On steep slopes make a nose cone out of hardware cloth, or pile up debris from around the job site. Logs, branches, boards, brush, pavers..

If I don't have any material on site, I usually carry scraps in my truck for that purpose. I like using stuff from the job site as it smells as it should, not that I've noticed any difference whether it's my debris or the customer's. Residential animals live around people, they are used to smelling us. Scent isn't as big of an issue IMO.

Hey PARick, I actually go pretty far with the no bait thing for woodchucks and skunks, when I can at den sites too, with no regrets. I could use bait of course, but just don't have a need for it. Saves a lot of time and money not fooling with it, replacing, changing, having it go bad, just handling it. I got a gallon of Blackies bait many years ago and still have it. Found that trails in deep grass were fine, between bushes, along walls, under fences, sometimes with short drift fencing using aluminum sheets that go in in seconds. Skunks and chucks are pretty easy to direct. I like the metal nose cones with flaps because they fit on the trap in transit and take up no more space, light weight. If you catch a skunk when chuck trapping, as does happen from time to time, the metal cover keeps them from spraying. With a solid cover, if you do use bait, it does keep the bait fresher, no sun or rain on it. Of all the guys who dropped the use of bait with single door traps, while switching to double door traps without bait, I never heard of any going back to the old ways. Just too easy this way.

If a hillside is steep I will sometimes try to dig it out a bit and level it up somewhat, though perfectly level is not necessary. If you don't want to do any digging you can use a longer 30 inch trap on the hillsides.

Thank you both for the info. I plan on giving you guys a call or ordering online to get some double door traps

Do what Jim suggests and you should have success.

I do very rarely use bait in certain circumstances. When I do use bait it works. If others see one in a trap, they avoid a baited trap. I have video clips of them avoiding baited traps.

Best wishes.

Have to say that I truly feel sorry for clients who have first called a pest control company that hires kids when both company owners and kids know as close to nothing about the profession as you can get and what they are doing, but of course still charge for the "service" such as it isn't when they are totally unsuccessful in catching the targetted nuisance animal. Yesterday I was told that for a week a couple of single door pan traps baited with carrots sat in a yard while the woodchuck of course went about his business, paying no attention to what was offered. I did spend 20 minutes blocking off a good sized deck, but a few hours later the chuck was boxed in the single positive set I had made in a double door cage trap that took but a minute to place. Removing the element of "chance" is well worth the effort in blocking when compared to the time and expense in extra trips.

Too funny. Just talked to a friend who said he had a client who hired another trapper first, but didn't connect. He set four baited traps with tuna fish, for woodchucks. Got 4 cats the first night, 2 of those and a possum on the second night. Got a good laugh out of that. Hope I'm not offending anyone who uses tuna for chucks. LOL.

I have seen some big name companies technicians use granola bars for chucks and squirrels many times.

Jim Comstock. . .

Would you please post some pics of the funnels you are creating?

Guess you are referring to nose cones. I will get Judy to post some pics or if anyone else has some perhaps they can too.

The RBG Is the best trap for the job. Place It in the hole stake and stabilize and your good to go. No bait no cage traps the chuck comes out of the hole and It's dead.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg? She's death to woodchucks too?

LOL
Round Body Grips. But then you knew that.

Body grips set in front of holes are not legal in all states.

That may be true but If It's legal then It's the way to go.

220 conibear set in the hole.

A 220 pinned in front of a den is deadly - precisely why it is not permitted in Ohio on land unless enclosed so not accessible from the outside and anchored to prevent access. For a particular job I built a couple enclosures with hardware cloth so it looks open from the inside. Sort of like an inside out cubby box set. Yes it worked in that specific location because from camera use I knew that the last one was inside.

In Ohio the largest bodygrip trap without an enclosure we can use at a den for groundhogs is a 5”x5”. With 2 springs they are powerful enough but far from the ideal trap. This size works better with some guide sticks. The size of the 220 is perfect at 7x7”, but again not legal to use without the enclosure.

Most of the calls for groundhog trapping are from customers in places that because of kids, pets, and strays setting anything but a cage trap is foolish. With the 2 door 9x11x18” Comstock they get caught the first time in or out. Those traps with 2 types of nosecones are my bread and butter groundhog traps.

Sometimes there are very unusual circumstances that require different methods. For example a groundhog that somehow got into a basement. I used a 9x11x24” Comstock with both doors open and bait in the middle. Apple slices on the wires did the trick.

I suggest to anyone that you use cameras whenever possible. Not only is it entertaining, but it will help you be a better trapper. For example at a lawn tilling job that appeared to be raccoon damage I was not catching anything. It did not make sense. Initially all of my cameras were out elsewhere. The homeowner was a cheap grumpy miserable guy And complained that 2 nights and no catches. It troubled me why no catches. On the third night I did not mention it and put 2 cameras at the job and caught the wife out there on a smoke break looking in every trap at least once per hour and usually more frequent than that and almost all night. Sometimes every 15-30 minutes. I asked wife to smoke elsewhere and the fourth night caught two large old boar raccoons. No more lawn shredding.