Very close raccoon incounter!! UPDATE: Killed him!!

[Namble]

As the title says. I went out to the coop to close everyone up and all of the sudden this furry thing comes right around the corner of our woodshed! He was at least 4 feet away from me! It scared the living night lights out of me!! Right when we both made eye contact it turned around and head up one of our oak trees. I took off sprinting inside to get the .22! As soon as I returned I scanned the tree up and down, It had vanished! This scares me because my family has been raising chickens for at least 20 years and we've NEVER had a raccoon or for that matter any wild animal come even close to our chicken coop!

-Grant

 

[chicks4kids]

Hopefully you can get them locked up nice and tight. For him to be out before dark....I'm thinking he might be a little too eager!

 

[bigdawg]

get a hava heart trap. leave one end closed and a nice juicy honey bun inside next to the closed door. you will catch him real quick.

 

[barredrockmama]

20 years with no critters! I don't think we've gone 20 days without seeing a raccoon here. Even had one climb into the coop in the middle of the day! Luckily I happened to be close by and nobody was hurt. (Except the racoon!)

 

[urban dreamer]

I had the same thing happen with a possum. I was doing my "middle of the night chicken check" and when I lifted my head there was this nasty possum sitting on the fence not 3-4 feet from me. My guns were locked up in the house and I live in the city so I chunked a piece of a 2x4 at him. That was about a month ago. Haven't seen him since. (I have seen two coons and a feral cat since though)

 

[ellieroo]

At night we have to sing songs to let the skunks know we are coming and to please leave! The little stinkers have even ambled in while the lights are on and we're getting hay for the horses! But its the big bull snake who lives in the hay that can give one a heart attack!

 

[Emzyyy]

LOL the neighbor's cat did the same thing to me the other night. It was looking through the door and because he's black I couldn't see him in the dark and almost stepped on him and when he went off running I flung everything everywhere and screamed. It scared me ahaa. That cat is always trying to get my chickens because I have bantams and some chicks. I told the neighbor girl on the bus that Eric scares it off with his airsoft and she acted like "HOW DARE YOU SHOOT MY CAT?!" Its in my yard and airsoft bullets are not gonna hurt him just scare him off for the time being. I told her next time Eric would shoot to kill and to keep him out of our yard. I won't shoot a dog but I WILL shoot a cat or rather have my brother do it.

 

[Namble]

I got him with my .22! I guess I was at the right place at the right time!

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Looks like a fairly young'n. Keep an eye out fot the sow, she could still be close by.

ETA: Nice shot!

 

[Rebel Rooster]

Nice Shootin'

Keep an eye out for the rest of em'