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

We are having a particularly intense infestation of 'rockchucks' this summer. A rockchuck is a yellow-bellied red marmot, a close relative of that Phil character that is used to, um, predict the remaining winter in early February. While active, they decimate flowers and vegetables, so aren't desirable. We live very close to the edge of a National Forest, and while we recognize that we live in their territory, I'm more than happy to relocate the marauding garden terrorists back to those forests. Enter the live traps.

 

It took a few reads of the simple instructions to pick up all the nuances. The sheet is written for several related models, with different details for each. After those reads and some head scratching where hair used to grow, the actual setting up was fast and easy. I followed some internet advice, worth every penny I paid for it, as I selected a bait for our particular visitors. Nothing. Last evening at a neighborhood meeting, I found out that watermelon and cantaloupe rinds are favored here. We'll see how we do, hopefully better with the right bait.

 

The trap itself is easy to set up, and it's a size that should fit and hold our rockchucks. Perhaps as important, the size is just right to fit into a large garden-waste trash bag. That's essential before placing a scared animal in the back of the car for a ride back to a wilder place. Plus it will contain any excess pee and droppings that would otherwise end up in the car. It's a ten-minute drive or so to get them beyond any normal 'homing' range, no need to traumatize them unnecessarily.

 

Neighbors who use traps these speak highly of them. I will to after the right bait draws the several beasts who have been feasting on my flowers.

 

I'll update if the results are less than great.

 

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Update after a few successful weeks of use --

 

Thanks to watermelon rinds as bait, 'Rocky' and 'Chuck' have found new homesteads to enjoy, several miles from ours. Neither seemed particularly happy to be in the trap, although each did manage to consume all of the rinds during their visit time. They each thanked me for the food and the rides by chattering their teeth as I gathered them up for the vacation trip.

 

A large lawn-sized leaf bag is just the right size to put the trap in for the rides in the car. It took a little careful lifting and sliding to get the trap into the bag each time. I'll be honest that I tried to do it all gently, but it proved more challenge than I was ready to suffer. The traps went on-end on the folded-out bag, spilling the guest into the bottom end long enough to pull the bag over the trap. Once the bag was tucked closed, safe to put it into the car. Quiet back there with the bag clocking the view. This wasn't a sightseeing tour, apparently; they must have misread the travel brochure. After several miles of forest service road, a pile of rocks seemed the perfect spot for a new rockchuck nation to spring up. Open the door, and the little guys hotfooted it over to the rock formation. Then almost immediately turned tail and hauled butt across the road and off into the forest. After all the love and care I'd put into choosing a new home for them...

 

The bags got tossed and the traps were thoroughly cleaned with the hose and brush. Ready for the next varmint attack and invasion. Rockchucks apparently go somewhat dormant in later summer and fall. The traps will come back out when they decide to come help harvest our garden veggies and flowers again.

 

More: The traps are shipped pretty much ready to use. They don't fold for storage, so be ready for the storage space they will use up. The traps themselves are constructed from plated steel wire mesh and sheet metal parts, and easily resisted the teeth and claws of the rockchucks. Still, I'm not sure they will last if left in outside storage over long periods. I suspect the wire will rust at the weld points given sufficient time and exposure. That probably wouldn't affect function, but appearance would suffer.

 

Hope this helps!

Our cat had been missing for a week and we were getting desperate so we decided to follow someone's advice and purchase 2 humane animal traps. We already had 3 motion sensor security cameras on our house so we changed the angles to point directly at the traps. This is a step you should seriously consider adding to the process because it alerts you immediately that you've trapped an animal and then you can release them and reset the traps much more quickly.

 

We struggled a bit setting them up but they ended up working, almost too well - we caught about 10 different cats, several possums, and three big racoons. Large racoons are very strong - one of them managed to tip the cage over before we could release it - and they're terrifying when they're panicking, so be careful.

 

None of the animals we caught and released were hurt so the traps are safe. They're large enough for cats, dogs, and similarly sized wildlife. Cleaning them by spraying them down with a water hose was easy.

 

As far as bait goes, we alternated between tuna, sardines, cat food, and kitten food, and the can of sardines is what finally did the trick. We got our beloved kitty back home safely. It took a lot of effort and even more patience but it was completely worth it.

Our cat had been missing for a week and we were getting desperate so we decided to follow someone's advice and purchase 2 humane animal traps. We already had 3 motion sensor security cameras on our house so we changed the angles to point directly at the traps. This is a step you should seriously consider adding to the process because it alerts you immediately that you've trapped an animal and then you can release them and reset the traps much more quickly.

 

We struggled a bit setting them up but they ended up working, almost too well - we caught about 10 different cats, several possums, and three big racoons. Large racoons are very strong - one of them managed to tip the cage over before we could release it - and they're terrifying when they're panicking, so be careful.

 

None of the animals we caught and released were hurt so the traps are safe. They're large enough for cats, dogs, and similarly sized wildlife. Cleaning them by spraying them down with a water hose was easy.

 

As far as bait goes, we alternated between tuna, sardines, cat food, and kitten food, and the can of sardines is what finally did the trick. We got our beloved kitty back home safely. It took a lot of effort and even more patience but it was completely worth it.

