Havahart® Large 1-Door Easy Set® Trap

First off, I am a city boy that has never caught any live animals before. But in the last two weeks I have trapped and relocated 11 raccoons and it appears I am going to be busy for at least another week. It was somewhat dumb luck that I picked the model #1085 since I knew nothing about trapping. But I had good instincts that the large cover plate surrounding the handle would be a good thing when picking a loaded cage up ( don't know why you would even build a cage without the large protective plate). The Easy-Set feature pays off in droves at release time. You can stand in back of the cage and safely release the raccoon. Out of 11 times, they all have gone shooting straight ahead without every stopping to say goodbye. The cage and the raccoons both require some thinking time. Sooner or later you will find the food gone and the door closed. How did it happen? I borrowed a trail cam to fid out that answer. Sometime the raccoon would reach inside the cage to grab some food (usually marshmallows) and would hit the trip plate while dragging the food around. Other times, the big raccoons would walk in the cage, grab the food and may hit the trip plate, but his giant behind was still partially out the door and he was able to back out. That required some adjustment as to how to force him back further in the cage to get the food. I found taking a small plastic lid, poking two holes in it and securing it with a plastic wire tie to the bottom of the cage, kept him from being able to drag the lid closer to him without tripping the plate. He was forced to go all the way in and then WHAM....he was trapped. Before transporting the raccoon, I would put a couple of thick carabiner clips just above the closed door. That was a safeguard for putting him in my SUV for the drive to their new home. Didn't want to find Rocky Raccoon had pulled a Houdini while driving down the highway. I have inspected the cage carefully and there is not a bent wire anywhere. I would say this was very sturdy construction. To be successful, you just have to think a little smarter than the raccoons and realize that you will occasionally provide a free meal....but don't worry as they will be back and become a prisoner. These are wild animals and you need to always glove up with thick leather gloves before picking the cage up. I always clean the cage out with a bleach solution (50-50) in a spray bottle and then wash it down with soap and water. Rabies are not uncommon in raccoons so keep that in mind. Even when setting the trap and putting food inside, I am mindful of disease and put on disposable surgical gloves before loading the food in. That also has the added bonus of keeping the human scent off of your food. It works for me!

We purchased trap model #1085, last week, purchase price of $50. We have a coon problem, destroying flowering shurbs.......the design of the trap is great....the ease of releasing works very well....Buuutt....the quality of the wire is poor.....we've captured four coons....each one bending and breaking the wires of the cage....must be a soft wire, certainly not strong enough for coons....3 of the coons were released and #4 escaped.....We now have a hole in the cage, which will require patching.....should NOT have to repair a cage that's less then a week old!!

This will be the last trap I buy from this company. Had a coon get out just last night. Cheap spring material, and now the trap is useless as it doesn't have enough tension to keep it closed.

I will not purchase another trap from havaheart due to the fact you cannot get parts for them when they fail. the upper cable that lifts the trap door broke. I called the company and was told they do not offer spare parts for their traps. THAT MAKES ME VERY ANGRY. YOU SHOULD STAND BEHIND YOUR PRODUCT. SHAM ON YOU HAVAHART. BALTIMORE, MD.

Very poor trap, only caught one coon in 6 sets. Five excapted after eating the food. The factory only made excuses, I even offered to pay the shipping for them too look at it and they declined.the model was a 1085. It just shows that buying American isn't always the way too go.

Caught several rabbits, but the squirrels out smarted it!

I like this model a lot more than others as it is easy to open with the handle/wire cable. We have lost a few raccoons (as mentioned in other reviews) but not all that often. What is unfortunate is that the cable used to open the door rusted enough so that it broke. How much more would it cost to use a quality stainless steel cable?

This is a great trap for possums; they are docile and just lie down and wait after they're caught. But raccoons bust their way out, first eating the bait and leaving the door closed behind them. I've lost five that way so far. I'm giving it two stars because of the possum effectiveness; for raccoons, it's a zero.