Does anyone know how to build wire and/or plastic cage traps for skunk and/or coon?

I don't know about plastic for racoon cages.

If I were you, I would send a pm to wolfdog91.

he honestly did a nice video on making cage traps! x2 on the plastic for coons id say they could chew out of them faster than you could carry in a replacement!

There is a plastic cage trap on the market now. The side walls are solid and the trap currently costs ~$90. It looks like a 36-inch tall heavy duty trash can. The front opening is about 12x12 and the walls are atleast 1/4-inch thick. I have one I bought 25+ years ago. As I recall, they used to be called Dura-Trap and might still be.

Neil Ziegman at Ztraps has a round plastic skunk trap that is 7 or 8 inches in diameter. It looks like green schedule 40 well casing pipe. The whole unit is about 30 inches long. I’ve seen pictures of both coon and skunks in the trap so I know it works for both. I recall the trap is ~$65 and the trigger system is from the top down instead of a pan system. I have two of his metal cage traps that have slightly different top firing triggers. Both are smaller than standard cage traps but 27 pound coon have no trouble getting in and don’t seem to fight the trap as much. With top triggers, there seems to be no shyness about stepping onto a pan either.

The dura trap has only one drawback that I experienced. Since we can’t discuss dispatch here, pm me and I’ll fill you in.

Teacher, please tell us how you would set and bait your 12" wide z trap cage trap for small skunks, small feral cat kittens, baby coon, and baby possum. If you have a picture of the set please post and explain why you made the set the way you did. Little ones are more apt to go around a hanging trigger than a large or full grown animal. At least what I have found.

Do you hang the bait on the trigger? Do you adjust the sensitivity of the trigger? Do you use a longer trigger for a wider coverage area? Do you bend the trigger wires back or to one side?

The website says a body style wire trigger.

I can honestly say I have never seen one in person, an in field picture of one, or a video demonstration of one. Probably are many here that can say the same.

Thanks guys!

Somone call lol

You’re confused but maybe I didn’t write it well. The Ztrap cage is 8 inches wide x 10 inches tall. Neil’s top firing triggers are of two designs. One looks like hanging 330 conibear trigger wires and the other has just a single 1/4-inch rod hanging down from the back-middle of the trap.

In either case the coon, skunk, possum or feral cat literally bump the trigger and the trap fires. The 330 type trigger recedes into a metal channel built into the inside top of the trap. The rod type trigger design moves ever so slightly to the left or right and continues to hang straight up and down after the trap has been tripped. The rod trigger then can be pushed out of the way (left or right) by the captured animal as it no longer is attached to the door.

I typically use a small section of dry corn on the cob with lure or bait smeared on it and just toss it into the back of the trap. With the standard cages I’ve used for over 30 years I’ve come to the conclusion it’s better to hang a white plastic lure holder from the top of the trap and have lure or bait in it or on it and hung a couple inches away from the walls of of the trap. I haven’t tried this method with these new cages yet.

Using this size cage is new for us. My partner used them to remove over 20 coon from a barn and near by bird feeding area. Some mornings he had up to 3 juveniles in one trap and other mornings he had big sows (singles) in each trap. Multiple catches of juveniles happened a couple times. At one point, the farmer called and said he’d seen 3 juveniles in a trap and another one on top of it. We’ve found juveniles try to play with the 330 style trigger and will pull it out of the protective channel. Adults don’t do that. With the hanging rod, single trigger design, coon just seem to leave it alone. I wish I knew how to post pictures so I could show you the designs. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that if you’ll send me your email addresses, I’ll send you pictures.

Thanks for answering. I would like to see a 27 pound coon in that 8x10 trap if you would. It seems it would be hard for a full sized coon to miss any type of a trigger in a 8"x10" trap. That is why I was wondering about the 12" they make. I would think an adult coon would not be able to move around much as a small coon to bend the triggers. I would think it to be difficult for a 20lb coon to turn around or be able to grab the trigger in that small trap, if it was pulled up or not.( let alone fight the trap) I have found that "smaller openings" catch smaller animals. Most of the time. Exceptions are forced sets.

