Customer Reviews for Tomahawk Dura Poly Live Trap for Raccoons & similar sized animals - Model 1232

I've wanted a trap like this forever!! trapping & relocating nuisance animals is a service I offer as a pest control operator. I've been sprayed by skunks, clawed at by raccoon's & have had the back of my truck soiled by urine & fecal matter from animals I'm relocating. This trap solves all of those problems. Pricey? Yes, but worth it to me.

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34 of 38 people found this review helpful

The raccoons tearing up my yard were not deterred by chemical and natural repellents, motion-detection sprinklers and barking dog alarms, and electrical "scat mats." A live-catch steel cage trap caused excessive agitation and allowed raccoons to claw aggressively as the trap was moved. One was even able to bend the cage bars and escape. It also made for unbearable spraying from any skunk that was trapped. The poly trap solved all of those problems immediately. Trapped raccoons remain much calmer while they are being relocated. There is nothing for their claws to grab. Skunk spray is completely confined to the impermeable and seamless trap box, isolating the source of the smell and greatly increasing the effectiveness of neutralizing agents. This is a well-designed, well-made product of exceptional strength and durability. Don't waste you time or money with anything else.

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32 of 34 people found this review helpful

I bought this trap because I'm a hobby farmer chickens and a calf. Making it a regular stop for raccoons, skunks, and opossum. I wanted a trap big enough for raccoon but yet don't want to deal with the smell of the skunk. I knew I had a skunk and that prompted me to make this purchase. 2nd night caught the skunk I could handle the trap with no issues. Now I just leave it set next to the chicken coop to catch any passer bys.

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22 of 23 people found this review helpful

We LOVE our trap. it is easy to use and keeps everything clean and safe. Raccoon felt safe as he didn't make any noise. Interesting fact: professional trapper has never seen one of those and now he wants to buy few of those too :-)

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15 of 16 people found this review helpful

The trap worked as advertised. On the second night that I put the trap out I got the pesky raccoon that's been frequenting our patio at night. I've since had another coon visit. This time he/she managed to get the marshmallows without touching the trap door lever. Setting the trap again tonight. NOTE: I had to coax the trapped coon out of the trap by tipping it 180 degrees, it must have weighed 20-25 pounds. : )

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15 of 18 people found this review helpful

I've got three of these in use in my wildlife control business. Unlike a wire cage, the solid-side construction shields the animal from customers' view and it is a perfect euthanasia chamber. Catch and terminate in one tool. I want to give it 5 stars, but there is a bit of quality control variation. Build tolerances are sometimes a little sloppy and require some modification to keep raccoons from getting a hand past the door. I had one unscrew a door hinge and escape, so I've added lock nuts to those bolts (easy improvement). For other animals, the door gaps don't matter. The smaller version of this trap is ideal for skunks.

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10 of 12 people found this review helpful

This is the best trap for raccoons! The raccoons cannot get their claws out to grab at things as they are being transported to a new area! Love it!

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9 of 9 people found this review helpful

This is very high quality. I have used cage traps in the past. With this trap, the animal can't get at you. And it can't rip up your landscape. You could even use it on a deck or on a rooftop. It would be nice if it were designed to release the animal out the other side. It is hard to get the door open when there is something wild inside of it. You have to use both hands since it is spring loaded. This gets your face a little close to the exit.

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9 of 9 people found this review helpful

I bought this to trap a feral cat. The cat was initially trapped using a traditional wire trap for the purpose of being sterilized and released. Her spay appointment was not for several days so I released her in a walk-in storage area located upstairs. She gained access to my attic through a small area used to run wires and would not fall for the traditional wire trap a second time. I bought this trap as it looked different. It is extremely sturdy and has plenty of room during temporary confinement. The limited visibility is comforting to an animal that is already afraid. However, caution should be used when using a solid trap in the summer as air flow is more restricted. On the other hand, it provides more warmth than wire models when it is cold. Kittens or small, light-weighted animals may or may not be more challenging to trap using this model depending on their weight, but anywhere a hungry animal finds food without fear, it will return.

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9 of 10 people found this review helpful

When you need a solid-sided trap that contains a skunk or angry raccoon safely and doubles as a euthanasia chamber for gassing, there really is no alternative. The trigger mechanism is simple and reliable, and can be tweaked a bit to fire for trap-shy animals. Been using this for years and couldn't be happier. For raccoon trapping, this is the size to get. The 924 isn't quite big enough for adult coons.

