Scarecrow sprinkler for raccoons?

[raro]

We suddenly have had a raccoon problem here. No real surprise, since although we're in the suburbs, there is a small forest "common area" behind my backyard. I usually have my chickens out under the deck where they can forage and whatnot, and sometimes I let them into the main backyard, which has a high fence.
Well, fortunately we have a beagle, Dixie, who is the superb guard dog. I guess it's a hound thing, but she will start barking late at night if we let her out to go pee and she smells a raccoon. Yesterday she went over to the deck and started barking like mad. The chickens were already in their coop for the night, so I let her out under the deck, and she terrified a poor raccoon. This is not the first time, but it's the first time the raccoon has decided that it's time for a chicken lunch in the middle of the day.
I can't keep the poor dog outside whenever the chickens are (right now I can, but when weather gets bad, it wouldn't be fair to her), so I was looking on line, and most places say you have to trap and release. The problem is, no matter how many I trap and release (even if it were legal, which I don't know), there will always be more, because it's a forest. So looking around, I found this "Scarecrow Sprinkler." I did a BYC search but the most recent posts were several years ago.
Has anyone tried them? Successfully or not? I like the idea, but don't want to spend the money if it's just a gimmick.

 

[7L Farm]

I wouldn't waist my money on the sprinkler I'd buy a trap. Bait the trap & shoot the coon. I've never heard of coons being protected. Why would they protect a thief. I don't know where you live but if its city get a pellet gun & shoot the coon in the head inside the trap. JMO. I now read your city get the pellet gun & trap.

 

[lindseythefork]

Raccoons are very intelligent. It won't take them long to realize that the sprinkler is little more than annoying. My parents have one of those sprinkler scarecrows for their koi pond- it works well for random birds and maybe a neighbor cat but that's about it. For raccoons, you have to either make your coop beyond secure or trap them.