raccoons

[pokey]

i know a raccoon is a poultry persons nightmare but on my way to work this morning there was a young one in the road....i work not far from town and i guess the little guy got caught out as the sun came up.
i know they are a predator, but when i saw the terror on its face.... just sitting there in the road as cars went by. i wanted to stop, but i didn't. i called animal control when i got to work.they won't come out for wildlife.i feel so bad, i saw the little body lifeless on my way home. i just feel we need more green space for wildlife. i am sure it would have chosen the woods vs. the intersection.
thanks for reading my rant..... i just think next time we kill one, think
if that was you trying to find food like they have to.... maybe we could relocate a few more rather than kill them all. i just feel like

right
now. please be kind.....GOD doesn't like ugly.

 

[Chirpy]

I totally understand both sides of the predator issue. I love raccoons but I love my chickens.

What we chose to do here (so far) is to use paintball guns and dogs to keep the raccoons away from our property. We found one in the barn one day that I could have easily dispatched but I had my son use his paintball gun on it and he chased it, shooting, all the way across our pasture. I don't even know if he actually hit it but we have not seen any sign of it's presence since that day.

However, if a raccoon or other predator became a real problem and was killing my animals (that help us live with their food source), I would be forced to take more serious action to protect my investment and pets.

Sometimes we can save the wildlife and sometimes it's just not possible.

 

[jjthink]

I understand your sadness. Poor little guy. You mean he was kind of stuck/stranded in the middle of the road with cars all about? How sad that he didn't make it.

I always stop traffic for wildlife - mommy ducks and babies, turtles (I help them cross more quickly or someone would shoot me), deer, etc. - endears me to many humans, I'm sure!! But I don't care. The more habitat we delete the more all manner of critters get stuck crossing roads to try to get from point A to point B. We never designed our roads systems to make it possible for wildlife to cross safely. Some places have special wildlife crossings over highways but they are far and few between. It's especially sad to think that lots of the kills are mommas with helpless babies back in a nest or den.
JJ

 

[devans87]

Trap em and give em to your local coonhunters. Most will not kill them, but turn them loose in hunting spots so the dogs will have plenty to tree. Well, atleast thats what we do. You'll be a coonhunters best friend!

 

[yotetrapper]

Please keep in mind relocating wild animals is illegal in most states, and morally wrong everywhere. Someone else doesn't need your problem. Animals that are bold enough to come into someone's yard, are too brave. I would never relocate one, thinking that If I do, how would I feel if that coon ended up biting someone's kid?

 

[pokey]

i didn't mean to take it down the block and drop it off. i have a freind who rehabs wildlife, there are safe areas that you can relocate wild animals away from urban areas, any dnr ranger could tell you of such an area in your county. i wanted to express that maybe we could learn to co exist, not create more problems. i love my birds and wildlife too.

 

[pokey]

Quote:
why is relocating morally wrong? i think that would be more acceptable when possible than KILLING it.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
why is relocating morally wrong? i think that would be more acceptable when possible than KILLING it.

I think the "morally wrong" statement was in reference to chicken-eating raccoons. You wouldn't want someone to trap the coon eating their chickens and then, because they don't want to kill it, drop it off near your place. I know I wouldn't..

Don't tear yourself up about the raccoon you saw. If it was out after dawn and standing in the middle of the road, there was most likely something wrong with it. It is not normal for them to "stand" in the middle of an intersection.

-Kim

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Uh, didn't you just write this on the post "What's the Dumbest Thing You've Ever Done to Protect Your Chickens"?

Quote:

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
Uh, didn't you just write this on the post "What's the Dumbest Thing You've Ever Done..."?

Quote:

-Kim