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9 of 11 people found this review helpful

While I like the exterior durability of the trap, I am hesitant to use it without modifying the interior design. The two interior screws are left long and the metal trip pad seems like it could also injure a scared animal as it pops back up after stepping on it. Having one handle towards the front with no other grip creates unbalanced and awkward handling. Perhaps would benefit with two handles to balance out the weight of the trap or a grip at the back of the trap. I purchased two of these in hopes to have a safe place for feral cats to stay in if caught overnight or for long drives to the rescue. In the past, I kept a cat overnight in a cage and by morning, its paws were bloody from thrashing. I will be doing a quick modification to them by covering the trip pad and long screws with duct tape.

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8 of 8 people found this review helpful

I received the trap on time as promised. I set it out the very first night but the raccoon ate the bait and did not Spring the trap. The next night I placed the bait in a bowl making it a little difficult for the raccoon to get to it. So he stood on the platform longer and the door slammed shut. I heard him desperately try to get out but with no success. I took him to the state park and released him. No damage to the trap. This is a GOOD one. Thank you

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7 of 7 people found this review helpful

We received the trap quickly and it was as described. Trap works great, we have caught 3 skunks. The only draw back is that it is hard to see what you have caught in the trap. The enclosed design is great for keeping the animals calm and making them easy to handle.

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7 of 7 people found this review helpful

There are more do-it-yourself elements to operating this trap than are suggested in the advertising. However, this is more humane than a wire trap, any smell is contained, and I could transport the trapped animal in the back of my Prius with no adverse smell or damage. The carrying handle is near the opening, and this means you can carry the trap level with one hand on the handle and the other on the lip at the closed end of the trap. I saw on Mouse-Trap Monday YouTube to put a contractor bag over the whole trap before moving it, and so you can transport in your car and contain any skunk smell should they spray. There is a wire tab where you can tie string, and then when you reach to free the door mechanism, you pull back on the string to open the door while you are behind the trap and walking backwards -- use 5ft + of string. Mouse-Trap Monday guy also showed to tip up the end of the trap and put some wood under, to encourage the animal to move towards the opening. If you are manually tipping up the end of the trap, hold contractor bag in front of you. If animal is in the trap for hours, it wont get wet, it wont claw the ground, the sides are too slippery for claw grip. Also, because it isn't a wire mesh trap, there is no possibility of reaching in and getting the bait without getting trapped. We used kippered herring to catch skunk, and kippered herring was the dominant smell. The skunk was well fed and then possibly too car-sick to feel alarmed. It waddled off.

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6 of 8 people found this review helpful

We have a slight skunk infestation in our backyard (we are trying to grow food back there) and thought it was just one skunk we needed to trap based on late night camera footage. Turns out we are at war with an army of stinkers and so far we caught 4 and have relocated them with no issue. We also caught one beaver and are looking to catch a raccoon who drops by from time to time. We haven't had any problems relocating any of the skunks. Never got sprayed or attacked, it just works.. Just lift the trap vertically, open the door slowly, then place the trap down horizontally in their new home and let them walk out of the trap. If you are on the fence with buying this product don't hesitate. Just put your peanut butter sandwich in the trap and start claiming your space back 1 skunk at a time.. We have 3 more to go then we are skunk free (I hope!)

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5 of 6 people found this review helpful

First, I want to say that domyown.com has excellent customer service and were quick to respond when I asked how long getting the Model 1232. It arrived within a week or so. My garden was being tore up by critters in the night. I never had that problem before but this year they found the garden despite it having a small fence around it inside my chain-link fenced yard. Raccoons, possums, skunks, and even coyotes were caught on film by my trail camera set up in my garden. This was hours of footage every single night of wildlife rummaging around my vegetable plants. (I lost a lot of planted seed this year) They dug it up as fast as I could plant it. No corn for me this year. I got tired of watching videos of the raccoons digging and pooping in my vegetable patch so decided on buying a trap. The trap did its job and so far I've caught 2 racoons in 3 nights. I do see a couple of improvements that would make this trap handier to use. There should be a handle on the back area of the trap to have better control when carrying or lifting a full trap. It would also come in handy when cleaning it. The coons reached out through the bottom metal trap door and drug a bunch of dirt into the trap. It made it much harder to clean out. Seems that door should be more snug so they can't reach out underneath it. Visibility is limited. To see inside the tripped trap you have to try and look in the little holes in the trap door. I could not see what I had in the trap. I sure wasn't going to poke my eye against a small hole to see if it was a skunk or not. The second night I set my trail camera toward the trap so I saw the raccoon go in. The first one I caught, I wasn't sure what was in there until I let it go. When releasing the animal you have to get down near the opening to unlock and hold the door open. Maybe a cord or something could be added so hands didn't need to be so near the exit door. I used a retractable dog leash attached to part of the trap door to pull open after I used my other hand to unlock it. The instructions have no tips for releasing the animal. It just says how to set the trap, not how to unset when releasing. Maybe as I get more use to releasing critters this won't bother me but as a novice trapper, it sure does make me nervous to have my hands right near where they come out. All in all I'm happy with this trap. I chose the enclosed poly trap b/c I didn't want to mess with throwing a sheet or blanket over a metal trap and I think it keeps the animal calmer being enclosed and not having to look at me at the buttcrack of dawn.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

