the biggest raccoon I have ever seen **caution graphic pics**

[bethandjoeync]

Well we knew that this would eventually be a problem, but didn't realize how "large" it could be.

my husband went out onto the front porch late one night last week, and heard something rustling in the leaves across the driveway, and then he saw this huge raccoon. I personally have never seen a live raccoon in real life, but I knew it would happen sooner or later. so Joey came inside and grabbed then loaded his 12 gauge as I watched this mammoth raccoon creep around our house into the backyard and sniffing around the run (I was hoping my girls wouldn't run outside with the back flood lights on). and we had to take care of this problem. so he shot him. he was huge (as you can see in the pictures) hopefully there won't be another one for a while.

chickens 1-----raccoon 0

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news...but where there is one there will be more. The spouse, all the kids and aunts and uncles to be precise. Be on the look out.

 

[Britney]

Do they normally get that large? The ones that we get around here are much smaller

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

I live in SW Florida and the ones around here get to the 20-30 pound range.
I can't really tell how big that one is. If it was a male, it wasn't done growing (well it is now but before you dispatched it).

 

[cliff47d]

i would bet there will be more...i have caught over twenty raccoons and even more possums in live traps next to my chicken coops (and one skunk pee uuuw) . i would recommend live traps..they work great !!

 

[Koolduck]

I've gotten some pretty big males in the haveaheart trap...and no I dont have a heart for coons,possumns,skunks....the trap goes into the rainbarrel for a time. Did you hubby "save" the tail?....very Daniel Boone-esque of him!

 

[underground chickenman]

I hear they are good eating. Seriously. Never tried myself. Yet.

UGCM

 

[bethandjoeync]

Quote:
yes he did

this was definitely a male, he had a huge scar on his back from something. and as for more around, I wouldn't doubt it. we have one live trap, but would probably end up catching more stray cats than racoons lol what a waist of time that would be. but we have a dog outside (that night we didn't because it had been raining) so hopefully she would at least bark or something (she barks at everything else that's for sure). Joey said that while holding it up, it felt like around 20-25 lbs (sans tail at that point).

 

[humm-n-cluck ranch]

holy smokes!!!!

 

[berriesncream]

Yep. I bet you will have more. We killed a male last year, then a few weeks later the female and found the babies in a tree a few days later. Sad, but not too sad cause they're not nice!!

And underground chickenman - my vet asked me recently if I'd ever eaten 'coon. When I said, "No, does it taste like chicken (haha)?" He responded, "Nah. Tastes more like squirrel. You like squirrel?" Seriously.