And they're gone

Well, the traps were returned today, WOOHOO!!!

We caught and relocated 5 raccoons. After two nights of not catching anything, the traps went back to the feed store.

Lessons learned:

They like peanut butter on bread.
Wear gloves! Even in a cage, they will still find a way to scratch at you.
Place the trap on a hard to damage surface, because they will do their damnedest to tear your shit up. This includes grass and up to six inches of soil beneath it.
They like to get caught at FOUR O"CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
They will not get caught until you are fast asleep.
They will not get caught in pairs, just one at a time.
One will not get caught until you have released the other one and just fallen back to sleep.
Don't expect to sleep much when you are trapping.
That road that is completely desolate at 4:00 AM, might just be the busiest sum'bitch at 6:00AM when you have to make a return trip to drop of sis'.
There is no real ideal location for a drop off unless you are semi-rural. If you're in a city, sadly, your problem will become someone else's. This is why we tried to find undeveloped areas nearby streams to maximize the chance of them staying away from homes, but you can only drive so far at FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING.

If I can find some links to actual, practical advice, I will, but the main take home message from my research was:

Don't trap in the spring and early/ mid summer. This is when raccoons will be rearing young, and abandoning young can be fatal for the young as well as the mother, who might make a frantic and dangerous attempt to return. Other than that don't do anything stupid.

We have now had several nights with no losses in the seedling department. Victory is sweet.

And, for all of the four in the morning talk: