Racoons with attitude

[jed1154]

.22 Short.


Sounds like a pellet rifle, make one shot, one kill, every other night. Its quiet enough to where people will hear it and wonder what it was, but forget about it if you dont do it again. Trapping is a solution, but its expensive and you have to take them somewhere far off.

I've gotten in trouble on here before as being inhumane, but I have filled a garbage can (actually a garbage bag in a garbage can as the can leaked) with water and submerged the live trap. I really can't come up with a better way if animal control can't help and you can't shoot it.

I can't do that. Ill break the law with a rifle and a humane kill far before something like that. Ive heard of people doing it that way though, its not unheard of. They are pretty brutal critters.​

 

[Tala]

Raccoons are considered nuisance animals by the Arkansas Game and Fish and they are legal to shoot year round (says so in the hunting manual) and if you use a .22 at night the neighbors won't really hear or notice.

I would try to trap the coon first, so he would be an easier target for a quick kill and I could be pointing the gun towards him towards the ground, not anywhere even remotely towards the neighbors or my own house. Make sure to shoot in the head to make sure it dies quickly.

At my parents house (in the woods) we had them as "big as dogs" and they really loved corn from the garden and cat food which they figured out how to steal from the metal trashcan it was stored in so we had to get a reeeeeeally hard to open latch on the lid (I can barely open it myself) but it was far enough away from neighbors to shoot and my dad used a shotgun on many of them in the garden, and we livetrapped inside the barn to shoot them later. These were not from the city so they were more afraid of the humans.
What you don't want to do is catch a skunk in a live trap. UGH.

 

[jdgrell]

Thanks for all the great ideas!
This sounds kind of weird, but I am actually getting into my Coon abatement program!

1) Defense - I am reinforcing the coop. 1/2 inch welded wire for all the openings. Putting keyed locks on all access points (had a couple sitting around). Augmenting strong plywood and 2/4’s is weak spots on the coop.

2) Offence - Tried Pepper Spray - that was fun (for me) not so fun for the coons. Hit one in the face and it took off like a rocket. Climbed up our 6 foot fence like a squirrel and was off. The others followed suit. I saw them back the next night, but when I came out of the house they took off. I think I have instilled fear in the creatures!

3) Arms Race - Looking into a trap - my neighbor has one I can borrow, seems he has had a coon problem for 20 years. He has a fairly brutal method of dispatching the little beasts. I am checking into a pellet air rifle. In my local you can kill problem coons, but you can’t relocate. Go figure?

Thanks again for all your advice - I will keep you apprised on how it goes.

Hopefully my girls will live long and happy lives

 

[ctychix]

I use a havahart trap with an egg cracked as bait. They are not happy when the sun comes up so you'll need to cover the cage until you can relocate them with cardboard (they'll pull anything inside trying to get out).

 

[silkiechicken]

They can dig, so I would put some of that welded wire down as a skirt at least 8 inches wide around the bottom.

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
You are not kidding . . .we had a mother get in our attic then had three babies (what a nightmare that was!) I ran them out by acting like a rabid human being (hilarious story!

) but then the next spring, I had one come back . . . so I live trapped her. It was funny when I went to get her the next morning, she had dragged in plastic trash bags, artificial flowers, popsickle sticks, you name it. . .it all went with her to new old barn in the country on a vacant farm too!!

 

[Willie647]

I have been trapping with a havahart trap and dispatching them with a 22 cb short. It is quieter than a pellet gun and works better. Last 4 nites...2 coons and 1 possum... makes me wonder if I am making a dent. This is in town too, next to a major highway. I do have the coop inside a electric poultry fence but tommorrow am going to do better door locks.
Willie

 

[Araucana Dude]

How about this
http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/electric-fence-kit-for-pets--75.html

Electric Fence for dogs. I ordered mine a few days ago. See what happens with the BANDITS....

 

[cw]

i luv livin in the country, 12 gauge pump 2 am keeps coons out (loud and proud)

 

[montcapu]

Quote:
right on!!!