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.

This is a good solid trap. Whatever you do, don't buy a cheap bargain trap. I caught the woodchuck that has been destroying my plants and living under my porch for quite some time. I didn't realize just how large and heavy he was. I am a 76-year-old grandma, and I have never done this before. It took me about 3 days but when I went to rebait the trap yesterday morning, there he was. When i picked up the trap horizontally, he started to poke his face out the door. I lifted it vertically and stood it on end. He did try to climb back up but when back down. I ran to the garage and found some metal rods that I inserted under the trap door just to make sure he couldn't escape. Let me tell you, my heart was pounding. I pulled my car up to my front walk and loaded him in the back of my SUV. I could see the top of the cage the who time I was driving and he did not try to climb up but just sat in the bottom of the cage. I live in Tennessee and drove about 4 miles to a nice, wooded area near a creek and no other houses. No problem lifting the cage out, layed the trap horizontal, released the rods and opened the trap door and off he went. Unless he can cross I-81, he won't be back. I don't know if all woodchucks are this docile, but I couldn't image transporting an animal that might put up a fight like a racoon. I'm still going to reinforce everything with zip ties and get some small pvc rods to secure the trap door just in case. I'll be prepared for the next unwanted visitor. I'll also offer it to my neighbors if they'd like to borrow it.

This thing is awesome. I set it up and it caught the damn groundhog that’s been tearing up our garden just hours later. Big one too and it couldn’t get out. Wish I bought it earlier

Good product, but wire not as thick as older so trap not as heavy as older Havahart trips. A raccoon would probably bend it. Does great for squirrels!!

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

Worked great, comes fully assembled, very easy set up. We had a problem with groundhogs in the yard and garden and this trap worked perfectly. We set it up the night it came and used cantaloupe as bait and had a gotten a groundhog within an hour.

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!

My review is of the service after the sale I got from the company.

Five stars for sure, I bought this large trap for a Ground hog problem we have.

The third hog was a monster & mad as a beaver it bent the door, yep bent it bad.

The trap will not set anymore so I called the company.

They are sending me a brand new trap. WOW!!!

A raccoon was marauding thru every style of cat door we bought, and I didn't want to shoot it. We decided on a humane trap. Next step, choose one. I'd decided based on price until my brother mentioned Havahart, that he'd used to trap chipmunks. I still resisted paying Havahart's price, which was reasonable except, when 3 companies offer you what looks like the same item for 1/3 or 1/2 the Havahart price, why not save the 20 or 40 bucks? Well, I started looking at user reviews on all the competing brands. The cheap models had a % stating the trapee destroyed the trap and escaped. Nobody said this of the Havahart and I realized the cheaper wire would be factor: that f*ing raccoon had gotten big and strong on our cat food! I craftily positioned the Havahart inside the cat door and braced it with unused stuff to ensure it wouldn't fight its way out. I don't know why he took a week, even baited with apple slice and peanut butter toast, but finally there he was. A considerable amount of its blood was on the cage and the bracing items; he'd obviously attacked the cage and the bracing items he could reach. The wounds seemed minor and after he resigned himself to being trapped he didn't fight it anymore. We had to wait a day (I even gave him lunch, a slice of bread) until we could release him at dusk in a spot by a lake (stocked with rainbow trout if he is so bold) and not too close to residential areas. The amount of blood we lost to lakeside mosquitoes (hadn't thought February in San Francisco was skeeter season; by the lake, it was!) was at least equal to its own loss. The dried blood on the cage easily washed off after setting him loose. The trap's spring mechanism was easy to set (warning, easy to trigger!) and easy to open when it came time to release him onto his lakeside estate. Having gotten resigned to his cage, it took a little "rattling his cage" to persuade him to exit. He scooted into the bushes; wife and I got into the car and escaped both skeeters and any park rangers that might be patrolling. Given the amount of disarranging he caused to the bracing materials when inside the cage, I'd say it was a serious factor justifying the extra $30 or so of Havahart over the cages built from thinner gauge wire. (I could have used spare flagstones but inside/nearby stuff was expedient.) So: if you have a pest the size of a medium-sized raccoon in his prime, you definitely ought to favor Havahart. (Coda: it easily fits between the studs in our garage, protruding just a bit, so storage was not a problem.) I'd provide a photo of the masked thief in the Havahart, but everyone knows what a raccoon looks like. I would recommend thick work gloves for the release portion. (Our guy was subdued on his release but he did have impressive teeth. He flashed them trying to impress me when I first found him, but I counter-hissed louder, establishing me as his alpha and he was humble thereafter. Yours, maybe not.) PS its first victory was our elder male cat; our others are smarter. (He was also not hurt.)

We are having a particularly intense infestation of 'rockchucks' this summer. A rockchuck is a yellow-bellied red marmot, a close relative of that Phil character that is used to, um, predict the remaining winter in early February. While active, they decimate flowers and vegetables, so aren't desirable. We live very close to the edge of a National Forest, and while we recognize that we live in their territory, I'm more than happy to relocate the marauding garden terrorists back to those forests. Enter the live traps.

