Thursday night to early Friday morning my mom’s beagle was attacked. He’s fine really just lost some hide over his ear. Anyway I set a cage trap to see what the culprit was after hearing an animal in the trees for the past few weeks and so I could kill the critter who hurt the dog. I’m here to report it wasn’t a possum this is a big beagle and has kill possums before it was a dern coon! He robbed the trap and I know for a fact he was in there because I had an upside down sardine can as bait he’s not trap shy. So long story aside I need cage trap advice the dog would appreciate it also.

Try wiring the sardine can to the inside of the trap I'm sure it's a dumb question but does it have sardines in it?

wire it high to the back of the trap ,make the coon work for it now that he has a taste

I have also had good success with wiring chicken bones to the top back of the cage , any way they can't easily reach over the pedal grab and run make them eat it in the cage to increase the chances they step on the pedal.

I walked up on a feral cat in a cage one time door was still open it is eating from the bowl should have been enough weight on the pedal wasn't till it saw me and turned to run that the door slammed shut.

Use small marshmallows. Put some in a wire box in the back and sprinkle some through the trap and some outside.

Garryowen

Also small critters -mice voles etc. can and do mess with or steal bait without tripping the door.

One thing I have had success with is... first the bait... fried chicken drum stick with most of the meat off of the bone. I raise the pan and using fishing line, tie the bone near both ends under the pan. Then with wire the pan to the bottom of the cage. I leave a little slack, but not much. The coon will try and raise the pan, but being wired down it won't come up . In messing with trying to raise it it will also push down on it, tripping the trap. The you have have him. This has worked probably 100 times for me with a smart and trouble-some coon. Keep you beagle pinned up or in house or you might have a beagle in the trap... they like chicken too.

Garry-

Make sure your trap is big enough for a big coon.

If you can, use a dp, maybe that will work better.

T stake your live trap down so the coon can't flip it over

I've always found it works best to dig a small hole UNDER the trap just past the trigger, and stake the cage so it can't be rolled over.

Thank you all any bait recommendations

I second the wiring of the bait to the trip. One bait that won't attract anything but a coon is afresh ear of corn. I had a coon that would tear up my calf starter.and milk replacer. Strip off one side of shuck, use a nail to poke.holes thru the ear, wirenit to the trip, cover the wire with shuck. Nabbed him 1st night!