I am live trapping in an urban area and have come up against some very very trap shy raccoons. They basically have a radius around my traps that they will not enter. They aren't stealing any of my bait at all and I have tied all my go to baits to no avail. I have kept one trap in the same spot and have moved the other once. I am thinking my next step is to disguise the traps and maybe change up the bait. The only other wrinkle is that I am also battling a healthy population of bait stealing rats that hit basically every night.
Thanks in advance for the help.

I put dirt/grass clipping in the trap to cover the wire. I also bait outside the trap and use the same bait inside the trap. Set the trigger very lite. Only put bait in front of the trap door. Use 3 or 4 scent baits. I also use a trailing scent bait. Blow there mind with smell so they take there mind off the trap. JMO

I honestly believe that there are some raccoons that you will never get in a cage trap. Whether they have been caught and released or what I don't know. I had two jobs this season, one was a golf course that did their own live trapping but had a tough one, had another job where I was the fourth company this man had hired. I put a Comstock over the hole in the soffit and the next night there was a new hole in the soffit down the way. Both jobs were solved with conibears. The golf course on the first night, the residence was solved after the first night I set the conibear. Got to show them something they haven't seen before.

Not sure if conibears are legal where you are at but maybe a DP is. Put it in the middle of a sheet of plywood to limit collateral damage. (Never done this one myself, but abide by the principle: sometimes you just have to show them something they haven't seen before.)

Bob Jansma nailed it. If you can't catch a raccoon with a regular cage, two door, Plastic Catch, foothold, DP, or Conibear, it's not

really a raccoon. It's a zombie that's disguised as a raccoon.

Zombie or ghost coons, neither of them are fun to trap.

Thanks for the ideas guys...I am limited to a live trap because I'm in town and these are coons that are harassing the small dogs that live in the yard and are just passing through not living in the house...I would use an egg trap but I can't kill it on site and have not had much luck trying to control them with a pole snare.
Thanks again

As stated there are other tools that can be used if the situation allows, Cable restraints, DP or baited snare box is my go to that can throw the raccoon off the alert. But If you need to catch it with a cage trap and can't use anything else give me a call.

I have had luck shoving a cage in a tipped over trash can, I put newspaper to disguise it and food scraps throughout. Works good on coins and Gray fox

Why would people throw coins in a trash can?

What Throw Back said. Beaver castor works well as a change up, even fox gland lure works well for those raccoons that just don't want to get caught. I almost always use multiple traps at my set ups. If you have any Comstock double door traps run bait through the trap and the raccoons will never know what hit them. Good luck and have a happy and profitable new year.

May not be any fountains around to make that wish.

Make a barrel trap that looks like a garbage can. Works good

Jim Cundiff, from the Dayton/Springfield OH area makes a trash can add on that converts a metal trash can into a cage trap. We have used it with success in trap shy situations.

You can use it sitting upright like a normal can or you can prop it on its side.

PM me if you are interested and I can forward you his #.

Westcoast ADC
A couple things I forgot to mention, I use trap covers, that way the raccoon focuses more on the open ends of the trap. I also use lawn staples to keep the trap from moving under there feet. Like beading a foot hole trap. 99% of the time this is over kill, but there is that 1% that will drive you nuts.

Thanks a lot for all the help...I think I have an idea...if it works I'll update