We found all three coons within two to five feet of the bait. We waited until ten at night placed out the bait in an old chicken coop, shut the door and locked it. They dug in and ate the bait, then managed to scoot back under, walk a few feet and fall. We then woke up early, put up the bait for daytime, and disposed of the racoons. We have fenced in yards in an Ag neighborhood and other wild animals normally keep there distance.
As with any poison, rat bait etc, care & common sense must be used.
I would not leave it were other animals, including wild birds might drink it, although I don't know if they would like the smell. Putting it under a small covered area would be ideal.
Do not leave it sit out, the quicker you put it up the less chance of killing something you want to keep.
Shooting with houses so close was not ideal.
Traps took forever if at all to work, and if coons are smart enough to run a populated neighborhood, they are smart enough to avoid traps IMO and recent experience, with plenty of
set traps weighted with blocks and food gone.
I do not like killing any animal, but I put a lot of time and love into my animals as well as money and do not like seeing it ripped apart over my yard. If they we just passing through or eating other things and not my animals, they could have stayed, but they crossed the line and I felt this has been the safest for us, our neighbors and most humane for the coon. If you are in a place you can shoot w/o hitting neighbors, are a decent shot and have a gun then shoot away....not all of us are. I shutter at the thought of my hubby with a bb gun and the damage he could do with that - not joking. Some of us would be more dangerous with any type of gun in an excitable condition. So I used this method, not the best for some, but was the best for us.
