Heavy Duty Humane Raccoon Trap – Large Live Animal Cage Trap for Safe Raccoon Removal

This is a well-constructed, easy-to-use trap by HAVAHART. Some reviews complain about the length as it relates to one's ability to place the bait. This is easily solved by placing your bait on a small dish (I used wet cat food, one small carrot and a pear, cut in half for my bait) then tilting the trap so that the dish moves to the end of the trap. (See photo, it's where the raccoon's head is).

 

I placed my trap where I knew the raccoon(s) were getting into my neighbor's trees. He has tried various methods to keep the raccoons away, from his pear trees for a couple of years now, with little success.

 

My luck was great, I caught either THE or A raccoon the first night. I'll try setting a trap again tonight in case there is more than one.

 

My captive was quite docile, but I still took the precaution of wearing thick gloves. I covered the trap with a couple of towels to reduce its stress while transporting then placed the trap on the ground and opened it. My raccoon didn't want to go, at first, but I tipped the trap slightly and, once he turned around and saw the woods, he high-tailed it out of there.

 

I'm very, very satisfied with my purchase. Not sure I'll ever need it, again, but it sure fit the bill for this project.

 

11 days and four raccoons caught and relocated. I suspect that the bad reviews are from people who simply do not know how to properly use the trap, as the mechanism is exceedingly simple. Read the instructions, practice setting and engaging the trap BEFORE you attempt to catch a critter and you’ll be fine.

 

For bait I’ve used carrots, grapes, pears, peanut butter and wet cat food.

Excellent product; very pleased customer. Caught 2 troublesome raccoons first night I set up. 1 40lbs, the other 50 lbs. so this is a very strong trap.

Some important advice. I watched the catch as it occurred. The raccoons were suspicious and tried to tip it over to set off the trap and get the food. I intervened and placed a cast iron deck chair on top of the trap so they could not tip it over and keep it in the upright position. This worked well. (A 25 lbs weight plate or dumbbell would work too.).

I baited with dry cat food—they love it! A little at the door, a little more inside, and even more at the trip plate. Be sure to put a little on the trip plate to help them trigger it.

They were calm after the catch, but I waited a few minutes for them to calm down just the same. The towel cover for transport really helps keep them calm, but still be very careful to avoid getting bitten. I recommend relocating 10-15 miles away, as my neighbor only did 5-7, and his returned a few days later. -EA

This little guy kept getting into my roof. I was able to evict him and transfer him safely to a new home in the woods. I put some sticks through the bars to keep him in the back while I opened the door cause I was a chicken. Worked perfectly!

FYI Instructions were horrible but it wasn't hard to figure out

Great trap! It worked as described. I have a few raccoons showing up at night in my backyard and caught a big one the first night. Just be aware that the coon may dig a lot over night and tear the ground/grass up around it. I learned this last night lol. Luckily I had the trap in a spot where the grass wasn’t very nice or thick (not yet). The coon can reach through the wire several inches. I may try putting the trap on some plywood to prevent this as long as it doesn’t spook them. I also recommend putting something heavy on top as these critters have some weight to them and may turn the cage over or move it around some with the digging. A+ however for the trap!

Don't rely on early Amazon customer reviews of this product. It has been "redesigned" (according to customer service) which I understand to mean "cheapened", and rendered more dangerous to release an animal than it was to begin with. The trap you receive is as pictured in the first of the manufacturer's images, but NOT as pictured in their last image which shows a live raccoon in the cage. When mine arrived, I realized an essential part was missing and, rather than return it immediately to Amazon, I called Havahart customer service to see whether they could just send me the missing part. They answered promptly and were courteous and helpful, and told me I wasn't missing a part, rather the part was "redesigned" out of the product, so they had no part to send me. The owner's manual that accompanies the current redesigned Model is for a former model which no longer exists, but bears the same model number. So, the owner's manual you receive does not describe the product you receive.The missing "redesigned" part (see photo of instruction manual) is #2 and #4, the "Door Loop" and "Door Lock Frame". You would use this part to grip and lift the door while simultaneously pushing back the door locking bale when trying to release the captured animal. It formerly served the function of guarding your fingers while raising the door, which was at best a two-handed operation. Without this part, releasing a frightened, pissed animal is now a complicated three-handed operation that keeps your hands dangerously close to the opening door.The manual says to put a "stick" (not provided) sideways under the door, through one side of the cage and out the other side, to hold the door open while the animal escapes. If you need three hands to simultaneously (1) lift the top latch, (2) push back the spring loaded locking lock and (3) lift the door, where do you get the fourth hand to simultaneously push a "stick" through the cage to hold the door open while you move far enough away to not get bitten?There is no provision in the current model equivalent to the missing "loop" and "door lock frame" to grab and lift the door, so you have to put your fingers UNDER the door to lift the door, directly into the animal's path of escape, increasing your chance of being bitten. It's obvious that no design consideration was given to owner safety while releasing the animal. The "redesign", if anything, exacerbated what was already a questionable safety issue for the purchaser.Look at the first "customer image" in the online Amazon reviews. It shows the destruction done by a raccoon to the door that then still included the sheetmetal loop/lock that is now "redesigned" out of the new model. If a raccoon (then) could damage the reinforced door of the former Model 1079, the same animal now could devastate the door of the new Model 1079 that lacks the sheetmetal reinforcement.I've owned four (4) Havahart traps in the last 30 years, and I gave 5-star reviews to three of them. Two stars for the current Model 1079 would be to over-rate it, and to ignore the dangerously cheapened redesign. This model reeks of cheap construction all around, and appears inadequate to contain an aggressive animal determined to escape. The owner's manual suggests you can use this trap to capture a "bobcat". Really? A large raccoon will damage it. Two raccoons working together could open the trap by simply pulling the locking bale out of the containment sleeves. The missing part formerly prevented this, but in the absence of that part, a second raccoon wouldn't need many smarts to release his buddy.If you have basic mechanical skills, some tools, sheetmetal and heavy wire, you can redesign the "redesign" to partly overcome the animal release safety concerns. You need a 1/2" dowel or 1/2" x 1/2" stick to hold the top lock open while you hook a piece of metal coat hanger through a hole in the door. This keeps your fingers out of the animal's path while lifting the door with one hand and pushing back the spring-loaded locking bale with the other. The same coat hanger wire can be made to hook the door up (avoiding the "stick") while you get your hands away as the trapped animal escapes. This fix won't reinforce the light sheetmetal door however. A big raccoon can still twist the door out of shape as it did in the first customer image. You could reinforce the door with an additional piece of sheetmetal or plywood, but why should the customer have to do this at all?It doesn't matter how well a live trap can catch an animal if it can't safely release it. I would not recommend the redesigned Model 1079.