Wild animal traps fall into four main categories: cage (live) traps, foothold traps, body-gripping traps, and cable restraints. Each works differently, targets different species, and carries distinct legal requirements depending on where you live. Choosing the right trap depends on what animal you’re dealing with, whether you want to capture it alive, and what your state allows.
Types of Wild Animal Traps
Cage Traps (Live Traps)
Cage traps, also called box traps, are the simplest and most humane option. The animal walks into a wire or metal box, triggers a plate or hook inside, and a door snaps shut behind it. Because the trap doesn’t grip the animal at all, release is easy. These are the go-to choice for removing raccoons, opossums, and skunks from around buildings and yards. They’re also the type most commonly sold at hardware stores for homeowner use.
Foothold Traps
Foothold traps (sometimes called leghold traps) catch an animal by the foot and hold it in place. They come in two styles: coilspring and longspring, referring to the mechanism that powers the jaws. These traps work on land or in water, are easy to conceal, and are a preferred choice for wary animals like foxes and coyotes that avoid more visible setups. Several states have banned or heavily restricted foothold traps, which is covered below.
Body-Gripping Traps
Body-gripping traps, often called Conibear traps after the brand that popularized them, are the most common killing trap. When an animal passes through the trap opening, two rotating jaws close on its neck or chest, killing it quickly. These are primarily used in water sets targeting mink, muskrat, beaver, and otter. They’re not designed for live capture.
Cable Restraints
Cable restraints are loops of multi-strand steel cable suspended over a trail the animal regularly uses. As the animal walks through, the loop tightens around its neck or body, holding it like a dog on a leash. These are recommended for coyotes and foxes, particularly in areas where foothold traps are restricted.
Choosing Bait and Lures
Matching your bait to the target species makes a significant difference in whether your trap catches what you intend. Commercially sold baits and lures are formulated for specific animals and fall into several categories: meat-based attractants, fish oils, gland-infused blends, and sweet “curiosity” baits designed to draw animals in through sheer novelty. Raccoon-specific baits often use fish or crawfish formulas. Coyote baits tend to be meat-based predator attractants. Beaver baits use castor (a gland secretion beavers use for scent marking) to exploit territorial behavior.
Species-specific commercial lures also help reduce the chance of catching the wrong animal. Non-meat baits are a practical option in warmer weather because they spoil more slowly and are less likely to attract pets or other non-target species.
Where and How to Place Traps
Trap placement matters more than the trap itself. The most effective locations are places where animals already travel, feed, or den. Look for tracks, droppings, worn paths through vegetation, or entry points into structures. Natural funneling helps: placing a trap along a fence line, between a building and a hedge, or at the mouth of a burrow forces the animal through a narrow corridor where it’s more likely to enter the trap.
Camouflage is essential for wary species. Foothold traps set for coyotes or foxes need to be buried under a thin layer of dirt or leaves, with care taken to minimize human scent. Cage traps for raccoons or opossums are less fussy, but covering the top and sides with branches or a dark cloth can make the animal feel less exposed and more willing to enter.
Timing your sets also matters. Setting a trap only during the hours when the target species is most active (nocturnal for raccoons and opossums, dawn and dusk for coyotes) limits the window for non-target animals to stumble into it.
Avoiding Non-Target Catches
One of the biggest concerns with any wild animal trap is catching something you didn’t intend to, whether that’s a neighbor’s cat, a songbird, or a protected species. Several practical steps reduce that risk. Never place traps where unsupervised children or pets can reach them. Use species-specific commercial baits rather than generic food scraps. Non-meat baits are less attractive to domestic animals. And choosing the right trap size naturally filters out species that are too large or too small to trigger it.
In Florida, for example, only foothold traps with padded jaws are legal, a modification designed to reduce injury. Many states have similar requirements that push trappers toward less harmful equipment.
Legal Restrictions by State
Trapping laws vary dramatically across the United States, and using the wrong trap in the wrong place can result in fines, license suspension, or criminal charges. Several states have outright banned certain trap types:
- Arizona banned foothold and killing traps on all public lands in 1994. Health departments are exempt when trapping to protect public health.
- Colorado banned foothold and killing traps on both public and private lands in 1996.
- Massachusetts banned foothold traps, body-gripping traps, and snares on all public and private property in 1996. Special permits may be issued after alternative methods fail.
- New Jersey prohibits the manufacture, sale, possession, or use of steel-jawed foothold traps on all lands.
- Rhode Island banned steel-jawed foothold traps and snares, with an exception for landowners who obtain a special permit for nuisance animals.
- Connecticut allows steel-jawed foothold traps only in water. On land, trappers must use padded-jaw versions set inside animal burrows.
Even in states that allow trapping, you’ll typically need a trapping license, and many states restrict which species can be trapped and during what seasons.
How Often You Must Check Traps
Every state that permits trapping requires you to check your traps on a regular schedule. In New York, traps in the southern part of the state must be visited every 24 hours. In more remote northern zones, the interval extends to 48 hours for water sets and body-gripping traps, but restraining traps (foothold and cable devices) still require daily checks. Connecticut similarly mandates 24-hour checks on all traps.
These intervals exist to minimize suffering. An animal left too long in a restraining trap faces exposure, dehydration, and injury from struggling. Checking traps on schedule also gives you the chance to release non-target catches before they’re harmed.
Releasing or Relocating Trapped Animals
If you’re using a live trap, you might assume you can drive the animal to a park or wooded area and let it go. In many states, that’s illegal. New York, for instance, prohibits releasing a trapped animal anywhere other than the property where it was captured. The reasoning is practical: relocating wildlife spreads diseases like rabies and Lyme, creates problems for people in the release area, and causes severe stress to the animal, which often dies anyway after being dropped in unfamiliar territory.
If you need an animal removed from your property and can’t handle it yourself, licensed nuisance wildlife control operators are trained and permitted to manage the process legally. Most state wildlife agencies maintain directories of these professionals.