DPs in the city?

I was just wandering if anyone has any experience in setting DPs for problem coon in cities. I mostly want to know is it a Bad Idea? And if it is an option for ADC work?

Only if neighbors can’t see em trapped.
One AR would love to call the law or ASPCA and local AR’s to complicate things.
For coon or opossum in attics in hoods I like bucket sets in the attic.
Tote em out in a burlap sack lined with newspaper to absorb any fluids.
Cages MUST be chained to trees.
Plus this is why your contracts MUST have th clause bout “customer will be charged for damaged or stolen traps”

Forgot to mention a cage trap on th roof MUST have plywood underneath or they will shred the shingles.

Thanks for the information.

Cable slides to get catches out of sight.

Thanks that never even crossed my mind. Do yall just use a sweet bait to avoid cats? I have never caught a cat in a DP but I have heard you can.

Even if completely legal, you and your customer would not like the potential public relations nightmare of using dog proof traps in the city.

Yes a sweet bait will help prevent catching cats. Fur King is great on the lip of the DP not down inside. Another big help to prevent catching cats is to use a cap on the dp.

Fur King is great in cage traps along with 2 other baits.

I use only dog proof traps that have a pull only trigger to prevent many undesirable situations. PCS Featherlight is the best dog proof trap and I use them on my raccoon roundups to help hen turkeys have better nesting success.

Go with good quality cage traps to catch quick, and finish, and get out. Paint the cage black which somewhat helps to hide it. If possible, hide that trapto minimize problems. For example, if possible place the trap parallel to a house or building wall and then use 1/3 of a sheet of 1/4” plywood or paneling leaned against the wall with a couple stakes at the outside bottom edge of the plywood.

Stake cage traps to prevent kids from taking them. If the mesh is too small clip out a wire top and bottom to push through a T stake.

Best wishes.

While the idea of dog proofs is great for fur trapping ( If fur would be worth anything ) I have not run into a situation so far, where I wished I had a DP for ADC work. They are dangerous for kids and pets, harmful to lawns, harder to set up and harder to remove catches from. We have never caught a dog in a cage set for raccoon either and we remove a lot of raccoons!

Thanks for all the input.. I guess its safe to say that the majority of you all would rather use a cage for coons when working close to people and domestics. But on the rare occasion there may be a place for a DP on the ADC line.

You asked a question.
You received many answers from experts that were nearly all the same.
Then you draw a conclusion that is contrary to the answers.
So next time don’t ask for advice just do whatever.

If legal, the only time I'd even consider using a DP in the city is if it is concealed from prying eyes and somewhere that you have a 24/7 watch on the trap and can get to the trap immediately once an animal is caught.

Some raccoons will make a racket when caught in a DP. Some will growl and snarl, some young ones call in distress. This will attract the attention of the neighbours.

It wasn't a trapped animal, but by some freak accident, a young raccoon got caught in my neighbour's hog-wire fence during the night this summer and it was crying for hours. I went to check on it early, but didn't want to intervene because I could hear mom snarling, but couldn't see her. It was 5AM by the time it was light enough to do anything, and when I went into the backyard, there were two strangers standing there who had climbed a 6 foot fence checking out the situation--they thought some raccoons were killing a cat. Anyway, we got the kit free, everyone went back to bed and the moral of the story is if you use a DP in the city where you aren't around to deal with it right away and you trap a noisy raccoon, you will, eventually, have an audience on your hands. And good luck with that.

I have caught a cat in a DP. It didn't pull the trigger, but fired it from the outside--it must have bumped part of the trigger. If a neighbour sees their pet in a DP, they won't be happy.

I'm not nearly as experienced as others on this board, but if I was in ADC work, I'd pay attention to the advice given by the faithful here.

I dont understand your response. I do appreciate the advice I have received. Maybe I miss interpreted your response as well as others. For the record I do not have a raccoon job that I am asking about. I am simply gathering tools for potential future jobs. I already own a few DP traps so I dont see the need for buying any more. I am planning to buy some quality cage traps for city raccoons. From the responses in this thread am I wrong to assume most of you have used a dp in an ADC (CITY) situation? I also dont plan on causing any damage to the ADC or Fur Trapping industry which is why I asked for advise on here to begin with. Sorry if I offended anyone I will keep my dumb questions to myself in the future.

