Raccoons !?

[Don S]

Re: Raccoons !?

Don posted pictures of a friendly one..... and I know people who had them as house pets.

That one has come back many times without his brothers and/or sisters since early this year when it was momma and 3 kids.
They even came in the house once and attempted to steel a silver trinket in the window, but got picked off before it was out the door.
The deer also feed out of that racoon feeder. No wonder a 50 lb bag of bird seed only lasts for a couple of weeks.

 

[bayman]

Re: Raccoons !?

Well, I took a peek in their den today to see if they had vacated after I put some ammonia-soaked pine cones in. The ammonia I had on hand was lemon scented so I didn't have my hopes set too high. Upon looking in I saw three youngsters and one large one which I'm assuming is the mother. The little ones sure look cute.

If you don't first succeed, try again. This time I'll try to find a more intimidating odor. Wish I had some moth balls....might need to pick up some of those.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Raccoons !?

got any plastic explosives?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Raccoons !?

Well, I took a peek in their den today to see if they had vacated after I put some ammonia-soaked pine cones in. The ammonia I had on hand was lemon scented so I didn't have my hopes set too high. Upon looking in I saw three youngsters and one large one which I'm assuming is the mother. The little ones sure look cute.

If you don't first succeed, try again. This time I'll try to find a more intimidating odor. Wish I had some moth balls....might need to pick up some of those.

Okay.... I will comment on this.... PLEASE just leave them alone and let them grow up. Momma Coon will move out when they are old enough. AFTER they move then you can take chemical precautions to repel them. Actually warm up the video camera for some pictures when they start to venture out.

Mashmallows, sugar cubes placed near a bolw of water and watch the fun. Racoons like to wash their food and they panic when the sugar cube dissolves in the water bowl and they will search for it. Mashmallos get sticky and they look like they are pulling taffy ..... fun to watch and harmless.

got any plastic explosives?

Plastic is not available to commercial blasters but I am very familiar with it

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Raccoons !?

got any plastic explosives?

Ah, the humane solution.

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Raccoons !?

Soooo.... ya had a clear shot, but didn't pull the trigger. Hmmm...

 

[sportsmanphil]

Re: Raccoons !?

Im haveing the same issue with a fox right now.

My house is in the county but as of Jan 1 this year I have been sucked into the city. Last wed, I walk out to my truck at 1am and thought I was looking at a cat in my neighbors driveway but when it turned it had a pointy nose and a tail the size of its body. It was a fox. I watch it and after a few minutes it closed 40 yards down to about 10 feet!. I climb in the bed of my truck and this thing circles my truck looking at me.

I made noise, stomped my feet and yelled and the fox didnt care. I had to throw some junk at it that was in the bed of the truck and it finally ran out in the road. I got out and went inside.

Because I am in the city I didnt get my shotgun but instead got a pitchfork. Figured if it would get at close, Id kill it that way. I walked back outside and it was just off my porch!

It never let me get close enough to stab it.

Now I have grew up in the sticks, this isnt normal behavior for a fox. Something was wrong with it.

I called animal control at 9am and they said "aint our problem" She told me to call 911 if I saw it again. Yea... thats it, so they can come out and arrest it. I can swear out a warrant for trespassing I guess.

So i call the police and talk to their communications. They implied that I should have shot it but wouldnt tell me to.

That day I got a trap from my father in law. Later that night I went outside around 11:30 and guess who was back? So I called 911 and the police got here in 10 minutes. They actually supprised me. One got a few flashlights in hand and the other a shotgun. They hunted it for a few minutes but never found it.

I called a buddy of mine who is a wildlife officer. He asked me a few hundred questions and determined that it isnt rabid but was prob suffering with distemper. Also its the time of year for foxes to have had their 'kit' and is prob trying to feed them.

I have had the trap set for half a week and nothing yet. I also havnt seen the fox since the police hunted it that night.

If I see it again its getting some #7 1/2 out of a full choke. (too many houses around to go heavier) I have also informed all the neighbors around here so if I do put it down they wont call the fuzz. We all have kids and animals and dont need a fox that brazen around here.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Raccoons !?

i recently moved from the sticks to the suburbs. a townhouse, kinda in the woods, but very close to about 50 other houses. and i saw a coon around the trash about an hour before dark. It was just kinda walking around dazed. so i got my 9 mm pistol loaded, and was gonna shoot it, but i got within 5 ft, and it was not moving away.
So i just got a baseball bat, and beat it to death. It did not even try to run, and it was not cornered. I think it just climbed an electric pole, and i was right on the other side of it, and i just hit it. It had to have been rabbid.
Anything that can be killed with a bat is meant to die. That is what i figure.

I did not want to shoot a loud gun off right in front of neighbors.
There may be a city ordance against shooting guns.

 

[kkr26]

Re: Raccoons !?

I have never had a fox not take off the other way when they saw me. That was one screwed up animal.

