How to use your new live racoon trap and what baits we use.
We recently bought a live racoon trap to use to rid ourselves of a racoon problem.
We have had great success and have caught three so far. We take them to the woods, several miles from our home and release them.
For bait, I have found peanut butter to be very good to use, they can't knock it out of the cage and I can smear it on the front floor and pressure plate. They are attracted to many different things, such as, cat food, fried bacon, any fresh food or vegetable, Moon Pies, etc... but I have found peanut butter to be the best. My cats don't seem to be attracted to it, it can't be knocked out of the cage, doesn't roll under the pressure plate and prevent the trap from being sprung,  and the smell is strong for a good period of time.
You can take the box your trap comes in, split the bottom, open it up and nail the flaps down on the floor and then slide the cage inside, thus preventing the racoon from rolling and pushing the the cage around and triggering the trap door.
When releasing your racoon, make sure you give him room to run as he will be frightened and they WILL bite you.
Racoons in our area are bad to carry rabies so be cautious, they ARE wild animals, no matter how cute they look. Wear glove when handling the trap, we use a pair of leather welding gloves. WASH YOUR HANDS!
Racoons are wonderful animals in the wild, but can do a lot of damage to your home or garden. They will raid you garbage can if it is not tightly covered.
They will kill chickens so if you have a hen house, you will need to take measure  to keep them out.
They will also kill kittens. They can cause a lot of trouble  and aggrivation however,  remember, they are just doing what racoons do.
I hope this has been helpful. Take care and good luck trapping.