raccoons

[JTKelly]

I agree with the dog-proof traps, be prepared to dispatch them quickly as they'll make a lot of noise and trash everything they can reach.
I have a friend who lives in town with a small yard, he's put down 108 coons in the last 5 ish years, in a very very small yard. Have-a-heart type traps will work but coons are smart and learn to move in and out of them without tripping the trap door, seen it on video many times.

Remember to switch up your bait, like everything else they get bored with the same thing. Small marshmallows work well, cat food, they are also attracted to cat-nip, a long with most sweet treats, leftover chicken bones work well but if they're in a cage trap wire them in place so they have to work to try and remove them. Old style leg traps aren't very effective in his opinion, although once in a while ya get lucky, see pic. LoL

The instances of rabies infections is climbing, don't feel bad about putting them down, they're proficient reproducers and they will quickly over run your property if allowed.

If they start figuring out the live trap, put a mouse trap in there with the bait. When that snaps they go a little nuts and lose all sense of subtlety.

I put game cams on my live traps to make SURE I know what is going on and it STILL took me a few days to figure this one out. I'd have two or three traps set out there. First night all the traps were full the next day. Next night one trap was full and one tripped. I figured some one reach through the wire, cleaned the bait and tripped the door.

Then a couple days with tripped doors, bait gone, no critters. NOTHING on the game came.

Tonight I figured it out, squirrels were throwing apples on the traps tripping them so the coons don't get caught. Or so many apples were falling they just happened to hit the trap and trip it.

 

[I Love Bourbon]

If they start figuring out the live trap, put a mouse trap in there with the bait. When that snaps they go a little nuts and lose all sense of subtlety.

That is an outstanding idea!

 

[patience0830]

That is an outstanding idea!

The bonus is, occasionally you'll catch a little bait stealing mouse. And he makes good bait too.

 

[JTKelly]

The bonus is, occasionally you'll catch a little bait stealing mouse. And he makes good bait too.

Mice are awesome bait if you have chicken killing weasels BUT weasels are better mouse killers than cats so... I guess that is a toss up. I leave the weasels alone. I hate chickens any way. IF you get rid of chickens you've fixed your biggest mouse problem.

 

[patience0830]

I have a problem with chain traps. Don't make them suffer. Either invest in live traps and kill them or don't trap.

I'm not often a humanitarian but I don't believe in live chain snap traps.

I have NO problem with shooting them on sight though. Stop watching Survivor and settle in for a few hours. It's better for your brain.

You are welcome to your opinion and your feelings. You do your coons your way. I have enough to do that I don't have time to sit and watch for the little bastards. I need to sleep occasionally. And the dog proof coon cuffs just flat work.

I still love you, just gotta thin the herd. If they'd leave the bird feeders alone, I'd let 'em eat all the crawdads and frogs they wanted.

 

[Creedmoor]

If they start figuring out the live trap, put a mouse trap in there with the bait. When that snaps they go a little nuts and lose all sense of subtlety.

I put game cams on my live traps to make SURE I know what is going on and it STILL took me a few days to figure this one out. I'd have two or three traps set out there. First night all the traps were full the next day. Next night one trap was full and one tripped. I figured some one reach through the wire, cleaned the bait and tripped the door.

Then a couple days with tripped doors, bait gone, no critters. NOTHING on the game came.

Tonight I figured it out, squirrels were throwing apples on the traps tripping them so the coons don't get caught. Or so many apples were falling they just happened to hit the trap and trip it.

LOL

 

[duanewade]

When the raccoon start eating our garden I use a conibear #2 trap with a marshmallow shoved onto the trip wire/prongs. instant death for the animal. I've got 2 traps and place them where I see their trails. We don't have a dog and none of the neighbor's dogs run loose so I was hoping that I'd get nothing but the raccoon and so far that has worked well.

3 years ago my neighbor and I killed 70 raccoon in less than a month. They started killing his chickens and raiding our gardens so we declared war on the critters.

 

[JTKelly]

They started killing his chickens

So I guess even raccoons aren't ALL bad.

 

[Wabatuckian]

My parents had a racoon problem. I used a red spotlight at night to light their eyes, and dog food to lure them in. Ammo was CCI Subsonic, and the rifle was an M69 with lighted reticle scope.

I dislike killing anything I'm not going to eat, but these critters were starving, diseased, and overpopulated. The coyotes had gone from the woods for some reason, and they seem to do a decent job of controlling racoons when they are around.

 

[possumpacker]

Coons have been emptying the bird feeder every night and destroyed a 100$ worth of flowers. They won the first battle but I'm gonna win the war.

 

[bwframe]

Every few years, I have to take a coon or opossum out. Sometimes a couple. The thing is to NOT let them get a generation or few waiting for darkness in the tree line. Like chipmunks, mice and illegal aliens, knock them out quick, before the population explodes and their numbers daunting.

I shine the borders nearly every day on my walk from shop to house. Close together eyes near the ground looking at me mean it's time to make sure the weapon light is mounted on the M-Rod. So long as we are only talking one or two critters, the .22 PCP does the job fine also providing some practice varmint hunting trigger time.

If they seem to be regenerating like a video game after a kill or two, then it's time to get busy with the Havaharts and dunk tank. It's quick clean, ethical and humane. Cantaloupe hung appropriately over the trigger saves losing a night "hunting" over a cat or pup trapped.

Coons must be a buzzard's favorite food? Some dead critters lie in the back pasture for days before the birds come to visit. If it's a coon, they are on it next morning light.

 

[patience0830]

Wife took this picture off the porch this evening. I have work to do.

 

[gassprint1]

View attachment 361513
Wife took this picture off the porch this evening. I have work to do.

Dang, if it's that light out still and coons are out in a group..I'd say there's more than those waiting in the bush

 

[JTKelly]

I got two more coon traps this evening at RK. Got two of those dog proof traps for the cost of one of the big live traps. Watched a YOU Tube demo vid and I'll put those out to tomorrow.

 

[tmschuller]

For the sake of discussion I’m assuming small square bales. Bales that can be handled by hand, tied with string or wire.

If their are coons in the barn, their is coon poo, bird poo, coyote, fox, skunk, possum, dog, deer poo already in the bales. Just not visible. Think about all of the wild life that lives in the hay fields. Rabbit, coon, mice, birds, moles, voles. Not to mention the wind born plastics, bottles, paper scraps, tin cans. They leave their deposits and their babies in the field, the mower comes through and chops them up. Then the hay rake comes through and wind rows the stuff and then the baler compacts it all into a bale. If your concern is the health of the animals, use your gloved hand and brush off the offending mess, pop the string and feed the critters.

Now as for the offending coons, the local authorities are your best bet for attending to the wildlife that may be creating you’re visual discomfort.

In all honesty the biggest problem you may find is mold if the hay was not put up properly. Mold can cause a verity of health problems in any livestock. Just my thoughts on the subject, and good luck with dealing with the problem.

Keeping the hay covered ( I go to Menards and get the plastic that the bunks of wood comes in, its already a good size and is pre sewn to go right over bales small or large and its free.) or tarps helps but as a horse owner that had 4 cases of EPM that IS carried by raccoons and opossums. You can throw the dice with brushing off the had but you are better off pitching it. It is not worth the risk. I know another opinion but after researching the causes and how its transmitted that 5$ bale of hay VS. the thousand $$ bill per horse is money well spent pitching it.

 

[tmschuller]

View attachment 361513
Wife took this picture off the porch this evening. I have work to do.

yes, I dispatched Mom and 5 little ones like that one evening in the mulberry tree.. racoon poop full of mulberries everywhere.. trash panda collection went to the bean field and the buzzards had a great snack.

 

[yetti462]

To my south is the White river, to my east are two big creeks that meet then wrap my farm to the north. Behind my house is a holler that acts as a major travel corridor from north to south. I kill one coon, 10 move in. My squirrel dog trees them and to be able to sleep in peace, I'm constantly shooting them out . It's a constant war zone with them on the homestead, based on the various states of decaying carcasses scattered and a bunch of fat and happy vultures, I'm winning the war, but the opponent I fight has a large troop .

 

[Cameramonkey]

For the sake of discussion I’m assuming small square bales. Bales that can be handled by hand, tied with string or wire.

If their are coons in the barn, their is coon poo, bird poo, coyote, fox, skunk, possum, dog, deer poo already in the bales. Just not visible. Think about all of the wild life that lives in the hay fields. Rabbit, coon, mice, birds, moles, voles. Not to mention the wind born plastics, bottles, paper scraps, tin cans. They leave their deposits and their babies in the field, the mower comes through and chops them up. Then the hay rake comes through and wind rows the stuff and then the baler compacts it all into a bale. If your concern is the health of the animals, use your gloved hand and brush off the offending mess, pop the string and feed the critters.

Now as for the offending coons, the local authorities are your best bet for attending to the wildlife that may be creating you’re visual discomfort.

In all honesty the biggest problem you may find is mold if the hay was not put up properly. Mold can cause a verity of health problems in any livestock. Just my thoughts on the subject, and good luck with dealing with the problem.

You've never had an infestation, I can tell. the amount of crap they leave behind is staggering. And they seem to PREFER pooping indoors.

So because of that the concentrations of feces is off the charts higher than the traces you will find in the bales.

 

[spencer rifle]

Baylisascaris procyonis is serious stuff:

https://www.cdc.gov/baylisascaris/about/index.html

 

[I Love Bourbon]

View attachment 361513
Wife took this picture off the porch this evening. I have work to do.

That right there, that's a target rich environment.