I caught a pesky raccoon on the first night! It has no wire mesh so very humane way of catching animals with no damage to the critter or anything under or around the trap.

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Excellent trap, well made and does what it is intended to do. The best part is that clean up is a snap!

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4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Barrowed one of these from my neighbor and it worked great. Bought this one and have caught one of these little critters every day since.

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

first of all the trap got here with in days of orders. it took a few minutes to figure how to set it, once i figured that out it was a piece of cake. my next question how to release the animal safely. drilling a hole in the side and placing a nail to hold the locking bar,then the door will swing open freely.i needed to know what i had in the trap so i drilled a 1 inch hole in the top. i'm going to buy more later as trapping seasons get's under way.it lightweight and strong .it will be easy to clean, and the animal can not get a hold on to push the door open.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Just got the trap..can't believe how simple to set compared to my old trap.door latch to stop escape is fantastic..also love the holes in door so you can see what is in trap without opening door.defenatly a quality tra

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I'm very happy that I got this trap instead of wire cage trap. Since purchase three weeks ago, I have caught possum and skunk. Animals are calm when I transport them to another area. Most importantly, their feces and pee are completely inside the trap. The skunk sprayed while I was transporting it because the trap moved in the trunk. I'm so glad it's a sealed container. It would have been a mess if I was using a wire cage trap.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I have already caught skunks and raccoons. Be aware, animals can reach out slightly under the down so when opening keep your hands or fingers away from the bottom edge of the door if doing alive releases. Also, skunks sometime like to hang out for awhile, if so, leave and come back and they usually will be gone after you open the door. Also, place a stick under the door to keep it open for live releases as the animal can re-trip the door before leaving. Only bad thing is how long it took it get it sent to me.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I have been fighting with a coon who has been emptying my bird feeders every night for over a week I am an 85 yr old woman and knew nothing about traps. I looked online and found the Tomahawk was the best I ordered it an it came promptly Well it worked perfectly it scared that little bugger so bad. I haven't seen him since If he comes back, I'm ready

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Easy to manage. Very durable. Did as I expected. Ready to use again.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Works very well for skunks. Have caught 2 in the past couple of week.. Easy to tip upright, fill with water and drown the animal with NO smell. Bait with peanut butter, avoid catching cats.

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2 of 5 people found this review helpful

The first night I had this new trap, I got the stinker and pick the trap up without the fear of getting him on me. LOVE THIS NEW TRAP!!!

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I purchased this after raccoons tore a hole in my last "heavy duty" trap. Cons; I realize the website says to expect 2 to three weeks for delivery but figured it was a CMA in rare cases where there is a delay. Mine came in 2 1/2 weeks. Tough to take in todays Amazon world where most stuff ships next day. Plus many reviews raved over the quick delivery so i was disappointed. I requested tracking but did not get the notice that it shipped until two days after I received the item. Like others, I see the need for an additional handle towards the rear of the trap to make carrying easier. I installed one myself. The front door should shut tighter to keep the critters (raccoons in my case) from reaching their paws out underneath. I am experimenting with adding a large washer to keep the door tight. Raccoons are hesitant to leave the trap probably because you are not visible to them so the fear factor does not kick in like with wire traps. I've tipped it on end, upside down, etc but the coon hangs on to the trip mechanism. Eventually they do wander off though. Pros: the trap works. The first night, a coon went in and just stole the bait. But the last two times. I stuck the bait around the edge of the trip pan and that worked. I love that I don't have to wrap the trap before relocating the animal. I feared they would scratch or chew through the plastic but no evidence of that yet. The trap is easy to clean.

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I am pleased with the traps we purchased. They are sturdy and well put together. The ordering process was easy and they arrived quickly . Thank you :)

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Easiest cage to work with. Also not to heavy even when you have an animal in it and it's also very easy to set and clean.

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful