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Raccoons - 2 Down 2 To Go

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XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
My neighbors had been letting a family of Raccoons eat their cat food for the last few weeks. Apparently, they finally realized that this wasn't such a good idea and are now feeding the cats inside. So the Raccoons have been getting hungry and are now probing my place.

I trapped one last week but last night was the straw that broke the camel's back. Three of the little bastards snuck into our garage and were trying to get into the dog food bags. I got another one with my .22 pistol but the other two climbed a tree that had no good angles for me to shoot them (all pointed towards my house or a neighbor's).

They also figured out how to flip over the Raccoon trap with 20 lbs of concrete on top of it so they can get the food out. I think I need to find another way to secure the trap.

Tonight I'm going to try the barrel trap system and get my shotgun loaded with #4 buckshot and deal with the other two.

It's funny because most of my neighbors wouldn't harm them but they decide to set up camp in my yard - I'm not that nice. :glare:
 
I've had more than my share of raccoons in my fenced yard area, none managed to actually get into the house/garage. If a raccoon managed to survive a dog attack by one of the Akitas, which is rare, then I fall back to a trusty Ruger Mini-14 with 223 rounds, none have survived that assault.

My general feeling is live & let live, but when they get in my fenced area then they simply have to GO. I keep the trees trimmed back away from the fence line, I don't put out any food sources for them, and generally they stay out. Sometimes a sick or injured one will come in looking for a free handout or similar and its almost impossible to get them back out of the yard area alive (I do try, but if they are non-cooperative then they leave on the end of a shovel). Raccoons are simply too destructive to allow them to set up home too close to home. Plenty of them live on the other side of the fence, that is where they belong, I don't bother them and they don't bother me.
 
I agree Bob. They've set up shop in the corner of the property (near the neighbor that was feeding them). They leave a lot of poop under the trees that can contain some pretty bad diseases that small kids can pick up when playing in the yard.

We've been here almost 8 years and this was the first time I've seen them anywhere near the house. I've usually seen them in trees after the dogs have chased them but they were usually just passing through.

They've got to go.
 
We have one raccoon that feeds here with a feral cat. He is rather large but only eats with the cat then leaves down the drainage in front of our place. He or his offspring have been here for the last 6 years. No damage or other problems as our cats and dog eat in the house only. Surprisingly we have one female cat and the coon. She has a litter of kittens and once weaned they are gone as we never see them past the kitten stage. We can't get near any of them as they run a few feet away and wait.
 
We have raccoons, skunks, nutria and squirrels. The squirrels do the most damage. (they ate a hole in the bug killer bag)
We just leave them alone.
The woodpecker wakes us up early in the morning pecking on the roof vent. Don’t know what he hears from that? My wife suggested termites but it’s too hot up there.
We also have a crow that crash lands of the roof every morning. A damn retard.
 
darroll said:
We have raccoons, skunks, nutria and squirrels. The squirrels do the most damage. (they ate a hole in the bug killer bag)
We just leave them alone.
The woodpecker wakes us up early in the morning pecking on the roof vent. Don’t know what he hears from that? My wife suggested termites but it’s too hot up there.
We also have a crow that crash lands of the roof every morning. A damn retard.
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:yum:
 
I think that because my neighbors were feeding them for so long that the Raccoons now associate houses with easy food sources. In the past they never came near the house.
 
We have one come round the house occasionally. I'm usually a live and let live kind of guy but they can make a hekkuva mess, especially when they tear into the dog food. I usually trap them, load the trap into the FEL, take them down back and take care of business.

What we're having problems with right now are armadillos. It must be grub season. Either that or the ground out in the pastures is so hard because of lack of rain that the digging is a lot easier in our watered yard. They've torn up the yard, flower beds, dug up shrubs and roses, even undermined a retaining wall and flower borders. It's only been 2 weeks since I sprayed the whole place for bugs but it looks as if I need to do it again.
 
Our critters all get along together & have breakfast & dinner together , Only ones not invited our coyotes :hammer: . But I dont blame those of you that chose to deal with a problem your neighbors have caused the best wasy you can . Sometimes you have to give ole mother nature a hand sortin out the critters especially when they start doing any kind of damage . :smile:

I snapped these this mornin I was surprised to see my new motherless 4 week old kittens heading out to eat with the big kids . The coyotes got the momma & 3 other cats 2 days ago during the night :sad: So Me & Mr AR have been babysitting & helping mother nature the last couple of nights , We got 2 this morning about 3am & they are just waiting for the turkey vultures to come around later :brows:
 

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Three down! :thumb:

This must have been the momma - she ripped chunks out of the sheet metal around the trap handle and broke a bar on the side. Felt kind of heavy too.
 
