Raccoon Busted Stealing Feed

[jeria]

Good luck hunting.

 

[centrarchid]

No capture. Something did come in an move rooster carcass that was left in condition found yesterday. Critter moved carcass back towards encounter site where it captured rooster. Move was about 30' while staying only in moved grass. Critter may have disturbed rooster in a pen near capture sight but sign not conclusive.

Ben, male dog, got out and had something treed south west of where I am trapping near fence line. He could not get at it and I could not see. Tree is a dense cedar about 30' tall.

I am not so confident of predator ID this go around. Either it is coming in from direction I am ignoring, it is actually in the cockyard during the day or it is wise to Have-A-Heart and Duke's Dog Proof Traps. I will pen carcass down with stake. This could still be a Great-horned Owl but area fed upon does not look right. Owls often move carcass and avoid pulling through high vegetation.

This operation will be led remotely. My student is going to take a crash course in predator management. We may put out store bought chicken as bribe until I get back. Maybe we can put that in traps in addition to current bait.

If owl, then I need to pen up all birds in barn and that will have to be done by student. I am short in cages for confining games that could go into battle royal mode if isolated from cocks. A battle royal could cost me a lot more chickens than what I lost so far.

Crap it!

 

[centrarchid]

I just wired up barn and moved all cock pens to perimeter. I got over heated big time. Did not puke but close.

It was a raccoon I am pretty certain now. Bastard pulled bait through sides of wire trap. I re-baited with rooster parts and setup live traps like you would if going after fox. Raccoon appears to have walked down a nice route after coming in. Based on pattern of traps not molested, the raccoon at least spends time in the area i think it comes in. It does appear to respect much of the fence.

Walking around in barn at night will be unpleasant the way I have hotwire strung through. Must keep raccoon out of the core!

 

[Howard E]

If you have a trap shy coon using a defined route or you have a place you can funnel them through, you might try using a snare? MDC wants you to use the non lethal kind with a release, which if you have dogs and cats that might be traveling through the same area, might be a good idea.

Order your snares today and they may get there by the time you get back?

http://www.snareshop.com/Aboutus.asp

 

[centrarchid]

Will check on snares.

Had a charger issue also, resolved.

 

[centrarchid]

Raccoon did not return during my absence. Last minute adjustments to perimeter may have been sufficient to keep raccoon out. Or dogs messed it up. My student house sitting was being particularly diligent checking traps and perimeter where dogs went with him. Dogs likely did not limit their checks to students efforts.

Student reported fence this morning not hot. Several long duration rain events went through during last four days. Ground more than saturated. Weeds overwhelmed charger. This is wettest growing season here yet for me although rains coming down in a manner vegetation can also make use of it.

 

[Sublight]

I had considered taking a roll of black plastic, and staking it to the ground with 5-6 inch nails under a hotwire. This will kill the grass under it and keep the fence from getting shorted. Even if your charger is a "weed cutter" type, it can only handle a few. If all the grass is growing, then its got to be hard.

Would that work for you? It would stop all the grass.

 

[centrarchid]

I am mowing it. Was hard to do when 800 miles away.

 

[centrarchid]

Got another one. This one, a kitten, taken by dogs only. I slept like a log last night. Part of fence down but that could easily have been done by Lucy in pursuit of raccoon. Kitten in good weight. Carcass will be used for an experiment where Bella, the eater of all things very dead, will not be able to interfere.

Fence will be down until I get back from work. Lucy fired up. When I start headed to barn she sprints along outer perimeter of fence where she needs to be to cut raccoons off fleeing to NW which is direction the raccoons come from. I suspect more kills will be make in coming days. Ample sign they are probing NW perimeter outside fence.

 

[centrarchid]

The kitten as I found it shortly before dawn.