What's everyone's favorite chimney trap? And their method for getting the animal in the trap? Banging on the damper, waiting it out, etc.

I use a nose cone that can be wired onto a regular cage trap. Cost, $20.00 When done, I take the nose cone off and use the trap in the usual way. Sometimes, I can chase the animal out of the chimney, sometimes, I wait them out.

For coons, Eviction Fluid on a tennis ball or rag, has worked most of the time for me...if not, a cage on the roof on plywood. Once you catch Momma, reach up thru damper to grab kits.

Squirrels, I just trap them on the ground or house gutters.

A tennis ball on a string is MUCH easier to use than these set ups...which I got off here.

We have had a big heavy expensive chimney trap for about five years. Far as I know it has never seen a roof.Climbing on a roof with a large object plus strapping it to a chimney for a single capture sucks.
We need a compact unit that will capture ma coon and the kits all in one shot.Kinda like one stop shopping.

You can make many traps work, but it's nice to use a trap that was designed for a specific purpose. Using traps that slip down inside the flue out of sight are popular, nothing to balance or strap onto the chimney, nothing for the public to see. They are a drop in. I know Adam Utterback and others have had very good luck with them.

Like Jim Comstock said. However, I don.t know of any trap that will catch mom and the kids in one shot. Catch mon and get the kids out of the fireplace if they are small. If the kids are able to climb out, Catch them in cage traps. If the kids are young, Coon eviction liquid works well in a chimney.

I've used the No-See-Um chimney trap for 15 years. Fairly easy to set up, tie a small flag on the latch rod so you can check just by driving past. Can't get any more positive than the internal traps, and out of sight for onlookers and neighbors. In my region there are as many coons in chimneys WITHOUT kits as with them. All times of the year, especially late fall and winter.

Decided on going the eviction fluid route. Man is that stuff pricey! Little cheaper than a chimney trap though.

Only time I can get eviction liquid to work is when the young are small. After that not so much.

X2

I have had some success with an exclusion via a one way door in the chimney.