It took a few reads of the simple instructions to pick up all the nuances. The sheet is written for several related models, with different details for each. After those reads and some head scratching where hair used to grow, the actual setting up was fast and easy. I followed some internet advice, worth every penny I paid for it, as I selected a bait for our particular visitors. Nothing. Last evening at a neighborhood meeting, I found out that watermelon and cantaloupe rinds are favored here. We'll see how we do, hopefully better with the right bait.

The trap itself is easy to set up, and it's a size that should fit and hold our rockchucks. Perhaps as important, the size is just right to fit into a large garden-waste trash bag. That's essential before placing a scared animal in the back of the car for a ride back to a wilder place. Plus it will contain any excess pee and droppings that would otherwise end up in the car. It's a ten-minute drive or so to get them beyond any normal 'homing' range, no need to traumatize them unnecessarily.

Neighbors who use traps these speak highly of them. I will to after the right bait draws the several beasts who have been feasting on my flowers.

I'll update if the results are less than great.

----

Update after a few successful weeks of use --

Thanks to watermelon rinds as bait, 'Rocky' and 'Chuck' have found new homesteads to enjoy, several miles from ours. Neither seemed particularly happy to be in the trap, although each did manage to consume all of the rinds during their visit time. They each thanked me for the food and the rides by chattering their teeth as I gathered them up for the vacation trip.

A large lawn-sized leaf bag is just the right size to put the trap in for the rides in the car. It took a little careful lifting and sliding to get the trap into the bag each time. I'll be honest that I tried to do it all gently, but it proved more challenge than I was ready to suffer. The traps went on-end on the folded-out bag, spilling the guest into the bottom end long enough to pull the bag over the trap. Once the bag was tucked closed, safe to put it into the car. Quiet back there with the bag clocking the view. This wasn't a sightseeing tour, apparently; they must have misread the travel brochure. After several miles of forest service road, a pile of rocks seemed the perfect spot for a new rockchuck nation to spring up. Open the door, and the little guys hotfooted it over to the rock formation. Then almost immediately turned tail and hauled butt across the road and off into the forest. After all the love and care I'd put into choosing a new home for them...

The bags got tossed and the traps were thoroughly cleaned with the hose and brush. Ready for the next varmint attack and invasion. Rockchucks apparently go somewhat dormant in later summer and fall. The traps will come back out when they decide to come help harvest our garden veggies and flowers again.

More: The traps are shipped pretty much ready to use. They don't fold for storage, so be ready for the storage space they will use up. The traps themselves are constructed from plated steel wire mesh and sheet metal parts, and easily resisted the teeth and claws of the rockchucks. Still, I'm not sure they will last if left in outside storage over long periods. I suspect the wire will rust at the weld points given sufficient time and exposure. That probably wouldn't affect function, but appearance would suffer.

Hope this helps!

This humane animal trap solved my 2-year, increasingly annoying problem with cats invading my yard and leaving "little messages." This came to a head when they started clawing and shredding my mosquito netting covering a swing a couple months back, including spraying scent all over the cushions of the swing!

I had tried many remedies of pepper and other spices to no avail. I even invested in a gas-powered BB pistol and a sling shot, which neither had any effect because the cats were too fast and alert. It seemed as I tried more things, the problems only increased. The county animal control was contacted on 8 occasions to take care of this issue and nothing ever came of those complaints.

I finally decided to spend the money and get a humane trap. This one seemed to be of solid construction and would endure the weather. There were less-expensive traps available, but I figured this might be better to encompass larger pests if needed.

Within 3 days, six cats were captured, one at a time. County pest control was getting a bit put out that I kept calling them to come by and pick up these cats, but that's their job. I told them if they reviewed their records, they would find all the times I had called them about the problem which they did nothing to resolve.

I think I finally got rid of all the cats, because last night the trap remained empty. I had baited the trap with an empty, unwashed can of spam which had a very strong smell that had successfully lured the cats into their captivity. I knew the places the cats were entering my yard and placed the cage near those points of entry.

The cats I had captured were hissing, scratching, and biting, attempting to get at my hand. Fortunately, the handle is protected by a metal plate which kept their claws and teeth away from my hand. A couple of the cats had sprayed the cage; however, cleaning the cage was a breeze with just a garden hose.

The trap door mechanism has a simple gravity latch against a pivoting bar mounted into the door which prevents the captured animal from getting out by ramming against the door. Each of the cats definitely gave that a try, but the door held firm every time.

To open the door, you simply lift the latch holding the bar in position and lift the door mechanism. The door is held in the "open" position with an angled metal arm used as a "hook." The hook is attached to a plate used as a trigger for the door to fall when the animal puts any weight on the plate. As the door falls, the metal bar is locked in place by the latch against the bar so the animals can't get out until you left them out.

Using an unwashed can from tuna or spam is my best recommendation for cat bait since the odor is strong and attracted the cats during both the day and night. You would have to research to see what food would bait other animals.

If you're having the same issues with any pests (cats, dogs, squirrels, raccoons, etc.), I would highly recommend getting this cage. With few working parts and 100% metal construction, it appears this cage will last for years to come. I wish I would have tried this from the start!

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.