Neighbor is BIG TIME feeding the raccoons.

[Lilki]

I just found out that one of my neighbors is feeding the raccoons. My husband ran into her at the store. She was buying 80 POUNDS of cat food!! My husband made some jokes about having a lot of cats and that's when she told him it was for the raccoons.

I'm seriously ****** and I don't know what to do. Raccoons killed a nesting duck family, with nine ducklings, this past season. They've killed our koi fish, our turtles, and anything that nests on the ground or within reach. They are also dying, probably of disease since there are so many of them. We've found them dead in our pond and around our property. It's digusting.

Our animals are securely locked up at night, and we haven't lost any, but this is so wrong on so many levels. It can't be legal, right! I want to report her but I don't know who to report her to. She's about 80 years old and is not going to stop. She has no idea what kind of damage she's doing. Is there anything I can do about this?

 

[melliston]

Trap and shoot.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

What melliston said. I don't know if it is legal or not but that's just crazy.

 

[Howard E]

In some areas, feeding is OK, or at least not prohibited, and in others it is not. It is a variation on feeding wild birds. Same principle, different animals.

Some feed deer, some raccoons or skunks, etc. I had an elderly uncle who nearly died from meds given to him by a doctor, when he told the doc he was feeding possums. The doc assumed he was crazy and kept upping the meds. It was not until his kids quizzed the doc did it all get straightened out. He WAS feeding the possums. They came up on his patio outside his sitting chair. He just liked watching them play. Kill them? He did by the hundreds out of principle when he was younger........as he got old, he changed his ideas about them.

Your elderly neighbor may be the same way, plus perhaps lonely. These would now be her companion animals and friends. Understandable that you would be concerned.

If illegal, may be best to let some agency deal with it. It may depend on the scale of it, like those folks they find with 200 cats in the house. It started out as 2 and without them realizing anything had gone wrong, it became 200.

If deemed OK, and they will be around for good, best to start shopping for electric fencers. Hot ones.

 

[shortgrass]

Well, being as raccoons are one of the biggest harbringers of rabies, I think a call to your state wildlife agency is in order... That, and just maybe a welfare check on her. She might be hoarding, or some other unhealthy behavior and the coons are just a symptom of it.


And... Hot fence AND traps. Shooting them is your choice. It's what I'd do, but the choice is entirely yours.

 

[Joe19]

Get a live trap and relocate miles away or give away for meat. They love jumbo marshmallows. Works good in the live trap.

 

[duluthralphie]

Time for a neighborhood feud.

Shoot a few and invite her over for coffee to see the pile of dead raccoons... When she is shocked explain the damage they do and disease they carry...




Or invite her for coffee before you pile them up if you want, my way would make a bigger impression.

 

[shortgrass]

Get a live trap and relocate miles away or give away for meat. They love jumbo marshmallows. Works good in the live trap.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree....

Relocation is most likely illegal, not to mention a terrible idea. I for one, woukd be extremely mad if someone dumped a trap smart coon on my property.

Most state laws require a raccoon to be dispatched (destroyed) on site. Might check your state laws to make sure.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The world of air rifles has really hit it's stride of late. Pre charged pneumatic multi shot .30 caliber rifles are what that situation calls for. And on that note there is a world of airgunners out there that look for places and opportunities to shoot. A large forum and good place to find such avid gunners is GTA. Bound to be members near you that would jump at the chance to take care of your problem. Nearly silent and effective weapons that are perfectly matched for humane dispatch of racoon. I'm a member and could easily make a post in forums for you. PM if your interested with town and state so I can find members near you.

These are highly respectful gunners and would work with you and any boundaries you set. Large farms with bird problems or any type of pest reach out to air gunners as it's short range, quiet and the folks are into shooting as a sport so only take known kill shots. They want to come back and shoot more so will be very respectful. In your situation I could see a few people coming to set up a bait pile, waiting for coons to be on it then coordinating to take four out at a whack. Then coming back a night the following weekend. Like all hobbies people get a little crazy with them. We're talking noise reducers and night scopes. These guys live to shoot.

 

[duluthralphie]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree....

Relocation is most likely illegal, not to mention a terrible idea. I for one, woukd be extremely mad if someone dumped a trap smart coon on my property.

Most state laws require a raccoon to be dispatched (destroyed) on site. Might check your state laws to make sure.

I could not agree with you more. I live in the middle of a federal wildlife refuge. I was here first, the feds "Bought" ( I say stole under eminent domain) our land and 30,000 other acres leaving us on a peninsula of private land in a wildlife refuge. People from the cities bring their nuisance squirrels out here and let them go. I am then forced to take care of the problem they moved to me.

I am pretty sure I get there other problem animals too.

I have thought about following one of the "dumpers" home to see where they live, then bring a bunch of "animals back to them, spread out a blanket and have a picnic in their backyard . Like they do in mine.


Oh and leave them a couple dozen beer cans.