The problem with sliding it outa sight is NOW ya have to dispatch in a town or put coon in a transfer cage to dispatch outa town.
Also,
There are no dumb questions in life. You’re seeking education from others with more experience. Which is a smart thing to do. It’s how ya shorten your learning curve!

Don’t let willy run ya off.

Do ya have a local mentor?

Nothing wrong with asking questions.
A dp has many drawbacks in urban use, trap circle where grass is ripped up by coon while he waits for you, people seeing an animal in a leg hold trap and there reaction, ending up as a star on the internet or local news, remember everyone carries a camera now days.
There are always those who take a chance and set a type of trap or a snare in a place or location most would not, don't be that person. Learn to be a good cage trapper with your ADC business it will serve you well.
Leave the fur trapping traps for rural ADC work.
The exception To this would be coyote work, I think most is still done with foothold traps, but you need to learn from someone who does this often so you learn the pitfalls and the correct way to handle people response. Not many that can catch coyote in a cage trap consistently that I have heard of.

Thanks for your input. No I have no local mentor but there are local operators around that I have been paying attention to for a while. I have just been reading books and watching dvds and listening to podcast. I have been trapping for a little more than 8 years so I guess naturally with the fur market the way it is and a ton of word of mouth calls that I get and have been turning down for years has made me decide to start a part time ADC line. I am just trying to educate myself on anything I might see before I see it. Thanks again for your response and the dispatch issue is definitely one I have to study before I set any traps.

have ya sought a mentor?............are you attending your state convention in a couple weeks? Lotsa brains to pick and guys to meet!

Here’s what helped me shorten my learning curve by decades. Join your state trapping assn, Google it. ANd contact officers off their site and ask for a mentor to ride along and meet with. MANY states have their own forums. Like here in NC. And TN has 2 and Va has 2 also and KY too. A mentor helps Learn trap prep and techniques and tricks and the laws in YOUR state regarding jaw spreads, shock springs, etc, etc. Laws vary a lot from state to state so BEWARE of FB and utube. You can be shown things that are illegal in your state!.
This gets you in the info loop of FREE trappers ed classes and meets and fur sales/pick ups, and conventions. Then attend ALL YOU CAN, this shows folks you are serious and will be a good student. It sure helped open many doors for me and it could for you as well. ALSO, get several different trapping supply catalogs, like MTP, Dakotaline, Sterling Fur, FandT, PCS, Flemings, Northern Outdoors, Trap Shack, Schmitt enterprises, Southeastern outdoor supplies, JR & Sons, Grawes, rpoutdoors, etc etc, THEN circle gear you need, and give the catalogs to loved ones to buy your Birthday and Christmas and July 4 and Easter and Anniversary gifts. Explain to them, you want their money to go towards what you will use and need, as opposed to another sweater hanging in your closet. WORKS GREAT in our family.

Yes I agree. I never have been to my own states convention which is kinda backwards because I have been to Tennessee's state convention and the south eastern national convention several times because it was closer. I have learned a ton on here over the years just by searching the archives and now im just trying to piece together what can be used for ADC that I have built a lot of confidence with fur trapping. As well as learn new tactics and equipment to employ. Thanks again to all the advice above.

Questions are welcome and many guys with decades of experience and success offer answers here. We all have questions about situations. In the old days, it was rare that a tight-lipped trapper would share helpful advice. This website encourages the sharing of advice.

I use dog proof traps in agricultural and rural settings. For raccoon removal jobs for farmers and for people who own large tracts of land land where the raccoons are preying upon nesting turkey hens and their eggs. Farmers can have serious economic loss caused by raccoons. No, I have not used dog proof traps in an ADC job. That is not the right setting because of potential problems that can become huge as stated above. Plus there are better options.

ADC work sometimes requires creative thinking. There can be multiple options, but always an important consideration is keeping everything low key to the general public and even to your own customer. If a problem ever develops on a job, it can involve the customer. Many customers do not want anyone to know that they hired a trapper. Discretion can be one of the best tools available to an ADC trapper.

So you don't recomend your vehicle to be an advertiser.

That is correct, no advertising on my truck.
In my business that is good. For others truck advertising may be great.