Darn Opposable Thumbs of Raccoons

[featherbaby]

Keep setting that trap! I live in an established residential neighborhood and when I first moved in I had a terrible problem with coons. I set a trap like yours and caught 67 before I gave up. Where there's one.....there's a whole clan, believe me!

 

[darkmatter]

Update: Got three more masked bandits relocated to a subterranean recycling process this past week, no new catches the last two days/nights. No more garden depredations lately, however I've lost a guinea a day for a week straight, so I'm guessing the fool guineas that have been roosting in the trees/nesting in the fields have met with a night time predator, probably an owl. Seen this before, the guineas get weeded down until they've learned what to avoid. Last time this happened I got left with just males, since the females sitting on nests in the fields were removed in the night by predation. This year I've raided the guinea nest and have 8 just now getting fully feathered, I'll be letting them out to mingle probably by next week. I've had a friend with a small guinea flock that been around for several years, he said the same thing, its a learning process by the guineas as to what to avoid. I'll post more pictures if I get anything new or unusual for "show & tell"

 

[mvktr2]

Great thread DM. As for the night predation of your fowl it could be the fox... did you let it go or send it to a permanent retirement home?

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[darkmatter]

Update: Been a week with no captures, thought I might be thinning the predators out a bit. Last night caught another Fox. So much for thinking fox are trap wary. I did change the bait---first fox was caught on the remains of the eggs/embryos, this one was caught on a fresh opened can of soft cat food. The raccoons have been caught on dry cat food.

 

[Lbrad7]

Wow!!! 2 fox and a slough of coons! It sounds like your coop is right in the middle of predator town USA. What is next??? A mountain lion?

Contrats on your success so far! I hope you catch ever coon in the county!

 

[chickenpicken]

I would almost guarantee that their is a willing coonhunter very near you that would be happy to take care of your problem for you.

 

[Delta3013]

Dem darn coons, outa get'em with me pellet gun.... Just like dat dern snake yesterday... lol, keep up the good work.

 

[darkmatter]

Still losing an occasional Juvenile, maybe this was doing it:

 

[CCFarms9559]

I have caught 15 coons and a possum this year. I never let my chickens free range and lock them up at night. Still finding little "hand" prints... so I keep setting traps.