Think as yourself. If you are young, you just force your way through the weeds or woods, effort is easy. As you get older and larger, you step over or go around. You take less chances.

Maybe I am missing something that allows exception. The only thing that I could assume would be the advantage over a standard trap would be a more positive relationship from the door to the trigger. In other words a door that stays open, no matter if it is bumped, until the trigger is hit. This would allow the larger coon to wiggle their way in, without setting the trap off until the trigger is moved. That is one of the features of the traps I use.

Thanks again.

kirk@trappintales.com

Lots of good questions. I think I'll stick with a floor mounted tripping device.

As to things turning around In small quarters. WE used regular 10x10 live traps for transfer cages when live trapping coyotes. They could turn around In that trap In a heart beat.

I included forced sets.


There is a big difference between just two inches, whether it is width or height, depending on the animal.

I don’t have pictures but my partner has some. When I see him one of these days I’ll get pictures and send them to you. One of these days I’ll figure out photobucket.

I spoke to Neil Ziegman at Ztrap and his biggest coon in the 8x10 top trip cage has been 30+ pounds. He said he routinely catches them in the 27 pound category. That’s consistent with what I catch around here. I may be wrong but I suspect southern coon will be smaller meaning this size of trap should work well for them. Considering I’ve taken coon close to 30 pounds in 220s, which have a 7x7 inch opening, an 8x10 would be acceptable.

His more recent design has a single vertical rod hanging from the top of the trap that a critter pushes to the left or right ( as previously described). This one seems to be getting the most interest and it’s what he’ll manufacture from now on. He’s got a couple sizes, including one for beavers. Iowa testing has shown beavers aren’t afraid to enter and have no difficulty finding and tripping the trap. I have ordered additional 8x10s. Will keep some of my bigger traps but I’m convinced top trip traps are solidly in my future.

Thanks for the response.

To refresh my memory I pulled out an 8x10 by the house with a trigger on top that can be fired by 1 or more wires moving front or back, right or left. I am sure most of the coon in north America could be caught in the 8x10 size. It is the ones you miss or get away as well as the set limitations that matter also. I would think in a northern state in the cold months, coon would go almost anywhere to get something to eat more so than the warmer climates.

A 25lb beaver can go through a 6x6 opening but what about the few 60 ponders that go around. I have a place I caught 14 beaver by the road, a couple of months ago. The county trying to prevent beaver from plugging the culverts placed 6x6 panels in front the width from one side to the other. It did not stop the beaver. It looked like the large beaver were handing the sticks through to the small beaver and the small beaver were plugging the culvert. Much of the sticks looked like they were even pushed over the top of the 6x6 fence so the ones that went around had something to work with.
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Getting back to trap size.

Some 12 x12 x 32 traps can be used the catch beaver and otter on land or water, even under water. The same trap can be used for muskrat, coon, skunk, armadillo, nutria, and a host of other animals. When you go to a trap with a smaller opening no matter what length the limitation starts as to the size of the animal trapped. An example would be trying to catch a bobcat in a 10 or 12" tall trap. It may work some of the time but not most.

When you go to a 16" or taller trap 12" wide or wider the types of sets and animals targeted are increased dramatically. Also the larger trap increases the chance of multiples not just young ones but mature ones. The wider the trap the larger the trigger coverage area needs to be. It doesn,t matter whether a pan trigger or a trigger on top or one swinging on the side. How that trigger works in relationship to the design and set determines how productive the trapper is.

yep, you use a press brake like the pros,,,,just homemade outa 2x4's

I don't remember who to thank here on tman for this!

Contact Neil for pictures on his beaver trap. (Outside of the people trying to lynch me over assault rifle control) I’ve never run upon anyone on Tman who hasn’t been helpful when I private messaged them with a question. He seems to be a good source of information on Ztraps, cages and general all around trapping. Kirk has been the same way. ‘Lots of good sources of information here.

If your interested in some hear to duty cage traps check out my video , it's a step by step on a gillotine style



Also have a video explaining the basic WA wire trigger mech

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=22s&v=GMquHltxblU

It's a pretty well known trigger in Washington state and I've seen alot of different variations.

Here's a couple different designs with pannel from various people