Tips on Scaring Away a Racoon - Page 4

If usining a cage trap build a small "bait box" out of hardware cloth or use a wiffle ball and tie it to the trigger or hang it from the top of the trap both have worked for me

We had that problem too.  One trap I wrapped hardware cloth around the back half.  That worked pretty well.  But we had something that kept flipping the trap or dragging the trap.  Got the bait every time.  I ended up building a wooden box around that trap.  Stopped losing bait, but never did catch what was flipping the trap.  Think it was a fox or bobcat which were too big for the trap.

Eggs seem to work best for me.  Stopped catching cats when I switched to eggs.  I have caught some of my chickens though.  One girl several times.

Get a live trap,a eletric fence,or a dog to kill or scare the coon away!!!

nothing messes with this girls birds and get away with it, she is a tenacious hunter of trespassers

That includes snakes that get into the outdoor brooder.

I love your photos!!  My dogs are great at deterring predators, but they are still working on coexisting with the chickens.  Right now the system is the dogs bark and the ladies hurry back into their run.

  My dogs dispatched the first and only raccoon we have ever seen on our property when they were less than a year old.  It was coming right for me as I had my back turned, planting bulbs.  My coonhound and black lab circled it, grabbed it by the neck and shook it, then dropped it.  They were just pups!!  We had it tested at the state ag. dept and it was positive for rabies.  They had to be quarantined to our property for a few months but were of course fine because they were up on their shots.  So proud of my girls :)

  Ever since then, they think they are my "posse".  If I'm outside, they are outside.  Even the foxes have moved away.  But sine the dogs are kept in at night, we lock up the ladies.

Oh I guess I should elaborate that the dogs broke the coon's neck but it was still alive - my DH shot it to finish it off.  They wanted to do the job themselves but I kept them off of it because I was pretty sure it was rabid, out in full daylight and all.

This is what happened to the last coon that wandered in my parents yard (where I used to have my hens) about 5 years ago. He had a buddy with him but I couldn't find him after I shot him until about 4 months later when the snow had cleared and it was covered in maggots, too bad I was going to make a hat out of him. They havent seen any since. I did see one in my yard a few weeks ago, Ill be putting an end to that as soon as I see him again. The only good way to solve a coon problem, IMHO, is a .22 rifle. Plus, they are fetching what? About 15$ at the fur auction, save 'em up friends, save 'em up.