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Suggested Natural Animal Baits

Remember to check your traps often, at least once every hour.

Because animals have keen scent they can soon locate bait.   The art of selecting and placing the bait is worth all the attention one can give it.   Spray trap with apple cider to remove human scent!!

For general field, setting an ear of dry corn and a smoked herring, or peanut butter mixed with molasses spread on whole wheat bread, will attract most varieties of wild animals. These baits will not spoil for a considerable length of time, so you can look at the trap from a distance without having to scent up the vicinity of the trap.


Armadillo Meal worms, other worms, or insects enclosed in a little cloth bag, maggots, sardines, fish.
Birds Sunflower seeds or scratch grain.
Cat or Bobcat Fish, meats, oil of catnip, sardines.   Poke holes in sardine can top, dribble juice up to trap, put can behind trigger.
Chipmunks Prune pits, unroasted peanuts, corn, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, cereal, grains, popcorn.
Dogs,Coyotes Old meat, dog food.
Fox, Red/Gray Rancid fish or meat.
Gophers Peanut butter mixed with molasses, spread on whole wheat bread.
Groundhog Any kind of green vegetable, fresh string beans, sweet corn, lettuce, peas, broccoli.
Mink Chicken head and entrails, fresh fish, fish oil scent, fresh liver.
Nutria Muskmelon or cantaloupe rind, ripe bananas.
Opossum Vegetables, sweet apples, chicken entrails, sardines, crisp bacon, canned cat food, almost anything edible will work.
Otter Fish
Porcupine Apples, salt, carrots.
Rabbit Fresh vegetables, such as brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, or apples. In winter time, bread is a good bait. Spraying the inside of the trap with apple cider has also proved effective.
Raccoon Anything of a fishy nature: Sardines, raw fish, etc. Smoked meat, sweet corn or fruit, molasses, peanut butter or honey, peanut butter on raison bread, crisp bacon, marshmallows, strawberry licorice, persimmons, fruit filled breakfast bars.
Rats, Large Cheese, bread and butter, small nuts, cherry pits, oatmeal, sunflower or similar seeds, mixed peanut butter and oatmeal, gum drops, flour.
Ringtail, civet cats Same as raccoon.
Skunk Almost anything edible, chicken entrails, fish, fresh or canned, insect larvae, crisp bacon, eggs.
Snapping Turtle Freshly chopped fish or freshly chopped chicken entrails, also any whole fresh fish pieces.
Squirrels Cereals, nuts, popcorn, crackers, peanut butter or molasses on bread, field corn, oatmeal grains.
Voles Peanut butter mixed with molasses spread on whole wheat bread.
Weasels Fish, fresh liver, chicken entrails.
Woodchuck Any kind of green vegetable, fresh string beans, sweet corn, lettuce, peas.

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