Neighbor is BIG TIME feeding the raccoons.

[Joe19]

Not in any way. When is giving inaccurate information helping? Just want him to either say he was mistaken or show me so I can learn and educate myself with the proper literature. Is there anything wrong with that? Or can you just say anything you want on here and give bad information. Look, he might send a link proving his point and help me to learn. If he does I'm all for it.

 

[centrarchid]

You included my post in the "Nope" statement.

 

[centrarchid]

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_he...und--redlinedLaceyamndmnt--forests--may08.pdf

 

[bobbi-j]

Getting back to our original program... OP, I agree with others that you need to control what you can, and that would be the safety of your flock. If you don't have a run, build one with a cover on it, then put several strands of electric fence around it. Call your local wildlife enforcement, whoever that may be - Fish & Game, DNR - whoever. If it's against the law for her to be feeding them, let them deal with it. Set live traps around your coop, eliminate any raccoons caught. Bring some cookies to your neighbor. Or better yet, invite her over for coffee and give her some fresh eggs. She's probably lonely.

 

[Joe19]

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_he...und--redlinedLaceyamndmnt--forests--may08.pdf

Look I'm going to drop it and i appreciate the info but,
All that says is that your prohibited from transporting wildlife that has been taken by means that violate state laws and stuff about crossing state [email protected]

 

[azygous]

I'm surrounded by old folks who love to feed the wildlife. They go to great expense sometimes to provide food and water for bird and beast. They're usually lonely, and enjoy the sense of companionship and connection from having wildlife in close proximity.

One woman loved to feed a mama and her bear cubs on her deck. It backfired tragically when the cubs returned the following year and mauled her. Right here where I live. The woman survived but spent months in the hospital undergoing reconstructive surgery on face and scalp.

Often, when he has time, our local wildlife officer will stop by for a chat with these people but doesn't write tickets. He tries to explain the dangers to the wildlife and themselves if they choose to continue the practice. Not very many people heed his advice, sadly.

I faced the same problem in the parks where I used to work as a park ranger. People often are incapable of seeing wildlife as anything other than animals in a petting zoo or a Disney exhibit. They aren't able to connect to the danger some wild animals pose. I guess they don't teach that in school. It would be the only place urban folk would ever hear about how to safely interact with wild animals.

Yes, the entire issue is fraught with conflicting opinion. Even the topic of uncontrolled pets infringing on others rights to keep their own animals safe on their property is going to stir up controversy. I once was writing a ticket for dog off leash in a state park and it triggered a mob response from onlookers. It was a scary experience. Some people think dogs have a god-give right to "run free". Glad I'm retired.

 

[Lilki]

Thanks all. We have tried trapping and only caught two that way. We could safely shoot, but have a hard time seeing them. Is there a better way than just using a flashlight?

This is an interesting display of intolerance. In many ways I am like the old lady feeding the raccoons. When we moved onto our ground, it had just been laid fallow to extremely heavy grazing with a beef cow-calf herd. The pasture vegetation was dominated by fescue that wildlife and insects beneficial to me had little use for. The woodlot was dominated by a thicket of trees where larger trees would die from damage to roots and the understory is dominated by toxic plants the cattle did not like to eat but otherwise are not typical of natural understory plants where I live. As soon as I moved in the process to promote / establish native plants began. Intent was first to make area more suitable for true free-range keeping of chickens as I deem fit. Second was to promote abundance of wildlife. When we first moved in very few rabbits or squirrels were present and we had few native birds. Rabbits in particular are building up in abundance where they can reproduce very successfully on my land. Then many have to emigrate to neighbors where the rabbits are putting moves on gardening efforts like they are doing here. Additionally raptors like the Great-horned Owl and Coopers Hawk are really working my ground and surrounding properties. At least some of my neighbors are not happy about the increase in abundance of wildlife that is obviously centered on my little patch. Still I am doing what makes me happy, not unlike the little old lady with her raccoons. They would be sticking their noses into my business telling me to stop efforts. I am not saying anything as of yet about how their efforts to keep manicured lawns and continuous supply of pet food and trash dumpsters suppresses abundance of most wildlife with exception several urban tolerant invasive species. The species list includes the following; raccoons, dogs kept as pets, cats, European Starlings, Eurasion House Sparrows, Eurasion Collared Doves and rats. I can deal easily with all but the starlings and sparrows that not only eat a lot of feed and defecate on equipment, they also bring in disease. We have conflicts. System that works I do what I do without being overtly critical of neighbors and they do what can to protect their own with efforts restricted to their properties. Neighbors, like me, need to stay within the law.

