Caught and Relocated a Raccoon

[Captain13]

I saw a raccoon going up a tree near my coop last evening. Out came the Havahart Raccoon Trap, baited with dry dog food and a few marshmallows. This morning, the new inmate was resting securely in the trap. I loaded him up in the truck and took him out in the country and released him with a warning not to come back because I might not be so nice next time.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I relocate every one I trap to deep hole. Never becomes someone else's problem and it don't come back.

 

[Molpet]

I keep having people releasing varmints by me. I don't understand why people think it's ok to give their problems to someone else. They say they didn't see the house because of the trees. In less than 4 years I have gotten 105 raccoons about the same in opossum. Along with chipmunk and pine squirrels that have caused damage to my vehicles.

 

[Sally PB]

Be careful -- relocating a raccoon may not be legal.

Raccoons are a big nuisance here. If I trap one, I feed it a lead pill. They get buried in my garden to enrich the soil. That is the only benefit they give me.

If you do this, be sure to bury them deep, say, 2 feet or more, so that other critters don't dig them up.

 

[Folly's place]

'Acting normal' isn't how you determine illness! This critter might be incubating anything, and 'act sick' tomorrow. Trap and shoot, or don't trap.
Having a predator proof coop and small run, so your birds aren't at risk, at least at night, solves many problems without trapping.
Mary

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

I understand not wanting to kill any living thing just for doing what nature breed them to do. Im a total animal lover, but after watching a fox several times on my security camera trying to take out my flock I grew a B**ch Bone. Got 2 traps and all I have caught is Possum. That possum can be just as much of a threat, for the next person. I wont relocate because I dont want to make it someone else's problem. But to each its own. Lots of big fish in the pond out back......been feeding them for a minute now..........

 

[Penpal]

As Folly's Place wrote, raccoons will have an incubation period before the virus travels from the bite spot to the brain. Once the virus starts moving, it will take five days to make it to the brain. This is when they will have the virus in their saliva.

Please kill any raccoons that are attracted to your place. They are not endangered but will continue to be a danger to any chickens, yours or your neighbors.

 

[countryladyNH]

I keep having people releasing varmints by me. I don't understand why people think it's ok to give their problems to someone else. They say they didn't see the house because of the trees. In less than 4 years I have gotten 105 raccoons about the same in opossum. Along with chipmunk and pine squirrels that have caused damage to my vehicles.

I completely agree with you. I think it's totally irresponsible to "relocate" predators. The cold hard fact. is that if you choose to have chickens, etc., you have a responsibility to protect them as much as possible. Our coops/runs are predator proof, but we do let our girls free range as much as we can because the love it. We have had a predator get a hen. Thankfully it's been rare, and it's very upsetting but does happen. We set traps if we have an incident and if we catch a predator in our yard hubby dispatches it with a .22. This is not something anyone loves to do; It's just necessary sometimes. We don't believe in deliberately making our predator someone else's potential problem.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I would normally eliminate threats to my chickens with a shotgun. We have a serious rabies problem in Georgia but this one was acting normal. He is now down near the Flint River which is a very remote area.

Having such a serious rabies issue would be reason enough to never relocate. Not trying to "beat a dead coon" here but you should find out the rules for relocation in your area and I would want to know if they want any that are caught, for rabies testing.
I would imagine they would just say dispatch any that are a nuisance as I'm sure animal control is over worked as it is.

 

[lagrange chicks]

Believe it or not killing the coons help the coon population now days. They are way over populated due to there fur not in demand, so hunters / trappers are not targeting them. So if the one's we do catch and kill will help keep sickness like rabies and distemper lower.