We had a skiff of snow the other day and when I went out there was a coon and skunk track that went past the chicken coop and in the horse pen. I had shot a couple pigeons with the pellet rifle the day before, so I went and got one for bait. I don't use bigger baits in a cage most the time, but it would be easy. I throw a pigeon in the cage and set the trap. The first check, nothing. This morning I go out for check two and the cage is gone. I stand looking around and see it 8-10 yards off in the edge of the hedge. I guess the coon wanted that pigeon and didn't want to go in. I will bet I will have to go to plan B to catch him now. We will see.

Must be a big one. Never heard of one doing that...just like a bear.

If you use the cage again, maybe tie it down , so he has to go in at some point ?

The track wasn't from a real big coon the way it looked. He reached inside and grabbed the pigeon and pulled it against the cage and drug it off. I have had them drag about any and every thing off they can get a hand in. I had coon eat pigeons through 1x1 wire pigeon traps. all they was left was the wings. Maybe he sprung it and couldn't get in.

Put the pigeon in a hole under the cage and put weight on top of the cage so they can't roll the cage over

wetdog the ground is froze as hard as cement. It would be a lot easier to put a hand full of mini marshmallows in the cage . The low was 7 last night and the high 26 today.

What about making a sort of cubby around the cage ? Like concrete blocks along the sides ? Something like that ? It would keep the cage from being moved, and cover the wire so he can't reach in. The only way to the bait is to go in...

I really want to see how you get this one !

Sit there at night and call it in with a predator call and shoot it.

I have caught loads of coon in cages. I used to run a dozen for four months in farm yards. I would rather re set the cage and see what he does. I can catch him a dozen ways. But what would I learn? It is 21 degrees right now at 02:15. the wind is 20-30 mph. There is no way I am sitting out in that to shoot a coon. I would rather see what he does and go from there. It's not like it has to end tonight. He isn't going any where.

The trap was sprung and drug back five to six foot this morning. Pigeon is still in the cage. The cage has 1x1 wire on the front and 1/2/ x1 on the back in the bait area. I feel that smaller mesh is saving the bait.

Well you have a game going on . Too bad the ground is froze, one of those hand cuffs traps inserted in the ground and you'd have him waiting the next morning.

I wonder if some peanut butter or marshmallow included with the pigeon would up the motive to enter the trap... one of these times hes gonna get tired and just go in !

I am going to face the trap the other direction tonight. The door was west the first two nights, I will move it facing east. I am going to add another cage with small bait next. It is a game for me. I woke up at 0300 and wondered if I had made a catch. When I saw the cage moved I smiled. I have dog proofs, conibears and boxes and foot holds. It is fun to see how it reacts. It is not that I just want to catch it. If I would have that would have been fine, but that would not been near as much fun. A coon can not get in my coop unless it comes during the day. It has pole barn steel for a roof and siding. Plywood under the roof steel and 1x12 under the siding. So the chickens are safe. If I hear chicken squawking I am out the door with a shotgun.

Night three We had a skiff of snow last night and I had no new tracks in the yard other then squirrels. Maybe tonight they will move. I can smell the skunk if I get down wind of him. He is under a building.

Night four, some thing stole my pigeon. I am not sure if I had a chunk of ice under the trigger or what.
Night five I rebaited the trap that had the pigeon with a can of smoked oysters and had a boar coon this morning.

10/10x. Seafood trumps poultry.

Score ! Too bad there's no pic of the robber . I thought he'd get tired of being dainty and just go in .

Way to go

Stake the cage down with one re rod stake top to bottom

wire the bait to the back side...lead some mini marshmallows inside too.

I had a rancher a few miles from tell me yesterday. That he has had meat taken out of cage trap a couple time in the last week without tripping the trap. he had the meat wired in back of cage too. He did catch one though. Those buggers are pretty smart.

So in reading this thread it makes a trapper think.

Would a good mod on a cage trap be a larger "pan" extending farther back or forward in the cage? Wax the dog and pan hinge?

If possible I always secure the cage so it cannot be drug off or turned upside down/rolled. Rebar pounded in from top to bottom of cage or a screw going in at an angle at the corners if set on wood surface (boat dock).

I have also heard of trappers setting a 220 on the sides of the cage trap for those animals that want to skirt the outside of the trap and not go in. Wonder what a 220 would have done if set on the back of that trap when he was going after the pigeon?

Glad you got him.

I did not feel like staking the trap in froze ground. I didn't feel like digging out a pick ax to dig a hole to put the bait under the pan. I used a whole froze pigeon for bait because I shot it the day before with the pellet rifle. I feel small bait they have to feed on is much better then one large bait they can grab and go. Staking is a good idea. I also like a trail of mini mash mellows leading into the trap and if it has a wire covered pan, some down through it. They have to reach through the pan to get them. The trap I set happened to have a pan that set higher then what I like too. I like a pan that sets lower and flat. Not one that sticks up a a 45% angle. Our coon are large and it was a 30" long trap. To move the pan you would have to cut and weld. It is hinged on the door side. I would not want the pan further towards the door or the coon could still be part way outside when he set it off. After the coon drug the trap, it became a game. It was not like it was high priority to catch him. I set the cage every evening when I went out to lock up the chickens. From what I have seen trapping, often our own laziness keep us from being successful. If what you are doing is not working and they are working the set, you need to change something. I changed to a can of smoke oysters after the stole the pigeon.