How to Build Racoon Trap
Raccoons have adapted to living around people in rural, urban and suburban settings. In many instances this does little harm, but when one moves into your yard, into your attic or comes at night to raid your garbage barrel, it can quickly become a nuisance. The ultimate solution is to trap the raccoon and remove it. Most raccoon traps are specialized machines best manufactured in a factory. But one kind, called "cable restraints," can easily and inexpensively be constructed at home.
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Things You'll Need
- 4 feet of 1/8 inch aircraft cable
- 3/8 inch washer
- 1/4-inch hex nuts, two
- Ball peen hammer
- Vise
- Anvil
- Drill
- 1/8-inch drill bit
- Electrical tape
Instructions
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Making the Lock
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1
Use a drill with a 1/8-inch bit to drill a hole in a 3/8-inch washer. Center the hole being drilled between the hole in the middle of the washer and its outer edge.
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2
Drill a second hole in the washer, again centered between the edge and center hole. Drill this hole on the opposite side of the washer from the first hole.
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3
Insert the washer into a vise so that half of the washer is clamped in the vise and the other half extends above the vise. The two drilled holes should be at the top and bottom.
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4
Use a ball peen hammer to bend the washer to a 90-degree angle.
The Anchor Loop
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5
Slide one end of the aircraft cable into the 1/4-inch hex nut.
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6
Form a loop in the cable by inserting the cable back through the nut in the opposite direction, poking just enough through to grip with your fingers.
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7
Pull the long part of the cable back through the nut, shrinking the loop to a 3/4-inch diameter.
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8
Tape the tag end of the cable to the main part of the cable to hold them together, maintaining the loop diameter at 3/4 inch.
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9
Lay the cable and nut on an anvil so the cable is parallel to the anvil and the nut is upright.
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10
Pound the edge of the nut with a ball peen hammer, causing it to collapse, pinching the cable tightly and securing the loop at the 3/4-inch size.
The Restraining Loop
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11
Lay the washer on a table with one of the bent sides flat on the table top, the other side straight up.
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12
Hold the washer in place by placing your right index finger on the top of the side of the half of the washer laying flat on the table. The bent side of the washer will be on the left side of your finger.
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13
Poke the end of the cable through the drilled hole on the part of the washer sticking up, from the left side of the washer, through the hole, towards your finger. Pull about half the cable through the drilled hole.
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14
Lift the washer straight up and poke the end of the cable through the other drilled hole in the washer from the top down. Pull several inches of cable through the washer.
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15
Slide a 1/4-inch hex nut over the end of the cable, lay the cable and nut on the anvil and flatten the nut (as before) with the hammer, pinching it solidly onto the end of the cable.
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1
Tips & Warnings
To use the restraint, adjust the position of the lock on the cable until a loop about 6 inches in diameter is formed. Hang this loop in an opening through which the raccoon is crawling or on a trail the raccoon tends to follow. The loop should be suspended so the bottom of the loop is about 3 inches off the ground. Fasten the small loop at the other end of the cable to a solid object or stake it firmly to the ground.
As the animal walks along, it's head will pass through the loop, the washer lock will easily slide closed (like the slip knot on a lariat a cowboy uses to rope his horse) and the angle of the bent washer will prevent the loop from opening back up. The raccoon is caught.
Check with your state wildlife agency for specific regulations which might apply. When removing nuisance animals from your property, in most cases, almost anything is legal. Most states have regulations which place restrictions on when, where and how cable restraints can be used for trapping raccoons in the wild.
