raccoon in my garage rafters

[NMbirds]

Beg, borrow, buy or build a trap, a large one for a raccoon. I have trapped 9 of them, took them downstream at least ten miles to a new habitat, haven't had any back in the past year.
Even sprayed their tails yellow to be sure I wasn't getting the same ones all the time. I was fairly sure as some were different sizes and some semmed meaner than others.
Hav a Heart makes a great trap and they last forever. I used peanut butter on a cracker for the bait, even ate some myself.
http://www.havahart.com and good luck!

 

[maplesky7]

oh geesh...$90 dollars to get a coon trap sent to me. All it is is wire...that's one expensive coon.

Do they have these traps at Farm and Fleet?
I know I saw a smaller one for squirrels in the garage my dad had. Wonder where he got his?

But I'm sure I'd get a couple coons...probably even an opposom too.

That's what I get for living across from a corn field and some woods.

Well,
Maybe the farmer I know will let me borrow his trap. He's gotten 16 so far this season he was telling me.

I let the younger cat out but it's still raining and the older cat decided to stay in on the porch.

So what's the probability of this coon coming back and thinking of my garage as a home?

I know when me and my dh moved into my childhood home and cleaned out the garage attic...there was A LOT of wild critter poo up there.

me,
g

 

[maplesky7]

oh yeah...

I'm in Northern IL. smack dab in the middle-45 min. from the Wis. border.


My bro-in-law is in Mn.


me,
g

 

[Chirpy]

Whatever you decide to do remember --- coons are very, very dangerous, even to humans. Never corner a raccoon! So, keep your distance if you shoot him and wear gloves if you trap him just to pick up the trap.

We had a coon move into our barn (last year), I have teenage boys with paintball guns. My son was more than happy to get some target practice in and the coon (now with a few pretty pink spots) hightailed it out of the barn and headed toward the woods, a mile away. If he's ever come back, we've never seen him. Because of the distance from the coon to the paintball gun I know the coon wasn't injured (I'm against hurting animals; either kill them outright or just scare them) but was given some good encouragement not to come back.

I totally understand why you want your dog in the house with you. I would too, if my hubby was gone. I'd shut the garage door from now on though, let the cats figure out some other place to spend their nights.

 

[d.k]

* Maplesky, if you have a ASPCA nearby, most of them have traps to rent-- plus a deposit. You catch it and take the critter back to them, or sometimes (though rarely nowdays), once you've caught it, they'll actually drive out and pick it up. Kind of pointless, though, as you still have to go back into the office to pick up your deposit. . .

 

[antlers]

Quote:
Gor mine from fleet farm this spring for $45. Havahart and the more expensive of 2 models.

 

[Beekissed]

Have you got a long pole?

Poke that sucker down out of there and let the dogs have him! My dogs would LOVE to do it for you if we lived close!

~OR~
Leave the garage door open and he will be gone tomorrow...but I bet he'll be back for chicken dinner!
~OR~
Does your garden hose have a good sprayer? Yes? Stand outside and to the side and give the ol' boy a good solid blast of the hose and see if he doesn't get down out of there in a hurry...then let the dogs get him. Good for their self-esteem!

Too natural for you? Okay...let him run away, but I bet you'll see this fellow again someday and wished you hadn't.

~AND~

He shouldn't bother your cats. He is very scared right now, as he is "treed" with no escape route.

 

[maplesky7]

Well,
I have a well and my blast isn't that strong and it's in the back corner so I'd probably stand on the other side toward the back...if I used that method.
But it's not a bad idea.

My boy dog has gotten plenty rabbit but nothing ever bigger...but he's the one that tracked it and "treed" it. What a good boy. His daddy would be proud.

I left the door open and shut it the next day. I let my dog in and he sniffed...i thought he peed on something but he was standing behind my sailboat so I couldn't see...but it sounded like water hitting the floor and so i said, "Poncho!" and then he mossied around and left the area.

Must be gone. So I shut the door.

Maybe next month I'll have a little more for a trap at f&f.

me,
g

 

[LynneP]

We have a raccoon named Mary living in our barn with the feral cats we feed/shelter. Mary seems to think she is a cat, she mews and coos. She feeds with the cats and though she is wary of me, she is not aggressive. We've had raccoons from time to time there without too many problems and Mary is very clean and uses a litter box in the loft.

I'd watch your raccoon and evaluate as you go along. Some, especially the boars, can be aggressive towards cats- it seems to be a matter of gender and individual personalities. We have our coop constructed in the barn too, and we have it built so that Mary and the ferals are unable to access the hens.