I need advice on dealing with a big fat murderous raccoon!

[Newbie in Screamer Al]

Coons can tear your butt up! be carefull. A pitch fork is not the right weapon of choice.
Quote:
We have two pitch forks in the shed...where I was just seconds before entering the run. I wish I would have grabbed one on my way out. I could have taken care of the problem then and there.

 

[RoosterRidge]

Everything I have ever read or watched about racoons is that you can fool them once and that is it... If you relocate them make sure you take them at least 5-10 miles away... We had a problem awhile back with our corn crop... We used oatmeal cookies with peanut butter to catch them... They love peanut butter but they are also very smart and anything you use on them they will never let you get them with it again... I have a neighbor who says shoot, shovel and shut up... It is a good policy to follow if you have the guts to do it... We gave a try at turkeys years ago and the neighbors dogs killed each one of them by picking them off day after day... That is when another neighbor said shoot shovel and shut up...

 

[DrTom]

Quote:
Haha...I love that. I might have to steal that quote!

 

[remuda1]

"shoot shovel and shut up.."

That's the advice I was given when I first got my sheep. The friend that I got them from told me that probably my biggest threat would be from neighbor dogs. I LOVE animals, but if I caught a neighbor dog mauling my sheep or slaughtering my chickens, I'm pretty sure I would be able to use that advice. Hopefully my two 5 1/2 month old Great Pyrenees will discourage any intrusions until they are old enough to physically take care of it. They already have chased the four dogs that live behind us (they roam like a pack) away from the fence several times. They already take their jobs very seriously, other than that they are a couple of goofballs. I am most afraid of coons for my chicks though.... I've seen what they can do.

Kristi

 

[DrTom]

Well, I bought a trap and left it in the chicken run. I put some canned dog food inside. I'm hoping that tomorrow that I'll be able to "shoot, shovel, and shut up!" I will update you guys tomorrow on whether I was successful or not.

 

[saddina]

Your first error was not setting a trap after the first kill. that just encoursges more losses. When you see a problem adress it then, or be prepaired to be wiped out.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
No the FIRST error was using chicken wire. Welded wire and hardware cloth will help a lot.

In my experience, if you scare off the coon once in a night, it won't come back until the next night. Of course there are always exceptions, but that's been my experience thus far. (Skunks and possums, on the other hand, will come back before you can set up post and finish a cigarette.) If you scared it off last night, then tonight is the night to set the trap. It WILL be back when it thinks you aren't looking.

 

[Roo on Harley]

Some good advice in this thread so far,,,
Protect your flock the best you can with what you have.
Right to bear arms practice.
Nice hat to wear later.

 

[mjuenem]

I don't think the last S in "SSS" pertains so much to raccoons as it does to dogs...

 

[no1hilbily]

Do not relocate a trapped coon all that does is move the problem somewhere else and possible spread illness to another location if it is a nuisance animal it needs to be put down and in alot of places it is illegal to relocate coons or any other nuisance animals