Trapping Chicken Killers

[aggiemae]

From previous post "Here is an example of the typical raccoon population in many urban parks today.  All a relocated coon has to do live the dream is to whoop all these coons so that he can steal their girlfriends, or maybe you prefer that he leads his new friends to your chicken coop."...

                                                             

Actually, the problem is that stupid people are feeding them!!!

 

[ivan3]

 
By "living the dream" you mean "was probably killed by the racoons local to that park" right?

In my experience on forums, I've noticed that there is always someone that tries to send others on guilt trips to show they are morally superior (I believe sanctimonious is the correct word).  These are the types of people that write to organizations that rescue wounded animals and bring them to health, critisizing them for releasing them to the wild.

In my case, I had a choice.
1) Shoot the raccoon while he was trapped in a cage.  Liberal activists would have condemned me for cruel abuse of the animal.
2) Let the raccoon go.  Chicken lovers would have condemned me for wantonly having my flock killed.
3) Let the raccoon go in a park.  Perhaps he might be killed by other raccoons, or perhaps he would find the girl of his dreams and live a happy life.

I admit I didn't consider the real and probable possibility that moving a raccoon 3 miles away may introduce an exotic disease never known to have existed in the park.


If this is the type of help and comradeire typical of this forum, I may not last long here.

If you feel a member is being personally insulting, the little red flag at bottom of posts is used to report the post to the Mods.

Just to review a couple of the pred/pest forum rules, found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/5808/predators-and-pests-forum-please-read-here-first

*Although some ways are not considered ideal to some, it serves the purpose of removing the offending predator. If you have an idea or a helpful comment, please do reply. If it is a sarcastic comment about the disposal or capture of a predator, please keep your thoughts to yourself. We are not here to judge one another on methods or ways and means.

*If you wish to suggest an alternate non lethal means of control, please share it in a non judgmental way that is a viable solution and not merely complaining about who was here first etc, IF it is directly related to the OP's request for assistance. If a non lethal alternative is offered, please be appreciative and remember that there are many ways and means and flaming a member for suggesting such an alternative will not be tolerated.

This member, residing in a rural, wooded area, averages 25 raccoons a year (over past 20 - average has dropped from 30 owing to a couple of dry summers - forage decreased). So, suggesting using low velocity .22 rounds to pith coons in trap (fewer through-and-throughs with the subsequent damage to bars of trap), might not be the most useful method in another location/situation. However, this member can only suggest what he considers the most humane & permanent solution for this poultry killing vermin. At this location, preemptive trapping and retirement of poultry killing vermin has been highly effective (most successful with Red Fox), though one can't prevent more preds from showing up to get a meal, one can definitely decrease the overall frequency of successful predation (particularly if one free ranges their chooks/turks).

There are those who would judge this writer's methods as cruel, however, I'm guessing that some of those same individuals hit raccoons with their cars without stopping to make sure they are dead and simply consider such encounters melancholy accidents (as the coons expire slowly and painfully in the ditch). We really do try to make no such judgments, instead we post up what has worked to keep our flocks alive - relating these experiences can sometimes seem "judgmental", but, in the main, it's all about trying to keep other's flocks alive and safe.

 

[Gary Willson]

I apologize !

After reading your comments, I did some outside reading on the subject of relocating. Not only is it inhumane to the raccoon, but other raccoons will come to fill the void.

http://www.wildlifecenteroftexas.org/need-help/peaceful-coexistence/

 

[JJSS89]

I apologize !

After reading your comments, I did some outside reading on the subject of relocating. Not only is it inhumane to the raccoon, but other raccoons will come to fill the void.

http://www.wildlifecenteroftexas.org/need-help/peaceful-coexistence/

No worries Gary. I didn't mean it as a personal slight to you either way.

The important thing here is that at least that particular raccoon is gone.

 

[enola]

Dumbazzs feeding raccoons should be trapped and shot...My experience has been that when one predator is removed another soon replaces it.

Killing everything that threatens my animals would be insanity. We live on a rural urban boarder and have coyote, hawks, coons, eagles and even sight an occasional mountain lion. But most of our serious damage comes from deer eating our crops and getting our fish. Animals kill your animals or eat your plants out of malice.it's what they do to survive.

As humans we are (supposed to be) smarter that they are and figure out how to stop them or at least slow them down. I seem to be better at defending against preditors than I am with deer. We built a higher fence around the main garden. Coyote urine seems to be helping too. Shooting deers grazing in my yard seems to be over the top. Over kill.

You mention deer ruining your crops and fish...... What are the deer doing to your fish????

 

[JJSS89]

I was wondering the same...and not only is shooting garden-eating deer over-the-top but highly illegal to anyone reading this.

 

[enola]

I apologize !

After reading your comments, I did some outside reading on the subject of relocating.  Not only is it inhumane to the raccoon, but other raccoons will come to fill the void.

http://www.wildlifecenteroftexas.org/need-help/peaceful-coexistence/

AND it is illegal, just trying to keep you out of trouble.....

 

[enola]

I was wondering the same...and not only is shooting garden-eating deer over-the-top but highly illegal to anyone reading this.

In West Virgina you can get a crop predatioon permit from DNR to stop deer from ruining your garden. However, the garden must be fenced, to show you are trying to protect the garden.

 

[JJSS89]

Enola,

Are you sure it's for a "garden"? The same type of program exists for lots of states but I think it has to be a threat to your agricultural livelihood, not just your tomatoes and wax beans. Maybe WV is more lenient because of higher ungulate population.

 

[enola]

You can't plant two tomatoe plants and use them to get a permit when a deer wanders by.

Our gardens were huge, three of them. I canned 1000 + jars of stuff each year. I showed the officer my damaged gardens and my storage cellar with all of the canned good. He issued me the needed permits.