If a guy was getting into ADC work, and money wasn't an issue, what type of live trap for raccoon would you invest in? Are the raccoon size poly trap a good choice, as you could use these for skunk and groundhog as well? Thanks.

I have the large size dukes for baited traps and Comstock 9x11x30 one flushmount door for residential use where there is a hole they are using.

Our company has used Safeguard traps mostly thru our near 50 years of business. Good solid equipment and supplemental items to go along with the traps. Covers are a must for coon size traps in my experience. Tomahawk has good traps. I have a few poly traps but rarely use them They get too hot inside for captured animals in my use of them.

Comstocks power door traps are good traps for certain applications as well. We rarely use gravity door traps. All of our traps are spring loaded trap doors they are the best. Not a fan of gravity drop door traps. My preference. Invest in a few dozen T bar rebar stakes for trap staking at ground level sets. We have Hundreds of them in 18" and 24". They are a must as you will find out in time.

If only using them in cooler temps you may like them. Another problem is, you can't always tell what you have caught without opening the door a ways to peek inside. Not a safe and good method to practice.

The Comstock traps are the most versatile, no limitations in how or where they may be set, right side up, upside down, sideways and even vertically if called for. The fast closing power doors with the wire trigger combination allow for this. They are just like a conibear in they that can be set in any manner. Because of the super solid locking system these traps do not require staking, anchoring or wiring. No amount of rolling or moving will make them open up or make it any easier for an animal to escape. They are basically escape proof. One trapper sent a video of a single door Comstock in a positive set at the base of a home. The coon first wrestled the trap away from the wall, rolled the trap over, then climbed in to get a small amount of bait when the trap was on it's side before firing the trap and getting caught. Unlike gravity or pan traps, the power doors provide the stability so that even when traps are moved or rolled they will most often still remain set and will still make a catch. Besides, coon, chucks and possum, when used with a metal nose cone cover the 9x11's work fine for skunks too. We have taken hundreds and they don't spray. The frames are super tough. A test was run on the frame of a 9x11 many years ago. It took 900 pounds of pressure before it was crushed.

+2 on Comstock traps. Well built for sure!

I got the 9x11 comstock, I'm pretty sure there is no way they are getting out of that.

I'm with Bob, safeguards have been very reliable.

I went through three live traps this week due to aggressive raccoons. One Duke and two Havajunks. Ordered Tomahawks and found out they are at least two weeks out. I might pick up a Comstock or two at the next convention.

Big fan of the safeguard traps, but quality has dropped past 5 years or so. Still it is my go to trap for baited sets. Get the covers worth it. Just had a couple trap smart raccoons who didn't realize I pulled the covers halfway further than the night before when they robbed my bait. Trap smart raccoons are more and more a thing with people buying the cheap box store traps and trying the DIY to save a buck.

Because the Safeguards seem to be not of the same quality they once were we manufactured a similar trap of superior quality. WCS also now makes our own trap covers, good quality and less than the Safeguards. https://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com/animal/WCS30PRO.html https://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com/animal/WCSPROTC-30.html

Anyone using the z traps cage traps?

Those round ones? I bought the 8" model. Well made. I haven't deployed it yet but it does work. There's a guy on Youtube that made a lot of videos of trapping various critters.

No they make some green powder coated cages.

About poly traps: coon size poly traps are heavy and awkward to wrangle. I caught a few coon that squeezed into the smaller poly trap set for skunk, but more that backed out. Poly traps are more work to clean out than wire cages. The white stands out a ways for eye appeal (except in snow.) Any cage not staked may be moved or dumped by a coon that thinks it is a trash can. Yes.... some coons learn and think!

At one time I had four plasticatch traps. They were designed a little bit differently than the ones available today (see below). I used them very often for raccoons in attics and roofs. I often used them for skunks. I did not use them for rats or squirrels.