"I've caught a couple woodchucks in it and now I'm working on raccoons. Works great and cost nothing to make," says Shane Dennis, St. Paul, Minn., about the "made it myself" live trap he put together after reading about it in a magazine.

The design of the trap can be made larger or smaller, depending on what you're trying to catch. The trap Dennis built measures 12 in. sq. and is big enough to hold a nice-size raccoon.

The trap consists of a rectangular box made out of 1-in. boards. One end is enclosed with wire mesh. The other end is fitted with a sliding door made from a 1-in. board. The door is tied to a string that runs up to a lever which balances on a post at the center of the trap. The other end of the lever ties to a trigger stick that has a notch cut into the side of it. The trigger fits down through a hole in the top of the trap. The notch catches on the top edge of the trap, holding the door in the open position. Bait is placed inside the trap near the mesh-covered end. When an animal enters the trap to get the bait, it hits the trigger stick, closing the door behind.

Dennis mounted handles on the trap to make it easier to carry with an animal inside. He says he might also line the inside of the trap and the door with metal mesh to keep trapped animals from chewing on the wood.