I have to respectfully disagree that you are like Raccoon Lady. You are helping to restore a natural ecosystem, with presumably native animals feeding on native plants and native predators feeding on them. These are animals that would be there if people were not. You are not leaving out food for the predators to breed out of control and screw up the rest of the food chain. Like I mentioned in the OP, this lady is not just leaving out a bowl of cat food now and then. She buys 80 pounds of it at a time and is single handedly allowing these raccoon to reproduce when they normally wouldn't be able to.

I commend you in your efforts to go native. I am as well. By planting native plants I have native berry eating birds back in my yard, like they're supposed to be. Good luck when they try to nest though, because their eggs will get eaten by the hordes of raccoons who love the easy targets.

Riparian areas are rare here where I live in Ca. There has been a community effort, spear-headed by our local Nature Conservancy, to restore the native habit of the animals that should live here. Getting the birds back is one of the main goals, but it is being undermined by the artificially inflated population of raccoons. And the rats. Don't get me going on the rats. This lady is messing with a fragile and hurt ecosystem and someone is going to have to remedy it.

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm surrounded by old folks who love to feed the wildlife. They go to great expense sometimes to provide food and water for bird and beast. They're usually lonely, and enjoy the sense of companionship and connection from having wildlife in close proximity.

One woman loved to feed a mama and her bear cubs on her deck. It backfired tragically when the cubs returned the following year and mauled her. Right here where I live. The woman survived but spent months in the hospital undergoing reconstructive surgery on face and scalp.

Often, when he has time, our local wildlife officer will stop by for a chat with these people but doesn't write tickets. He tries to explain the dangers to the wildlife and themselves if they choose to continue the practice. Not very many people heed his advice, sadly.

I faced the same problem in the parks where I used to work as a park ranger. People often are incapable of seeing wildlife as anything other than animals in a petting zoo or a Disney exhibit. They aren't able to connect to the danger some wild animals pose. I guess they don't teach that in school. It would be the only place urban folk would ever hear about how to safely interact with wild animals.

Yes, the entire issue is fraught with conflicting opinion. Even the topic of uncontrolled pets infringing on others rights to keep their own animals safe on their property is going to stir up controversy. I once was writing a ticket for dog off leash in a state park and it triggered a mob response from onlookers. It was a scary experience. Some people think dogs have a god-give right to "run free". Glad I'm retired.

WHAT??? Those parks aren't just great big petting zoos?

Seriously, I shake my head every time I hear about someone getting killed by a bison at Yellowstone, or any other similar situation.

 

[thomasboyle]

WHAT??? Those parks aren't just great big petting zoos?

Seriously, I shake my head every time I hear about someone getting killed by a bison at Yellowstone, or any other similar situation.

Nature's way of thinning the herd.... and not the bison herd!

Since you can't shoot every raccoon coming to your neighbors property (I assume you work, sleep etc, so there is 16 hours a day gone) and what about foxes, coyotes, bobcats, hawks, eagles, falcons etc. I decided since I can't kill all the predators that I would build the best defense possible to keep my chickens and ducks safe. Step one was cutting back the woodlands to put some open space between the wild animals and my chickens and ducks. No point in making is easy for them to sneak up on your birds. Step two was an electric net fence from www.premier1supplies.com. This made the difference from 1-2 losses a month to 0 losses in 3 years. Step 3 was a predator proof run and coop. Step 4 is my dogs that claim my property as their own and love to mark every bush and tree. Sure I have guns and traps but that is my last line of defense. I have predators a plenty, but keep the at bay without killing them.

You can't keep your neighbor from feeding the raccoons, but you can keep them from coming on your property and getting your chickens.

Here's my predator gang. I get pics of most of them 1-2 times a week.













And here are my defenses!

 

[bobbi-j]

@thomasboyle - You have quite the variety of visitors - some of them rather large!