PBinWA said:
Three down! :thumb:

This must have been the momma - she ripped chunks out of the sheet metal around the trap handle and broke a bar on the side. Felt kind of heavy too.
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Yep them critters can do some serious damage when their looking for food specially when they got young ones . Sounds like your getting a handle on the problem though . I,m assuming you will be sporting a new coonskin hat this winter :biggrin:
 
Cowboy said:
Yep them critters can do some serious damage when their looking for food specially when they got young ones . Sounds like your getting a handle on the problem though . I,m assuming you will be sporting a new coonskin hat this winter :biggrin:
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I think this damage was done trying to get out. ;)

No coonskin cap this year. Never been the fur hat type but I should learn how to do a hide some time. Something about Raccoons that I just don't like. I don't really want to do much except dispose of them.
 
My brother started having skunk problems around the base of his bird feeder. Seem like after he dispatched about 50 squirrels since the Spring, that a mama skunk and her 6 pups moved in to tear up the mulch beds and stink up the place. Mama didn't know that my brother is deadly with his .22, but seven shots later from the bedroom window, and the entire problem was eliminated. Seven head shots starting with the mama, and virtually no smell left behind. Now he's waiting for a frost so he can start keeping the rabbits that he's been dispatching in his garden. I hope he save a few for me, cuz they're mighty tasty. He only had two coons that were a problem, and they were quickly dealt with and none have returned.
 
I’m a blue jay slave in my own backyard.
I go fill the critters water dish, Here come a big fat blue jay and he climbs in a takes a bath.
Water splashes all over the yard.
Time to change their bath water.
 
Coons on the run are great pistol and 22 targets. They can tear up sweet corn as fast as a bear. There is a momma one with 7 little ones we saw when we were cutting the first hay crop. So far they are leaving the garden alone so I am leaving them alone. The shepherds help keep them away as well.
 
It's been a while. I bought the biggest Havahart trap since the HF one was bent one night and my wife and my neighbor's wife both said they saw a "really big" Raccoons recently.

I hadn't caught much for a while. The feral cat had to test out the trap one night and two days ago I got a Blue Jay and a Stellar Jay at the same time.

Finally, got a fourth Raccoon today. Not sure if it was the elusive fourth sibling but it was around the same size as the others. I think I've got the trap thing figured out and will just leave it out all the time now. Something to look at while walking the dogs around the yard. ;)
 
What are you baiting the traps with PB?
 
Dog food. I'm going to try a can of cat food and just punch holes in the can so the smell can get out then tie to the back of the cage. I cover the back half of the trap up so they can't try and get to the bait from the rear.
 
PBinWA said:
Dog food. I'm going to try a can of cat food and just punch holes in the can so the smell can get out then tie to the back of the cage. I cover the back half of the trap up so they can't try and get to the bait from the rear.
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You can through shoe leather in the cage after its been soaked in chicken broth for awhile . They cant resist it , pisses em off too :wink:
 
Good one cowboy ....so how does the chicken broth taste after you soak the shoe leather in it? :yum: :yankchain:
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcYppAs6ZdI&feature=related"]YouTube - Ba dum tssshhh[/ame]
 
Well I got pretty good at catching the little bandits and decimated the local population.

After a few months of not catching anything and not seeing any signs I stopped baiting the trap.

Well it's been a bad week to be a Chicken around here. I lost one to a yet to be caught Racoon and I just lost two to a coyote.

The damn coyote dug under my fence and killed two birds this afternoon while my dumb dog was sleeping in the garage about 75 yards away. By the time I got my gun and got outside the coyote managed to squeeze back out and take off with one of the birds.

I totally blew it because instead of quietly getting my gun out and shooting the coyote while it was working on the chickens I yelled at my dumb dog out the window (who of course stayed in the garage the whole time). Next time I will try to keep my loud mouth shut and get the kill.

Anyone got any good coyote trapping tips?
 
It seems that chickens work pretty good as bait. :yum:

Since the new year I've been inundated with racoons (again) and feral cats. I've let it go on for over 3 weeks but I've just about decided that it's got to stop. I'll dig out the trap tomorrow.

Good luck with the coyotes.
 
Your best bet in trapping a coyote is a snare or some very well prepped and well hidden leg hold traps. The snare is easier, and does kill however. Not nessarily the coyote if another critter uses the same trails. We put them in fence lines, usually at a low spot in the line were surface water would run after heavy rain. Usually a way through or under the fence at these points as farms will cut them or they will undermine to let flood waters through. This is were to set the traps/snare. Scent is your biggest problem. Boil the traps in some thing..We used walnut husks back in my days of doing this. Snares to, as this gets your sent off of them. From this point on you need to wear gloves with no scent when you handle your grear.

Find his trail crossings or set the leg holds near were he breeched the fence in your yard. They must be covered withdirt or what ever they are set in/on so as not to be easily seen. If you miss him he will be much harder to trap and will not return to the hole in the fence any more.

Good luck, unless he is young and dumb your going to need it.

Regards, Kirk
 
Fox piss on a stick stood up near the snare will draw them in.
 
Thanks for tips. I set a snare where it came through the fencenand left a dead bird near to entice it. I've never had much luck with snares but it was worth a try.

I think I just need to be quieter next time. ;)
 
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