# Best Bait's for: Raccoons, Foxes, Skunks, and Coyotes



## #1DEER 1-I

For my foot traps remains (feathers and guts) from the game I shoot works fine but it just gets too messy in my live traps but I need a non-messy alternative for the live traps. What works best for skunks, raccoons, foxes, and/or coyotes? Do certain things attract some of them better but some less. I am more aiming towards raccoons, coyotes, and foxes but if a skunk gets trapped I'll take care of it to. Just wondering what works best on each of them individually or all of them. Also do the small hand held electronic rabbit wining calls work well for coyotes?


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## HighNDry

Racoons and skunk will come in for a variety of treats. Canned fish seems to work well if you can keep the kitties out. You'll have a difficult time getting fox and coyote in a live trap. Electronic calls will work for fox and coyote, but I have had better luck with mouth-blown calls myself. If I can ask...why are you trying to catch them live?


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## katorade

What I use is mutilated pigeon If i were u just put a paper sack or something under the bait.
Best bait I use.


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## Loke

Fried chicken and watermelon for the coo... Oh, you said RACcoons. Marshmallows and chocolate. Eggs for the skunks. Canned cat food for the foxes.


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## #1DEER 1-I

Eggs have always worked when they have been in and around my house, I caught about ten and haven't smelled a skunk since. I have these traps set down at the bottom of pastures and far away from town so the eggs haven't been working because I don't think they know they're there. I don't really want them live I am just trapping to kill but it's hard to see and find the raccoons, skunks, and foxes where I am and I rarely see them and when I do they are about half a mile ahead running full speed away so that is the only reason for using traps. Just trying to get rid of as many as I can.


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## James

Fish guts in a bottle. Keep it in a spot it won't freeze for a few days, and it goes mostly liquid. Just use some under the trap. Canned sardines also work. 

In the summer, I have caught skunks with corn on the cob as bait. Of course I make the set when I see they have been robbing my crop. 

Now and then I get a skunk that wants to eat my bees. They will scratch on the hive until the bees come out to fight, then eat the bees. A foot trap set in front of the hive gets the skunk. I guess bees are bait. 

Good luck on coyotes. They are mostly trap wise. If you are going for them, you must deodorize your (foot) traps by boiling them in a tub or bucket with walnut husks, then use rubber gloves to handle them and put them in a plastic bag until you set them. Handle with rubber gloves while setting. Use some of that fish emulsion for bait. After the set stay clear away from the area for a week. It takes a while for the human scent to dissapate. The trap wise coyote won't come near human scent. If you can make a set where you can check it with binoculars from a fair distance that is good. If you can't get walnut husks, use sage brush leaves and juniper leaves.

All those critters are opportunists. They will invesatigate anything that smells edible.

A tip on trapping skunks: If you are targeting skunks, tie a foot trap to a stick about twelve feet long. You can anchor the stick so it won't get drug off, but when you get the skunk, just lead it down to the creek and drown it. Now you don't have any bad odor around. Funny, but the skunk won't cut loose while you lead it to the creek. I hate dispatching a skunk in a trap, because it will always cut loose when it dies, and now you have a bad stinking trap, not to mention the whole area smells awful. 

I used to trap along the river, and for racoons I would dig a hole into the riverbank about 2 feet deep and 8--10 inches diameter. Put some sardines in the back of the hole, then set a conibear trap at the entrance of the hole. Have you used those conibear traps?


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## rugerdogdog

'*****, foxes and skunk will all come to bacon grease. Coyotes probably not. Like they said, it will be difficult to get a yote in a live trap.
One thing I've heard about is pre baiting. It takes a while but the short version is: Put your bait out either without your trap or with your trap not set. Over time keep baiting, closer and closer to the trap. As they get used to taking your bait put it in the trap, then after a while they will walk right in to the trap. Then one day they get surprised when you've set the trap.
If you have that many yotes in the area and that much patience (I don't) then you should get lucky.


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## hunter_orange13

bacon grease and peanut butter, sounds weird, but try it, it works like a charm!


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## Huge29

I am quite new this, forgive me if I have misunderstood, but isn't it illegal to trap with a foothold with bait? Or is that only have to do with traps registered with the state? Something about hawks/falcons getting caught in them???? Clear that up for me please!


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## rugerdogdog

Your bait may not be exposed. As in, visible. And it may not be made up of game or protected animals. Parts of legally caught furbearers may be used as bait. Page 14 Sect. C of the proc. 
And all traps should be "registered", which means have your trap number on them, unless you are trapping 100% on your own private land.


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## reb8600

Bait means any lure containing animal parts larger than one cubic inch, or eight cubic inches if used an an artificaal cubby set. Bait cannot be exposed.

All traps must be tagged. According to section V subsection A 1. Each trapping device must be permanently marked or tagged with the trap registration number of the owner. 

It does not say anything about traps on private property not having to be tagged. All traps must be tagged.


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## Nueces

Raccoons will go to shell corn really good. Fish food pellets, dry dog or cat food will work. This will also catch the skunks.

The stink baits they make for coyotes work okay, you will catch a few but they are pretty wises.

I trapped a skunk in a live trap. Went to check it mid morning (this was a large 4 foot long big cage trap to catch multiple ***** at one time), there was a coyote UNDER the trap digging away trying to get this skunk! :shock: So I would say a live skunk would be good coyote bait. :mrgreen: 

I have trapped foxes on fish food pellets also.

Sardines are great but you do have the oil and it is not as neat as the shelled corn or food pellets.


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## rugerdogdog

reb8600 said:


> It does not say anything about traps on private property not having to be tagged. All traps must be tagged.


I think I read that somewhere else on the website. Maybe under nuisance animals? Maybe I just assumed since you'd have no trouble with people or domestics on your own land. It is best to get your trap number anyway.


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## HGD

I caught my first coyote on pot roast. LOL I do alright with sun rendered fish oil. ***** love muskrat and beaver, Everything likes beaver. And dang near every time I catch a skunk in a foothold there will be fox working that same set. Loud smells (rotten)&(skunk) for dogs when it's cold and more suttle when it's warmer. I like to use wool and saturate it with the above mentiioned fish oil it helps hold the scent.
How bout box traps? I have some and just wonder how ya bait them without visable bait? I have caught fox in box traps. You have to cover the floor with leaves dirt etc. And it has to be solid cause they will try and dig the bait out from the side. But if they want it bad enough they'll comit. I have only caught 2 fox in box traps both on sardines along side of a creek set for ****. So go figure.


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## stick_man

Several years ago, I was catching skunks in a box trap. The trap was made out of sheet metal, so once trapped, the skunk couldn't see out of it. I tried tuna fish, cat food, and dog food with very little success. A friend recommended trying some peanut butter. It worked like a magnet. Once caught, the skunks would try to get out by clawing away at the sides and the door, but if properly built and maintained, the trap should hold. In the morning, if the door was down, I'd go pick the trap up, put it in the back of the truck, and head to the river. When you submerge it in the water, you find out if it is a skunk or a cat. If it is a cat, it will fight for it's life. If it is a skunk, it goes peacefully. No smell, no mess, no problem. Careful trying to skin it though. :wink: 

One summer I trapped more than 20 off of my back porch. They had been coming around for the cat food. I placed the trap about 8 feet away and it worked well.


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## Huge29

stick_man said:


> If it is a cat, it will fight for it's life. If it is a skunk, it goes peacefully. No smell, no mess, no problem.


I guess I caught a different breed; we drowned it and I can still smell it now 20 years later, kind of like a fart in the tub where it is actually worse; I guess it did not help that the first barrel was not deep enough and had to try a second one :?


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