Raccoon had me treed. What's your scariest raccoon experience?

[Ifowldown]

Just wanted to share a little story that happened to me last fall. It does involve a raccoon dying, so if that offends you , you can stop reading now.


Last October, I had been having problems with raccoons getting into our garbage and into the dog food. I have about 13 acres, of which 10 is wooded. I have a trail camera and would sometimes notice 7 or 8 raccoons at one time. I knew I had to reduce the population, if I hoped to get chickens. I set out live traps and was able to get 4 which I quickly disposed of. I still hoped to get rid of a few more.

I was out bow hunting for deer one evening in the woods behind the house. I was about 30 feet up a tree in a hang on stand with ladder steps going up the tree. It was just about dark, and I was getting ready to get down, when I hear something coming down the hill. I waited and noticed a big raccoon that was headed towards my house. I pull back and when it got about 15 yards away, let an arrow fly. It hit it right in the mid-section. It starts growling and runs straight to the tree I was in. It paced at the base of the tree for about 10 seconds, and then starts climbing the ladder steps up towards my stand. All I could hear over my own cussing was a very ticked off coon growling. I only had one arrow left, and was debating whether to shoot it or use it as a poker, when it got close. The only way I had out of that tree besides a 30 foot jump, was down the ladder. I looked again, and noticed the raccoon was only about 3 feet from my treestand. I can still picture in my mind the snarl on his face, and his teeth glistening in the light of the full moon. I decided to use the arrow to poke him if needed and kick him out of the tree if that didn't work. He got to about a foot away from the treestand, and I was ready to start poking, when I noticed he stopped and the growling was becoming slower. He sat there for about 5 seconds looking at me, and then let go and fell 29 feet back to the ground. (the beginning of Ace Ventura 2 came to mind) I sat there for a few minutes collecting my breath and checking out the new lump in the back of my shorts. Eventually, I started to climb down the ladder, and noticed that it was covered in raccoon blood. I ended up throwing the gloves I had away.

I don't know why he came up the tree. Whether he was just trying to "get away" or whether he was intentionally coming after me. With the noise I was making as he was coming up the tree, I tend to believe the latter.

 

[homesteadmomma]

This just happened last month so it's very clear in my memory. It wasn't so scary at the time, but thinking back on it...

We had lost 3 barred rock pullets to something, and we weren't sure what it was. We found them in the run after leaving the coop door open overnight (yep, stupid, but completely accidental). So here we are wondering what came in the 2x4 panels in the first place. Weasel, rat, etc. We just weren't sure. Well, as a habit I always take my .22 with me out to the coop or out in the woods, wherever. In case I see any coyotes or chipmunks etc. I rarely use it, so I just prop it up against the door when I go to lock the chickens up each night. Well here I am sitting out there and I hear something climbing up the cattle panels of the run. I'm kinda floored that something is coming this close to me with me talking inside. So I peak outside the window and here this big ol' coon is lifting a cattle panel corner that covers the run. Keep in mind these weigh in at over 100 lbs each and it took my husband and I both plus the use of various supports to set the panels on top. But this coon comes on in and climbs down the opposite side of the panel. I'm in shock that it's coming in and I barely think to grab the gun. My first instinct was to shut the chicken door, but that doesn't solve the coon problem so much. So I grab the gun and even with all of the noise I'm making that coon sticks his head in the chicken door. BANG! Chickens are flying I'm trying to make sure I killed the coon. Chaos! But as soon as everyone settles down I can see the coon on the ground next to the ramp. I shut the chicken door and locked up the birds and went in the run to make sure it was dead, and sure enough it was. Like I said not so scary at the time, but to think back, it is kinda scary that this 30 lb coon showed absolutely no fear of my scent or the noise I was making.

 

[Ivywoods]

Sounds like he had his mind set on a chicken dinner!

Those darn coons are strong and man! They can sure be destructive!

My hubby had one climb DOWN a tree that he was sitting UNDER one time while deer hunting. The darn thing was snarling and hissing.

A 30-06 point blank leaves a pretty big hole.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I worry about coons carrying rabies. I don't know how many chickens I have lost to coons, but it is a lot. I did manage to trap one, shot it and skinned it. Cooked up the meat for the lsg dog and my chickens. Payback!

 

[Dennq]

I always pack my .45 Glock when I am in my tree stand. It sends the coons flying with those big hollow points

 

[Hoss1975]

Quote:
Yes but then the pelt is no good.I carry a 22 mag derringer and it does a great job of dispatching.

 

[feliciamckee]

What do you do with the pelts? I hear the price of them has gone down and that's why no one is hunting them as much. I am overun with coons! I have one in the trap right now! He is number 12 in the last two months. I got to see this one before he got trapped because he was standing outside my window looking in about midnight.

I'm not afraid of them though, so far they have all been docile and run from me when I go out.

And...I know nothing of hunting, but I would have thought a bow would drop a coon in his tracks????

I even thought of getting coon dogs, but they would probably go after my chickens and they bark and howl all the time.

