Screaming racoons at 2 in the afternoon!! <UPDATE - FISHER CAT!>

[AmyBella]

I was sitting outside enjoying the sunshine when I heard my girls making a fuss. I saw something move in the brush at the edge of the yard... a juvenile raccoon! It ran down the bank toward the river when I hollered. Two minutes later, I heard the most horrible blood-curdling scream! It went on and on... sounded like a 2 year-old was being tortured. As I got to the river bank something much bigger than the baby raccoon was running up toward me! I turned and ran thinking that maybe mama 'coon has rabies. I scooped up my two chickens that free-range and everyone is on lock down. (I can't believe that I caught those two. They can be pretty evasive, but somehow I grabbed them both at the same time!)

Wow. I had a visit from a hawk this morning and now this! I was thinking about calling animal control, but I really don't even know what we are dealing with.

Well, my radar is up!

 

[Whispering Winds]

Wow! That is scary!! I am glad you got away from whatever it was running up the bank toward you . . .I know its not good to see a coon in the daylight hours because of rabies, but I guess since this was a young one, he might have his days and nights screwed up . . .we rarely see anything around our acreage, but I bet when I get chickens, they will be coming out of the woodwork!! It seems to happen that way, its like chickens have a radar on them for free food!! Careful when you mess around outside!

 

[AmyBella]

Oh, I am so jumpy now! There is a baseball game going on about 1/2 mile from my house and I keep running out to check the chickens when they cheer!

 

[crazy cat lady]

That would be a scary situation! Take care and carry something you can protect yourself with, be it a baseball bat or whatever. My SO has guns, but they are locked up and I don't know how to use them, besides I can't even hit the broadside of a red barn with my pellet gun. So any pred is safe from me.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Be careful! Momma raccoons are chasing away their mostly grown babies now because it is approaching late summer-fall breeding season. You may have heard a young raccoon accidently running into a strange grown-up raccoon. That would lead to a very noisy confrontation which the young raccoon may or may not have survived. That would account for the screaming. Thay can sound really dreadful, can't they?

 

[purpletree23]

I agree with crazy cat lady. I never go 'out back' without my cell phone, mace and a golf club. Golf clubs are a dime a dozen at yard sales. Great to grip and that head really packs a whallop.


PLUS you have to watch out for the 2 legged predators.

 

[AmyBella]

Last night I was awakened by the most horrible noises! I have heard cat fights and raptor attacks before but this was just crazy- so alien and different. I spoke to a neighbor this morning and he thinks it is was a fisher cat. That would make sense. In retrospect, I am pretty sure that is what was running at me Saturday. It almost certainly killed the baby raccoon!

This makes me nervous because it was active during the day when I am not around to protect my girls!

 

[mikeksfarmer]

I read the other day that a Bob cat will some times kill baby or young raccoons. I am not sure what part of the country you are in. Do Fisher cats live there?

 

[ksct]

We Have @ Least One Fisher Cat Around Here. Dh Saw It In The Day/dusk. I Say If You Free Range, You're Bound To Lose Chickens.... Just Don't Know When Ya Know... That's Why I Can't Bring Myself To Let Ours Free Range. And Once They Get A 'free Meal' They'll Always Be Back... Just Keep That In Mind.