WCS™ No-See Um Chimney Raccoon Trap

I really like Pritchard's trap. While on my way to a pest control meeting, I had this job come up and I simply stuck the trap down the flue, it took all of 2 minutes. Next morning, the customer called me to tell me that the flag was down! I had the coon! The trap is very practical, lightweight, and because it's galvanized, will not rust.

Ok, "hate" is a strong word. But I see this trap as a missed opportunity. The idea is genius. Here in MA, we are always keenly aware of who may be watching, videotaping, etc. It's a liberal state, and many people make snap decisions without stopping to consider the circumstances. So controlling wildlife can often be seen as "cruel" or "inhumane" to those not in the know. This trap makes it easy to trap a raccoon with no visual cues to the activity taking place. That is great. This trap also allows you to have a positive set for a raccoon, also great (no more worrying about baiting, location, etc.). But ah...the execution. First off, the metal is too flimsy. This would be a better trap if the wire were a thicker gauge. Raccoons are strong, rough, adaptable. This thing isn't built to take the beating a trapped mother raccoon will dish out when caught. The way the hatch locks after the raccoon has entered is gimmicky and also not nearly rugged enough. The first time I used it, the raccoon got trapped, then got out. She had bent the door on the way in, and when the rod fell down, it slid to the wrong side of the hatch, so nothing was holding the hatch in the shut position. Luckily, the only place she could go was back down the chimney, so I got another shot at her. After some bending and rigging, I fixed it to work again. It caught her again, and this time held her long enough for me to retrieve her. Then I had to pull it out of the chimney - no small task, given that it's almost 4 feet long. If it's a tricky or slick roof (this one was), it's downright scary. I got her out without anyone getting hurt, but since the roof was dangerous, I laid the trap on the slope to get my footing before starting down with her. She rolled the trap over, and the door opened (gravity was the only thing holding it shut). She got away. I finished the job, but all in all, not a great experience. I'll use it again, but if I were the manufacturer, I'd go back and make some tweaks. Too many "cons".