Noah Hohn

Hypothesis: Fish will attract more raccoons than dog food and cat food. 

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Variables: 

Independent Variable: The type of bait that you put in each trap (fish, dog food, cat food). 

Dependent Variable: How many raccoons that we caught in each trap for all of the tests.

Constant Variable: The amount of bait in each trap and the position of all of the traps. 

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Review of Literature: 

Raccoons are very smart animals. So why do they get caught in a trap? They get caught

because of their curiosity and keen sense of smell.
     Raccoons were studied at the American Psychological Association. When raccoons were

studied by this association they were put in cages with a way that they could get out. When the raccoons were repeatedly tested each time they were tested they were able to get faster than the time before. They found out from this test that raccoons are very intelligent animals. They have great ability to gain knowledge as they expirence certain things throughout their life.

     Raccoons also have great eyesight especially at night. You may have notic at night when you shine a light on a raccoon their eyes glow and shine. This shine that comes off of their eyes also helps them bring objects into clarity and almost zoom them in. It is similar to looking through a binocular for a raccoon. This glow has many other features as well. They can distinguish colors with the glow along with depth of certain objects. This helps them to avoid dangers and risks to them.

     On the other hand raccoons have a great sense of smell. You may think that this is a way that a raccoon would not get caught, but it is not. They have such a great sense of small that it overcomes their sense of danger. This is the main reason why raccoons get caught in traps. If they think that a certain bait smells good they will go to investigate their possible meal. They will get closer and their sense of small will grow stronger. This causes them to go in or reach into a trap and get caught.

     Raccoons are strong animals. This factors in with trapping them to possibly find a way to get out of a trap. They can actually break, tip, or carry certain kinds of traps. Raccoons have the strength to pull out stakes of a canister trap or a foot trap if they are not froze into the ground. After they pull out these two traps they can cary they along ways. They also have the ability to easily tip over cage traps if they are not stakes in the ground. These are reasons why you have

to be smart when setting your traps. They are also aggressive animals when they feel in danger. This is one reason that they have the ability to get out of traps. They will dig up the ground and potentially loosen up the stake that holds the trap. Therefore they will be able to pull out the trap and get away.

     Finally, raccoons are very intelligent. Even though they get caught in traps they always try to find creative ways out. Some pull their way out and some injure their body to get out. Some raccoons will chew their leg off just to get out of a trap. Their leg will not grow back nut it is worth surviving for them.

     The trap used in this project has the following parts: Heavy duty spring, chain, stake, canister shape, and a heavy duty wire connected to the spring. 

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Bibliography: 

     About MarkMark has a strong background in Engineering and a huge interest in Pest Control as a way of getting rid of rodents and other unwanted pests who can cause a nuisance in your home and garden. You can subscribe to his free daily paper on Pest Control Solutions and follow him on Facebook or Twitter, Sharon Says, Simon Says, Dave Pauly Says, Gary Sturges Says, and Tommy Says. "Twenty Essential Facts About Raccoons." Pest Control Products. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://www.pest-control-products.net/961/raccoons/twenty-essential-facts-about-raccoons/>.

     "Facts about Raccoons | Raccoon Facts | Havahart®." Havahart. Woodstream Corporation, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://www.havahart.com/raccoon-facts>.

     Pettit, Michael. "TIME CAPSULE." Pardon Our Interruption. American Psychological Association , Nov. 2010. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/11/raccoon.aspx>.

     "Raccoon Fact Sheet." PBS. PBS, 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/raccoon-nation-raccoon-fact-sheet/7553/>.

"Raccoons - Living with Wildlife | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife." Raccoons - Living with Wildlife | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/raccoons.html>.

     Society, National Geographic. "Raccoons, Raccoon Pictures, Raccoon Facts." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/raccoon/>.

     "What Makes Raccoons So Curious?" What Makes Raccoons So Curious? Home Contract RSS, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://www.gopetsamerica.com/animals/species/raccoon.aspx>.

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Procedure of Investigation: 

Materials used:

Duke Z canister dog proof trap, live cage trap, dog

food, fish, cat food, trap set tool, .22 rifle.

Procedure:
To set up the experiment, you need to find the right place to set you trap. After you have placed the trap in your desired spot, you then must place the desired bait in the trap. Next you must wait and leave the trap and check it every few days. Finally, after you have caught a raccoon in your trap, you must use a .22 rifle to kill the raccoon. Record your data on how many coons you have trapped and what type of bait you used to trap those coons.

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Graph/Chart: 

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