Raccoon Trapping Lesson : Go To the Raccoons
Do-it-yourselfers…are you ready for a little nuisance raccoon trapping advice?
If you follow along with the concepts of this post and have the necessary equipment, taking care of your attic or soffit dwelling raccoon problem is realistic.
Here’s the situation: You’ve heard what you believe are raccoons in your attic and go to investigate.
Where two roofs are tied together, you find a hole. It seems raccoons have found a weak spot from probable water damage and have exploited it.
After a few noisy nights, you’ve come to realize that your new neighbors are pretty obnoxious and like to keep different hours than you. They have to go.
How Would You Get Rid of These Raccoons?
If you said, “By using some cage traps”, you’re on the right path. However, there’s a little more to it than that.
And while there are surely different approaches, we’ll share how we solved the problem and explain our approach. We believe you’ll be successful if you apply the take home points to your situation.
Trap Location
So you’ve acquired some raccoon traps and baited them with a sweet bait like marshmallows, where will you put the traps?
Some raccoon trappers would place the traps on the ground close to spots where the raccoons are believed to be accessing the roof. The raccoons could be accessing the roof by climbing a tree, a downspout, a fence, or something similar. A trap at the base of a these climbing spots does work.
Those who choose this route avoid climbing ladders, working on roofs, and getting caged raccoons off of roofs. You’ll probably want to start this way.
The trade-off for a ground location for your trap is that you’re never quite certain that you’ve caught the actual offenders. Spots are also more difficult to pinpoint when it seems there is more than one roof access (requires traps at multiple locations). In the end, you have to maintain the traps and keep trapping until you stop hearing the noise. This could take a while and has a feeling of randomness to it. All the while, remember there’s a hole in your roof.
Another stumbling block you may encounter could be a trap shy raccoon that just walks on by your offering because of other nearby food sources or experience with traps.
Locating Traps on Roof: The option we chose for trap placement in this situation is on the roof right by the entrance hole. The title of this blog is “Go to the Raccoons” and this picture of a double catch outside the hole entrance illustrates this point well.
By placing traps on the roof by the entrance we are almost assured that our baits will tempt the offenders immediately and often. These traps are in direct contact with the travel path of the offenders; there is no randomness to it at all. These captured raccoons knew about that hole and we’re either coming out of it or going in it.
If you choose this option, please note that the traps are secured to plywood to prevent shingle damage from scratching or soiling. Additionally, the plywood bases are screwed to the roof under the shingles to prevent rolling off the roof. (And don’t forget sealing the screw holes with an appropriate adhesive once the job is done.)
Going to the Raccoons: The Next Step
Thus far, we’ve employed standardly baited raccoon traps on the roof instead of the ground to focus our catch on an absolute travel path and get the offenders quickly.
But, with baited cage traps, there is always the possibility of a raccoon by-passing the trap for a multitude of reasons.
This would be evidenced by you having caught some raccoons but still hearing noise in your attic, soffit, or walls. Or, you placed a cover of something like wax paper over the hole to monitor movement in and out and the wax paper is still getting removed.
At this point, we suggest the gold standard of going to the raccoon which is to place a non-baited trap directly in the travel path. In trapping lingo this is referred to as a “positive set” and takes nearly all of the guess work out of raccoon removal.
Here is the same roof with the third and last raccoon. It was caught in a “positive set” with a double door trap.
The trap was placed right on top of the entrance hole so that the only way in or out of the hole was to travel through the trap. With both doors up, this raccoon poked its head out of the hole and saw a clear travel path. As it followed this path, it brushed the wire trigger mechanism hanging between the two doors. Brushing the trigger fired the spring loaded doors.
Unlike a baited trap which a raccoon must choose to go into, there is no choice here.
After removing this raccoon, the same system can be employed to make sure no other raccoons are coming or going.
Take caution employing this system if there is a strong suspicion there is more than one animal present. This is why we didn’t start this way. Blocking the one and only exit with others still inside could force the raccoons trapped inside to look for, or make for themselves, alternate exits. That would only bring more headache for you.
Do It Yourself Raccoon Removal Requirements
Hopefully, you’ve found something of value in this post for your do it yourself raccoon removal and are ready to start.
First and foremost, be extremely cautious when working on roofs and ladders!
Second, acquire good, quality raccoon traps. Without mentioning brands, we’ll simply state that you usually get what you pay for. Quality traps will be the biggest expense (assuming you own a ladder) for you if you choose to do the job yourself.
Beyond that you’ll need to consider what you’ll do with the raccoons you catch and how to properly repair the damaged area the raccoons have been accessing.
Know your state and local laws in regards to raccoon removal. In Ohio, where we are located, any captured raccoons can either be released alive on the property where they were captured (not practical in this scenario) or euthanized. What is your plan in this regard?
Plan the repair before the removal begins. Nobody wants a hole in their roof! As soon as the raccoons have been assuredly removed, you’ll want to get the roof fixed right to keep rain and raccoons out.
Once you’ve acquired the necessary tools and have a plan for repair, there’s nothing to it but to do it.
If this post has left you feeling like the job is a little too specialized, by all means find a professional in your area. A professional nuisance animal removal company should be able to efficiently remove the raccoons and make the repair in fairly short order.
If you have a problem with raccoons and need raccoon removal in the Akron / Canton / Kent, OH area call us at Frontline Animal Removal.
We’ll traps the raccoons giving you fits and make a quality, guaranteed repair.
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