I had a problem with them this summer at my bird feeder. I tried everything but they are really smart and always figured out how to get the seed. I finally got a Havaheart Coon trap and spent the next few nights getting picked clean. The trap was an older model which didn't have the lock for the door after it tripped. The darn things would get caught and figured out how to reach around the door and lift the outer door and spring the trap. I heard it trip one night and went out on the deck and sure enough I had one about 30 pounds. A real tanker. I carried the trap to the back of my truck and went inside and asked my wife if she wanted to take a ride and watch me let the coon go in it's new home. She got dressed and when we went to the truck I shined the light into the cage and he was gone. It took him 5 minutes to get out of the trap. My wife still laughs about it. I watched one of the coons spring the trap and they lay on their backs and reach their long skinny arms around the inner door and lift the outer door and then push the trap open and escape.
The next morning I rigged up a trip wire that fell behind the door to eliminate the coon from being able to open the doors. The next 2 nights I caught the coons and let them go on some town land at the other end of the island. I went to Gander Mt and bought a new coon trap and that one had the latch safety and it works real well. I have taken 4 total and the birds are happy again.