 

[sportsmanphil]

Re: Raccoons !?

i recently moved from the sticks to the suburbs. a townhouse, kinda in the woods, but very close to about 50 other houses. and i saw a coon around the trash about an hour before dark. It was just kinda walking around dazed. so i got my 9 mm pistol loaded, and was gonna shoot it, but i got within 5 ft, and it was not moving away.
So i just got a baseball bat, and beat it to death. It did not even try to run, and it was not cornered. I think it just climbed an electric pole, and i was right on the other side of it, and i just hit it. It had to have been rabbid.
Anything that can be killed with a bat is meant to die. That is what i figure.

I did not want to shoot a loud gun off right in front of neighbors.
There may be a city ordance against shooting guns.

The way you wrote that cracked me up. I dont have the balls to get baseball bat close to a coon that isnt spooked.

As to the last comment about my fox issue, the thing is this fox isnt agressive, just stupid and not normal. But who's to say it doesnt become agressive in the near future.

 

[dgopetactical]

Re: Raccoons !?

Ah, the humane solution.

Had a coon chew a hole in my rear screen door once and came into my living room while we were watching tv, that was a interesting night. It took 2 days to get rid of the gun powder smell and another to clean up the splatter,patch the hole in the wall and paint,,,,I guess setting traps would have been cheaper and would have prevented the emotional scars my children have from seeing their daddy running around in his jammies shooting ricky the raccoon in their living-room.
Denny

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Raccoons !?

Had a coon chew a hole in my rear screen door once and came into my living room while we were watching tv, that was a interesting night. It took 2 days to get rid of the gun powder smell and another to clean up the splatter,patch the hole in the wall and paint,,,,I guess setting traps would have been cheaper and would have prevented the emotional scars my children have from seeing their daddy running around in his jammies shooting ricky the raccoon in their living-room.
Denny

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Raccoons !?

Maybe it is a local thing...... a wierd acting fox is more likely to be rabid up here in VT and that would be shot on the spot...... unless she is acting lost and has nice legs

You shot a racoon in your home!!! Oh wouldn't that make a unique CSI episode

 

[dgopetactical]

Re: Raccoons !?

you shot a racoon in your home!!! Oh wouldn't that make a unique CSI episode

he did not want to leave and he didnt seem too scared of us....csi would would have loved it. LOL we have a retreat law in our state before you shoot....

we retreated to the hallway i gave three verbal warnings for it to leave and for some reason the critter did not respond so POP-POP...totaly justified.
Denny

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Raccoons !?

I've lived in the country all my life. Raccoons, 'possums, skunks, groundhogs, whatever critter. Seems like they all made a den at the farm at least once while I was growing up. My advice is this, leave them alone. Educate your kids as to where they are and teach them to leave them alone too. By no means should you feed them. This will make them dependant on you and they will never leave(that goes for the kids too lol).

When momma coon is done weaning her lil ones she'll leave. After that, block up the enterance to the den and there will be no future tenants. If they aren't causing any problems or harm, honestly, what's the big deal??

Teach your kids to leave them alone and I don't think you will have any problems.

 

[sportsmanphil]

Re: Raccoons !?

I've lived in the country all my life. Raccoons, 'possums, skunks, groundhogs, whatever critter. Seems like they all made a den at the farm at least once while I was growing up. My advice is this, leave them alone. Educate your kids as to where they are and teach them to leave them alone too. By no means should you feed them. This will make them dependant on you and they will never leave(that goes for the kids too lol).

When momma coon is done weaning her lil ones she'll leave. After that, block up the enterance to the den and there will be no future tenants. If they aren't causing any problems or harm, honestly, what's the big deal??

Teach your kids to leave them alone and I don't think you will have any problems.

I agree with this 100%, but as years go on and on, rabies cases increase.

I base my decision on the actions of the rodent.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Raccoons !?

OMG there goes my keyboard full of coffee.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Raccoons !?

The only legal thing to do is call a licensed trapper and PAY them to relocate the animals.

You can't do it yourself and you can't mess with/ kill them.

Animal control will do nothing.


( Two weeks ago in the middle of the day one took a dip in the condo I work at pool. hoped in cooled off walked away... people everywhere)

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: Raccoons !?

as a NJ retired ACO, yes you can get rabies from raccoons salvia, thus a scratch , or bite will do it. shooting it will get you in trouble in any town in NJ. and killing a dog or cat in NJ and not being a vet and using euthanasia drugs is a crime.
Relocating raccoons is very cruel to them, they are stupid and must be taught to survive in their surrounding by their mothers. when released in a new turf they just starve. A garbage pail of water big enough for the trap works, filled with water .

every municipality in NJ must have a ACO, for domestic animals. the state provides services for wildlife. if you report a raccoon with in the domicile, it becomes a potential rabies,and a domestic aco issue. otherwise its a wildlife control who generally view small game as embedded residences, or who are there first.

 

[cribber]

Re: Raccoons !?

We're fortunate that the racoons stay at the very back of our property where the bobcats keep them in check.