I bought a box trap at the flea market yesterday. This is my first year with a vegetable garden, and the groundhogs and cottontails have been munching my peas. I have been shooing them as I see them, but a trap keeps hunting when I'm at work.

What bait for groundhogs? Two people told me to try apples, so I bought an apple to try. What else works, preferably something in season now?

My sweet corn is looking good, and I know the raccoons are waiting for it to be ripe. Besides Tuna or sardines, any good raccoon bait?


Can I shoot groundhogs or raccoons in the trap without worrying about the blood smell ruining the trap? Should I drown them instead?

Thanks

I don't know about groundhogs but raccoons I use use this when trapping them. about 2oz of peanut butter few tea spoons of honey and a couple of drops of anise oil.

raccoons just love it. Just put a teaspoon of it in the trap and I'll think you well have luck

might be worth a look-

http://www.gemplers.com/search/baits

they sell a groundhog lure, too. I didn't see it listed at the website, but have seen it in their catalog.

quote:

Originally posted by tin can:
might be worth a look-

http://www.gemplers.com/search/baits

they sell a groundhog lure, too. I didn't see it listed at the website, but have seen it in their catalog.

It's there, they just call it woodchuck bait.

I use marshmallows. Both groundhogs and raccoons like them.

I used to trap coon a lot back in the mid 80s when pelts were worth a little more and I was young and needed cash. Used a lot of live traps and always had good luck with smelt, that was in the winter when pelts were prime. I always shot mine in the trap in the head using a 22 short, never had problems with animals avoiding the traps afterward.

Don't know about groundhogs but I have caught dozens of raccoons on white bread and grape jelly.
Good luck
Doug

Thanks for the ideas, keep them coming.

Day one was fruitless for the trap, but I did shoot one groundhog near the trap. (The load was a 40 grain Vmax and H335 from a 222 Savage 340.)

I think peanut butter is the universal bait. Everything loves it.

quote:

Originally posted by tred1956:
Don't know about groundhogs but I have caught dozens of raccoons on white bread and grape jelly.
Good luck
Doug

Hmmmmm grape jelly, you would get me to come to that trap!

For Raccoons.
A Sardine works too, placed UNDER the trap at the trap's bait location.

Don

quote:

Originally posted by DMB:
For Raccoons.
A Sardine works too, placed UNDER the trap at the trap's bait location.

Don

Are you saying to put the sardine under the box trap, or do you mean a leghold trap? I have a few 1 1/2 coil springs, but I don't want to catch my cat.

2 days with apple slices and no groundhog. tomorrow I will try PBJ sandwiches. I might catch me.

I'm also happy to report that my garden has now produced 6 peas!

quote:

It's there, they just call it woodchuck bait.

up north they're woodchucks, down south, they call them groundhogs- I travel both, and got stuck in the south

quote:

I use marshmallows. Both groundhogs and raccoons like them.

I had a pet raccoon when I was a boy, and I can attest to that.