So sooooooo sick of racoons this year...

[toredano]

Now they coming at around 9 pm instead of 12 or 1 am. Had one last night setting off the alarm. Ran outside buttnaked ( is ok.. we live in the woods.. lol )( just got out of the bathtub) and shot him.. injured it and before I got another shot off , the gun jammed and he took off..I know I got him , got blood everywhere but wanted to put him down completly so he wouldnt run off into the woods and stink up the area.
This is a nightly thing now. The alarm goes off at least 2 times a night. Where are they coming from ? jessh.
Seems we have alot more than last year ..possums too. Maybe they allways have been here but now with my birds they are drawn to us. And we live in the woods so..
I would love to put out some raccon contraceptives ..

I tried the traps.. sadly.. my cats like them more than those predators. So I am left to shoot them .I dont feel right afterwards ..It seems sad but yet..I rather do away with them than my birds.And injuring it only is not a good thing.But from the amount of blood I know he wont live long anyway.

A few nights ago at 4am my guineas where freaking out .. they where all bloddy the next morning from jumping around in the cage. Horns.. Cheeks, lots of feathers on the ground but we didnt see anything. Thought maybe a snake but nothing.Poor turkey who lives with them was stuck in the strut position and wouldnt move one inch. Something spooked them really bad tho. Nothing has gotten into the cage.. no sign of something trying to chew thru it either.Was just very odd. The alarm is set up so it goes off as soon something goes by the cages. I can get out of bed and look out my window and see what is near it within half a second,since by bedroom faces back and the cages are right there ,about 20 feet away from window.
But nothing was there. Odd...

I just needed to vent a bit.. its early and I had a bad night..

grumpy and tired..

 

[skeeter9]

Raccoons can sure be a pain, can't they? Is it mating season or something? Maybe that's why they are so busy right now?

We have a huge one that has been getting very bold around our place lately. He hasn't messed with the coops so far, so we've been leaving him alone hoping he'll move on soon. It's tough trying to keep the dogs away from him, though.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
What are you using for bait? I know people suggest cat food or tuna all the time, but to me, that's just asking to catch your cats. Or dogs. Or just about anything.

Try marshmallows. Cats don't usually care for them at all, but raccoons LOVE them. I've also caught them with a sliced up apple.

Once you catch them, you can call Fish & Game, if you can't bring yourself to shoot them. They'll take them to a national park area for release. At least, that's what they do here, I can't say about your area.

If you do decide to shoot them, (there's no shortage of raccoons, and if transported elsewhere, they may very well become a problem to somebody else-if they survive, chance of survival in a strange territory is slim) I can personally attest to the fact that, brined for a few days, and cooked in the crock pot, they're yummy.

When we have to kill something, I feel much better about it if it doesn't go to waste. And if it's a choice between keeping my poultry or losing them to the raccoons, I'm killing some raccoons.

If all else fails, you might see if there are any hunting clubs or groups in your area, and hire somebody to hunt them down. One of my neighbors told me he knows a guy who'll do that, but I was able to trap the ones bothering us. (with marshmallows!)

Good luck, I hope you succeed in thinning out the raccoons to the point that they're no longer a problem.

 

[NMbirds]

I trap raccoons with peanut butter. Cat doesn't seem to like it but the coons do.
Then I transport 10 miles away, downstream, OR deep into the national forest nearby and rehabitate. Have been known to shoot a mean one in the interest of genetic modifications. 15 and counting....

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
Yeah, peanut butter's another good choice! That's what I use in mouse traps. I might try a combo, peanut butter and marshmallows. I bet that would be irresistible to a raccoon. And of no interest to cats!

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Quote:
This is too funny. Wow. What an interesting idea. Hmmm.... I think I am glad that there are no racoons in my neighborhood. But I admire those of you that cook and tan them. Wow.