Raccoon Bait types

Raccoon bait types used in urban environments to capture raccoons that are causing different types of problems such as raccoons in my house, Bait is used specifically in situations when trying to capture a raccoon in a cage trap. This is often done in city environments or in locations where many homes are present. Bait types for raccoons varies from section of the country, the Midwest has a different type of bait use than the west coast and vice versa. The raccoons will usually be most attracted to the type of bait that is most common in the area in which they live, For example, a raccoon that lives in The upper California valley will most likely not eat a persimmon based bait, where as the raccoons in California will usually eat something more oak or nutty flavored.

Why will the raccoons not eat my bait?

Many people will buy a generic type of bait and a trap from one of the big box stores in a attempt to catch a raccoon. Many times this attempt will fail because of the bait that has been bought with the trap. Often times the bait does not match the food the raccoon is eating or is totally foreign to the raccoons all together. This is where a curiosity lure will come into play. Raccoons are curious creatures by nature, therefore they will explore anything that seems unnatural to them. Extracts such as almond extract or banana extract will serve as a curiosity lure. This is totally a smell thing, they will not eat this lure, so you should only use it as a liquid. Place several small drops in the back of the trap and there you have it.

Match the food source

The most successful raccoon trappers will match the food source in which the raccoons are used to eating, I have seen situations where a empty French fry package will work better than the most well placed lure. It’s all about what the raccoon is accustomed to eating.
In nature the raccoons will eat many different types of foods, Crawfish, Small fish, Lizards, Bird eggs, and frogs are all natural food sources. So you must examine what you can duplicate. You can duplicate fish by buying a substance called fish oil and using it for bait, you can duplicate bird eggs by using eggs from the grocery store. The ways to use a raccoons natural food source to your advantage is often numerous and often it means the difference between success and failure. The trapper that can best mimic the natural food selection of the intended target will be the most successful at capturing the animal.

Think ahead before you trap

You should always think ahead before you trap a raccoon, you should always think about what you are going to do with the animal should you catch it. You should also know the laws about what you are allowed to do with a animal if you are fortunate enough to catch it. Many states laws say it is illegal to relocate a raccoon, because the possibilities of rabies and their transfer. If you violate these laws the penalties can be rather stiff. We recommend that you use a wildlife removal expert to handle any wildlife trapping you should have, they know all the laws and have all the correct equipment to handles most any situation.