How to use a hav-a-hart trap for coons

[Country4ever]

Hi all,

I'm wanting to catch a coon and relocate it. Can't bring myself to kill.

I will pick a spot farther out in the country, near a river. Does that sound good?

Here's the question: When I see that the coon is in the trap, I'll wear arm protection and leather gloves, but will I be safe from it inside the trap? I'll lift the trap up and put it in my van and drive it farther away. When I take it out of the van, do I set the trap down, raise the door and run?? Will the coon be ticked off and want to come after me???

Any tips would be appreciated.

Is this cruel? I realize that relocating it could cause lots of problems for the coon.......but right now, I have to think of my hens.
Thanks.

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

Personally, I would shoot the coon when I release.

When you open the trap, the coon will be more interested in getting away from you, so you don't have to run.

 

[Judy]

I agree it will probably run in the other direction, but I think you're taking quite a chance. Not only from rabies but from coon worms, which they can spread to you through saliva. I would not handle one, or its cage, with anything but a long stick, and only dead, and would have a big hole dug. People have been blinded and paralyzed by these worms. Children should not even play where they have been.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

an old hog farmer once told me not to get all soft -- that you are taking a big chance in trying to let him out. so we shot our captured coon while he was in the trap, had a huge burn pile in his honor and sent him back to Valhalla.

if you relocate you are pretty much just causing a problem for someone else - and if its not far enough away he'll come on back.

sorry
:-(

 

[LA~Poulet]

I would relocate to an uninhabited area of the country, the area you mention with a river sounds good.

Not nearby-they are smart and can easily return. When we initially released our pet raccoons a couple miles away, they came home the next day. Eventually we let them go on my uncle's pond far out in the country-two weeks later we visited and they were skittish and stuffed to the gills, didn't even want their favorite treats (grapes & dog biscuits). They never created a problem for anyone-they lived out their lives around that pond-the last we heard of them was couple years later-we checked in every once in awhile but they returned to being wild. We left them food rations for awhile, that they never completely ate.

 

[beefy]

i just pick em up barehanded (em meaning the traps) while using enough common sense not to get bitten. but the coon will run from one end of the trap to the other causing it to see-saw so you have to watch out for that when moving them. hypothetically it should run away when you open the door at the raccoon sanctuary but you would need something like a stick or something to hold the door open while you STAND BACK just to be safe.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

In most places it is highly illegal to release raccoons. There is a concern about the spread of rabies & other illnesses they can harbor. Your local animal control may accept the raccoons you trap. Ours does, and usually charges $20 to do so, except for times of high rabies outbreaks.

Also, in most cases you're not doing the raccoon a big favor by releasing it into a new habitat. They can & often will travel for miles to return to their home territory. Making them take this trip puts them at risk of becoming road kill before they get home. Otherwise, they are left in a strange place and must now endeavor to find new sources of food, water, & safety while having to fend off new predators and finding its niche amongst the resident raccoon population.

But the biggest issue for most chicken-owning folks on this forum is that it's extremely inconsiderate to release a predatory animal, especially one who is now trap-wary, into someone else's neighborhood. One man's middle-of-nowhere is another man's property line. Follow the Golden Rule. Would you want others releasing raccoons anywhere near your property?

As for handling the traps, you should be able to pick it up by the handle and also grab the front edge above the trap door without getting nipped or scratched by the raccoon. I always secure the door with zip-ties or twists of wire before picking it up, once a heavy raccoon slipped out of a trap when it was lifted from the ground & he made the bottom sag enough to cause a gap.

Many folks dispatch the raccoons they trap, or have someone do it for them. Raccoon populations are growing along with development, there are plenty more where that one came from. There is information on other threads here about how to quickly & humanely dispatch the raccoon in your trap.

 

[mmwb]

Listen to the wise words of Sunny_Side_Up. Rabies and, I believe distemper (not the same brand that your pets get), are common in raccoons. Relocating animals is a good way to transmit disease.

I can appreciate those who reverence life to the point that they don't want to kill an animal. Death is a part of the natural process of existence. It is inevitable. There are trade offs. If you want to raise animals or birds that essentially prey animals, then you have to deal with predators. Passing the problem on to another is not the solution, foisting an animal into an unknown territory is not the solution, potential exposure to new populations of disease is not the answer.

If relocation is desired, at least talk to a wildlife biologist who is familiar with the species you are dealing with and who is aware of the best places to reintroduce your animal with the minimal negative impact on it and the area you would relocate to. No doubt most will just tell you not to relocate. There is a reason it is illegal in most areas. I'll get off my soap box now.

 

[TexasVet]

I shoot coons while they're in the trap. When I'm positive they're dead, I dump them in the middle of my field for the buzzards to eat. Buzzards are under-appreciated, and with the severe drought we're stuck in, they can use a free meal. No sense burying or burning something that another animal (or bird) will eat.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.CountryChickens.com

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
Thanks sunny, I couldn't have said it better. I am the middle of nowhere uninhabited countryside to most folks... and they still dump coons around here. I've lost 20+ birds because of these guys. I don't care how fort knox your coop is, if you trap, do not relocate unless it is AC and going to a fenced in wildlife refuge. Unless you live in Oregon, you're pretty much in violation of 3 different sets of laws....

I don't want to start a shouting match here, but trust me... you are not doing ANYBODY any favors by relocating.

Kill it if you plan on trapping it....... or live with your losses..

'nuff said