I caught a raccoon & another & another ***GRAPHIC PICS*** pic heavy

[hillrunner]

Possums!!! I can't seem to catch a dang coon in my traps for these things!

Farmers only worry during the growing season, but towns people worry all the time.

 

[Ultra]

Well, had a coon in the yard but I think it was there last night when his buddy got trapped. He didn't go for the bait. Ah well. Maybe something more irresistible to use for bait? Canned salmon worked for the first 2, but I ran out. Tuna didn't work, maybe canned shrimp?

Coons love sweets Cola works great.

 

[peepinator]

WoWZa. Never seen so many people so excited about killing raccoons or other animals. I fed them for years at our three homes prior to this one...loved them.They never bothered my chickens because I built a coon-coyote-fox-dog-skunk proof coop and run. They came to visit us at out door every evening, I fed them bread, eggs, cat food....whatever I had. They would visit & eat and then go back into the woods. I could hand feed some of them--they are adorable and very playful. They were never destructive either as there was nothing for them to destroy around my place--we are neat and our place immaculate with nothing laying around for them to even have access to. Don't leave garbage or anything out that they'd even be interested in getting into so no worries. Haven't seen any raccoons around this house yet, but we have cougar, coyotes, foxes and wolves around here. Just recently, I got lazy about leaving my coop open at night alot and early a.m. my roo and girls would go out before it was even daylight and I lost 4--had seen a fox real near and heard a pack of coyotes that week. I should have been shutting my coop at night. I can't and won't blame the predators--I blame myself. They do what they do...they are opportunists and if I had done what I know I should have--I wouldn't have lost my 4 chickens. I'm the dumba**! Needless to say, I've been closing the chickens up in the coop at night so they're not up and outside wandering around for the predators to get. Duh.

 

[Shellz]

Like you, peepinator, I used to feed baby coons & an 'orphaned' fawn as a favor to an UNLICENSED wildlife rehabilitator (not saying you're one, just relating my personal experience here) who used to live here. Yeah, I thought it was great! I had a fawn & 3 baby coons following me on my pasture. I felt like a character from a Disney movie. It was then I realized something was off. This was NOT what nature intended. This unlicensed rehabber was caring for animals that didn't need it. I think it is our selfishness to bring these animals closer to us. We do them a great disservice in doing so. Wild animals NEED that fear of humans to survive. By feeding them, you make them bolder & quite possibly a danger/problem to someone else. They will equate all humans as a source for food & may gravitate less to natural foraging. This is most unhealthy, IMO. BTW, fawn was shot dead the first day of hunting season. She didn't stand a chance because she was tamed. No fear of humans can equal death for these creatures. I've done my research & learned to leave wild animals alone, (they have my 15 acres of safe woods & beyond until the fall deer hunting season) or take out the ones on my cleared 3 acres, that mean to do harm to my poultry.

So, do what you want - I'm just trying to educate/open some eyes here. Best for all to leave nature unspoiled. My 2 cents.

 

[peepinator]

I agree with you Shellz...wild animals need to be wild and live in the wild. I never rehabilitated any of the wild animals ( I do have a friend that does that though-licensed) and I don't have a problem with people rehabilitating them if it's done right and they are not turned into pets and then turned out to the wilderness and expected to live like wild animals. People who rehabilitate professionally--take care to keep the animals as close to wild as possible so that when they release them back out--they aren't killed like the pet fawn you spoke of....they have learned to be a wild deer, a wild coon or whatever the case is. I've never turned any of the coons that came to our porch into my pets...a couple would take food from my hand--but let's make no mistake here--these coons were wild critters and got plenty of food from the woods--not just me. They never followed me---came into my home and never relied on me for food...we'd go months without seeing any and then they'd sporadically come around--disappear again and later return--not all the same either--some different and at three different homes we lived at--for 15 years--all came and went as wild animals. I always fed my cats outside so it wasn't a secret that there was food around. We had deer, elk and turkeys that came around and ate from our fruit trees or seed that dropped from my bird feeders. I enjoyed it when they would come around--none were tame--just lots of them lived in the woods all around us so we saw them almost daily. I don't go out of my way to make pets out of wildlife...and I certainly would not kill any of them. I just enjoy when they come and visit and then dissappear into the woods. I've been a country girl my whole life--choose to live in the country where predators exist--instead of kill them when they do what they naturally do--kill domestic animals that are available for the killing--we try to co-exist with them and take preventive measures with our domestic animals--such as providing secured areas to be sure none of the predators can get to them. Simple as that--people can't expect that if they live in areas where dogs, cats and other wild predators live and they don't properly house their animals that they won't be prey. If you're gonna have chickens--or other critters and they are free for the taking--it's just a matter of time before the opportunity presents itself to a predator. Just expect it to happen. It's not the predators fault--it is the owner of the chickens or other critters. You can trap and shoot all the coons, skunks, coyotes, foxes you want but until yu secure your critters--they'll continue to be breakfast, lunch and dinner to the predators. Just sayin'.

 

[hillrunner]

I see myself as a part of nature and don't enjoy another predator coming into my territory feeding on my food source be it my poultry, livestock or garden that I use to feed my family. A lion or wolf doesn't put up with others why should I?

Farmers only worry during the growing season, but towns people worry all the time.

 

[Scott H]

When people feed them it creates an unnatural balance. ... more move in because of the extra food creating problems. A place that can naturally sustain a few coons now has many times that amount and I, along others, don't appreciate it. My neighbor got sick of all the coons around us and trapped 27 one summer. In his driveway. Don't feed wild animals. It forces others to take care of a problem you created.

 

[Shellz]

I understand your system of flock management peepinator. Let me just say that I prefer & insist on free ranging my birds during the day in warmer months. They get locked up in the coop at night. That being said, certain choices need to be made in this type of flock management. Some folks aren't comfortable with making those choices. That's fine. I never thought I could kill another living thing. That changed with my first fox attack. I learned that if I wanted those yummy orange yolks and give the birds their freedom to find their own food, (for the most part) I had to change. I was willing to accept the consequences & learn to do what I needed to do to protect them. I have a hard time not just with coons, but other predators as well. I won't tolerate any threatening predator to my flock or my dogs. If birds get taken, it's my fault. I'm not going to whine about it, I'm going to take action. A few coons or predators are taken & the rest seem to get the message for awhile. I'm fully aware they'll be back & we can play this game all over again. That's nature & life. Think how our ancestors had to deal with these varmints. The folks who settled wherever you may live. They had some very tough times indeed, raising their livestock.

 

[Shellz]

Peepinator made some good comments here, but I have to disagree on the feeding of wildlife period. I even stopped feeding the pretty, wild birds because of the diseases & parasites they can transfer to my free range poultry. The others here get the point. If you enjoy watching wildlife, I suggest getting a trail camera or 2. Great fun seeing what's out there! I've seen newborn fawns with their moms nursing. Beautiful sight! That's how I choose to respect nature, by leaving it alone unless it comes to my place for a chicken dinner!

 

[Shellz]

Think I'm going to bow out of this thread. There are folks who don't understand. Fine. I try to understand other's points of view. Its how I learn to appreciate other people's situations & circumstances. I fall back to the 'agree to disagree' argument, if you will, for those who continue to comment in shock about this thread.

Graphic warnings in threads seem to be magnets for folks who feel they need to change our ways, it seems. Is it just me, or does it feel like we're being baited here? Surely I realize our methods of protecting our poultry isn't for everybody. It's not wrong as much as penning birds 24/7 isn't wrong either. It's just different. And that is my final 2 cents on the matter.