One or two nights of prebaiting with the trap locked open is a good idea.

What will you do with it after you trap it? If you take it kilometers away and dump it, you have guaranteed it will die in other badgers' territory.

The compost is attracting one badger, there will be others.

I set the trap,right in front of the latest hole he dug under my fence. I fervently hope that Murphy's Law will now come into play: i.e., I've spent a lot of money on buying the trap,agonized over it, lugged it into place,stressed out over baiting it,antagonized people on Internet etc, etc ,etc,. So now, according to Murphy, the situation will resolve itself without my having to do anything,and the badger will disappear on his own,right?

Meles meles's favourite food is earthworms, slugs and grubs,but he does like garbage as well, and as I said before I won't be composting inside the fenced are any more. But what about placing a composter on the opposite side of the property, to draw pests away?

You might also see your other thread w/ same problem.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3864063/drawing-pests-away-from-garden?n=1

Also, "humanely trapping" is only wishful thinking because you must then destroy/kill the critter.

Relocation will end the same way -- dead badger -- but likely with more stress for the badger.

Are you sure he'd die if re-located? Why would it die perforce if re-located? I seem to remember from my reading on Internet that badgers can and do accept new members into their social groups sometimes, though I don't remember in which of the many sites I visited I saw this. Frankly at this point I am getting so exhausted, exsasperated and frustrated that I'm beginning to not care what happens to him, just so he stops "badgering" me.

OK, I read up about re-location (see other thread). Wow. Shooting the critter seems like the best option,since he maintains a "my way or no way" attitude. But I don't have a gun.