Bait apparatus for animal cage trap and method of baiting using the same

A bait apparatus mountable to an enclosure of a live animal trap, comprising:

• a planar base plate including a cutout formed therethrough for mounting to the enclosure;
• a removable receptacle in communication with the cutout of the base plate for holding a portion of bait, the receptacle including an apertured front wall, a sidewall extending at least partially around a perimeter of the front wall, and a flange extending outward from the sidewall on an end opposite the front wall;
• and
• a cover selectively securable on and directly flush simultaneously to the base plate and the removable receptacle for closing a side of the cutout and defining an integral recess extending into the cover in a rearward direction away from the base plate with the cover in a closed position relative to the base plate, the recess having an open front opening in a direction toward the base plate with the cover in the closed position, wherein:
• the base plate and the cover each define a fastener opening formed therethrough;
• the fastener openings of the base plate and the cover are aligned with the cover in the closed position and expose a wire of the enclosure therethrough;
• a shared fastener extends through the cover and the base plate with the cover in the closed position, the shared fastener including a fastening end engaging with the exposed wire for securing the cover in the closed position;
• the base plate defines a slot on a front face thereof opposite the fastener opening;
• and
• the cover defines a bent tab having a free end adapted to engage with and extend through the slot to a rear of the base plate for allowing the cover to move between the open and the closed position with the tab retained within the slot.

A live catch animal trap comprising:

• an animal enclosure having a trap body and an animal access opening facilitating entry into a vacant interior sized to receive an animal to be trapped;
• an entry door movably mounted at the access opening, the entry door operative in an opened position to reveal the animal access opening and in a closed position to block the animal access opening;
• a setting mechanism for fixing the door in the opened position;
• a trip mechanism that when activated allows the door to move to the closed position;
• and
• a bait apparatus mounted at a rear end of the trap and enabling a user to bait the trap without accessing the animal access opening, the bait apparatus including:
• a planar base plate mounted to an exterior wall of the trap body, the base plate defining a cutout aligned with and secured over an opening in the exterior wall of the trap body;
• and
• a planar cover selectively securable on and positioned directly flush to an exterior side of the planar base plate, the cover movable between a closed position in which the cover is arranged over the cutout and an open position in which the cutout is exposed to an external environment, the cover defining an integral recess extending into the cover in a rearward direction away from the rear end of the trap with the cover in the closed position, the recess having an open front opening in a direction toward the trap with the cover in the closed position, the integral recess defined by a back wall and a circumferential sidewall of the cover, with the cover in the closed position the sidewall extending from the back wall in a direction toward the trap and defining an open front opening in a direction toward the trap, wherein:
• the base plate and the cover each define a fastener opening formed therethrough;
• the fastener openings of the base plate and the cover are aligned with the cover in the closed position and expose a wire of the enclosure therethrough;
• and
• a shared fastener extends through the cover and the base plate with the cover in the closed position, the shared fastener including a mounting plate fixed to the base plate, and a fastening end extending through the cover and engaging with the exposed wire for securing the cover in the closed position.