What animal could this be???

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Ditto, I don't think anyones trying to start an argument. They're just trying to offer advice.

Here's my most recent coon experience:
Our neighbors keep chickens. Something trashed their chicken wire fence and got all 8 of their RSL pullets. They set their have-a-heart and caught a raccoon. Rather than dispatch it, said neighbor shook the raccoon around in the trap, yelled at it and then opened the door and let it scurry into the woods. They set the trap again that night and didn't catch a thing. But they did discover that the raccoon had busted into their other run and eaten all of those chickens as well (their hutches aren't very secure). Now they have no chickens. So, that coon has moved on...to my house. Its eaten a bunch of my chicken feed and gotten one of my birds. I caught it in my have-a-heart after loosing quite a bit of bait, and it busted my trap up when it decided it didn't want to stick around for another "talking to". No one in the neighborhood can catch it now. It turns over trash cans, my neighbor is missing a cat. You get the idea.
That's why everyone is making sure you understand how much damage they can do to the persons property they get dropped off near.
Whenever we catch one, they don't make it out of the trap (usually, anyway :/ ). Good luck

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Rather than dispatch it, said neighbor shook the raccoon around in the trap, yelled at it and then opened the door and let it scurry into the woods. They set the trap again that night and didn't catch a thing. But they did discover that the raccoon had busted into their other run and eaten all of those chickens as well... Now they have no chickens. So, that coon has moved on...to my house. ... I caught it in my have-a-heart ...and it busted my trap up when it decided it didn't want to stick around for another "talking to". No one in the neighborhood can catch it now...

A Duke Trap Co. DP or Dog Proof coon trap will catch the shyest of coons because it targets the coons feeding strategy, its hands. A dog or cat will almost never be caught in a DP trap for many reasons but the real reason is that few dog or cats will spend time trying to fish a marshmallow or some sweet corn out of a water pipe. A DP trap is so natural to a coon that he just can't resist sticking his arm in it.

 

[Cetawin]

That is 100% for sure a raccoon track.

Indeed it is. live trap baited with a can of cat food. Then dispatch it...relocating it means it comes back and is illegal in most areas.

Keep trap set...where there is one there is 10....more will come!

 

[rock101fan]

I catch them at least 1-2 a mo th a kill them babies when they are in the trap! I have lost so many quail and a few chickens, along with my neighbors having the same issue. My opinion, you mess with my girls, your dead . So don't feel bad and do t worry about this becoming an argument, where ever you go not matter what there will be people out there that will alway love every little insect or animal regardless of the devastation it may cause. Lets be honest , not all of us have the money to re - do fencing , hell it costs a lot to begin with .

 

[shmccarthy]

I catch them at least 1-2 a mo th a kill them babies when they are in the trap! I have lost so many quail and a few chickens, along with my neighbors having the same issue. My opinion, you mess with my girls, your dead . So don't feel bad and do t worry about this becoming an argument, where ever you go not matter what there will be people out there that will alway love every little insect or animal regardless of the devastation it may cause. Lets be honest , not all of us have the money to re - do fencing , hell it costs a lot to begin with .

^^^^
Very, very true
I don't have a problem with wild animals, heck I live on the edge of 600 acres of undeveloped woods so I better not have a problem with wildlife! I see anything from owls, pheasant, occasional quail and grouse, deer, doves, raccoon, fox, possum, and the wiley coyote. I do not have a problem with any animal unless they are worrying or killing my flock. My cat was almost killed by a large 28lb male raccoon a few years back and we shot and kille him the next night he came back. I got chickens about a year later and realized then just how bad the coon problem here was. I did a little..."experiment" and left some catfood outside to see how many were just hanging around. At the end of the week, 11 dead raccoons. After about a month, 20 and about 50 were killed in the span of 3-4 months! I tossed the carcasses a few miles away and let the buzzards get a free meal.
I haven't lost chickens in my coop, only free ranging and I plan on keeping it that way. Hopefully no more losses all together though..
After the coons realized they can't get into the run or coops, they se their sights on my feed. They tore apart a bag of chick starter feed that I foolishly left by the garage and literally spread it over the entire driveway. They now try and get into my corn I put out to draw deer in for deer season.
I've caught a few
All got to meet my friend, Mr. Savage .22

This possum was especially mean ^
The larger of the two coons was one that I highly suspect was a "here's a chunk of woods, let's release our problem here and hopefully no one minds" raccoon. She knew to step over the trigger to get to the food. I spread peanut butter on the trigger and caught her the next morning. Point being, trap and release only puts the problem on someone else's shoulders. She was wrecking havoc in the neighborhood for about a month before I could catch her. I just can't believe how many there are..

 

[Mac14]

A Duke Trap Co. DP or Dog Proof coon trap will catch the shyest of coons because it targets the coons feeding strategy, its hands. A dog or cat will almost never be caught in a DP trap for many reasons but the real reason is that few dog or cats will spend time trying to fish a marshmallow or some sweet corn out of a water pipe. A DP trap is so natural to a coon that he just can't resist sticking his arm in it.

You should see this with the captions on. Lol!

 

[blueraven]

Looks closer to a opposum track