 

[33yardbirds]

When I was 12 I had a treed coon in the back yard. I had been squirrel hunting with an old break top .410. Popped one off on the coon and down the tree he comes madder than anything I had ever seen. Breaking open the gun fumbling for a shell, hip shot, dead coon at 5'. The lesson learned? Make sure you have enough fire-power for the task at hand.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

My DH was home when he heard an animal crying up in the woods. He put the dog inside and went up to check on it. It was a very young raccoon. He spoke to it comfortingly, wanting to see what was wrong. It was very dirty. Then, it started coming towards him, still crying, and was a bit too close. He spoke to it sternly, and it came faster, still crying. At one point, he decided to run. It chased him down to the house. He grabbed a board from the garage to fend it off, and it bit the board. He ran around to the side of the house to grab the cats and put them inside, and it chased him up the stairs - a long set of metal grate stairs from a local factory. Well, he went inside to get his gun, but it wasn't loaded, so by the time he got back outside, it was gone. He was patrolling the yard, pretty sure now that it was rabid, when he heard a few shots go off down at the neighbor's. He walked down there, and sure enough, the raccoon had attacked our neighbor while gardening. His wife was inside loading rifles and tossing them out the window to him. I think he got it on the second or third shot. No one really felt good about it, but it had to be done. They called animal control who said to just thow the body up on the ridge behind our houses!

They buried it deeply instead. It turns out it was being kept as bait for coon/bear dogs by another neighbor. He had already had people report him for starving one of his dogs to death. We were then worried that his dogs might be rabid as well, but for a variety of other reasons, they have been evicted, so we shouldn't have to worry about that. The raccoon was dug up by something a couple weeks ago or so, but nothing else has turned up rabid. Apparently the virus doesn't last as long in a dead body in the heat. Well, that's my scariest raccoon experience.

 

[GoldenSparrow]

heres mine

The Unexpected Visitor April
On Wednesday night at 8:00 we had a very unexpected visitor. I, was going to the chicken coop with my sister to close- up the chickens for the night. The chickens were in the coop and were waiting for the little door, in the back cage to be shut for the night. It was very dark out and we should have brought a flashlight, but I couldn’t find one.
So together my sister and I headed off to the coop. We walked in the dark, and while my sister closed up the black cage I went over to the tree that I had leaned the small window by. I picked up the window, started to walk to the door of the coop and was startled to see a big furry something gallop not 10 feet away from me. It ran around the coop. Frantically I grabbed my sisters arm and with window still in hand, shoved both of us into the tiny coop storage area yelling “get in the coop!! It’s huge!! Its here!! It’s coming back!!”

My sister, all of a sudden being pushed into the coop and hearing my words was very shaken up. I remembered a story that a friend of ours told and being a chicken lover had told her that morning about a coop which was attacked every night by a huge wild dog. My sister grabbed the door handle and held it tight. I knew that it was to big to be a skunk and it was to small to be a coyote. Still not knowing what was out there I looked through the side window; it was so dark that all I could make out was a big gray creature coming back! He was turning and was circling the coop. This guy was not leaving even though I had startled him.

The scary thought of rabies went through my mind. Because just the day before, I had researched all about rabies. No I don’t think he had rabies after all I had startled him. I started to shake, were we just going to wait out here until my dad, or brother finally noticed how long weed be gone. I looked around we had really nothing to protect us except for the window if it got in. “Gabrielle close up the boys cage just in cause” my sister said. I could tell she was scared. I made sure that all the boys were in locked in the cage. I gave a glance out the side window and fear struck me there it was a huge great big gray raccoon! “It’s a raccoon I whispered to my sister”. Now raccoons are very smart I would latter learn and they used to open our old garage door. “Did you see it I whispered its huge!!” then my sister shouted its right there!! I looked to where she was pointing right in front of me not 3 feet away just behind the glass of the door was the biggest raccoon I had ever seen. he was a little lower then my knees and was at least 3 feet long with his big bushy tail dragging behind him. His big plump body shifted from side to side as he lumbered slowly past the door. Then the thought hit me,. The window was still out of the girls area and the only thing keeping this guy out was the little bit of wire. “ I need to put the window in I told my sister” “no she said as she grabbed my arm.” I really need to”. I told her not to let go of the door handle, as I opened the coop door I looked out the window the raccoon was passing it and started down the path toward the trash cans.

I put the window back in and stopped. We needed to call dad some how so I yelled. It took a few tries, but at last I saw the door of the house swung open and my brother stepped out . He started down the steps but our yelling stopped him. “there’s a raccoon” I shouted. He ran back into the house to get dad. A few seconds latter dad, and my brother appeared. Dad grabbed the bamboo stick that was by the door. “It went by the trash cans” we called. My sister and I looked out the window toward the trash cans ; the raccoon was nowhere to be seen. Dad went to the trash cans and with stick in hand started poking the cans. One of the trash cans was down and when he touched it with the stick, the trash can lid flipped open and the raccoons head popped out, he then scurried out and into the dark woods. We all new this guy was smart and he wasn’t gone, he was still hiding around here and if he was gone; he would be back. My father and brother walked to the chicken coop and helped us make sure the coop was close to raccoon proof. After that we all went inside and told of our raccoon tale. We thanked the Lord for keeping our chickens and us safe from the unexpected visitor.