirrel decided to heck with it and chewed right a new hole right beside the positive set.

Jason, I got two of those "avoiders" this morning. Put Comstocks at new holes on other side of deck and forced them in. One woodchuck and one skunk. They probably just got tired of digging new holes and decided to give up!

Male and female? Guess they were 'cohabitators'! Lol

Paul, what size/kind of Comstocks did you use?

I must be related to Tom T's pet hog, trying to cut back on mayonnaise myself. About the only thing I don't put mayonnaise on, is mayonnaise.

I surely have no issues with lure per se, just like to leave little or nothing to chance when possible, after experiences on the fur line in California. I do rely heavily on beaver castor for instance. Though at times when skunks are grubbing in an open area and squirrels are in an attic, baits come in mighty handy. In the past 4 plus years or so I have not use bait for woodchucks, so far without a downside. If they are there, virtually always there is a good den, free standing or up under a building, fence or pinch point, something that will work for you with sets that go in little more than seconds. Whatever is to be trapped, I like to remove the element of chance in "if the animal is hungry" or "if the animal likes what you present." If he moves, I want to catch him.

Just remembered a squirrel another company had tried to trap in an upstairs attic. The squirrel would not come to any bait or food of any kind after attempts to catch him ahead of me had been made. I "fenced" a hallway, with a bunch of junk lying around, put in a 9x9 Tomahawk double door trap between the rooms and got him in a couple of days.

The best example of changing for the conditions was moving a bobcat set in California in 1982, 4 inches. For a week a cat had worked the set, but managed to avoid the bracelet. Other trappers were talking of "visits" to their sets, often not connecting with animals just missing the mark, flat sets with lure. I was about ready to move on to a new location, though I knew the 'cats were there, when finally the light came on and I remembered what I had used in Alabama the year before, trail sets. Though we knew there was "a 'cat" there, we were more than surprised to take 3 'cats in 4 days without baits or lures, while moving a trap but inches. Since the 'cats were trail runners we took more and missed few. But in all fairness, there was a partial down side. We missed foxes. Foxes were on and off the trails, so we came up with a combination set with gland lure that was no less effective on 'cats and brought the fox catch back to where it should be.

As much as is possible, without wasting time, my strategy it to go to the animal rather than to try to make the animal come to me, watch what they do and play their game.

Words of wisdom.

Sorry Muskrat Joe; I'm a little late in my response. To me it really doesn't matter as much anymore in what size Comstock I use, but if I were to recommend a Comstock to a first time user, not a problem. Start with the 24 inch. Just make sure you buy twice as many as you think you will need. I was fortunate enough to actually watch them being built and at least to some extent, they've changed our way of caging animals.

run, you will have to pardon me. I'm wiping the tears from my eyes. I'm supposed to be the comedian and you one-upped me. Keep it up!