What is the best way to "dispatch" of raccoons and other predators?

[itwschnauzers]

I raise my bantams and small dogs and parrots, had a problem until i bought my giant schnauzers....now i don't even have the neighborhood cats coming near me!

9 times out of 10 a large barking dog will work, get you a Great Pyrenees....they do very well also!

Shaun

 

[Ewe Mama2]

Hi everyone -

I wanted to let you know that the trap functioned perfectly and a raccoon was in it at 9:45 last night. My husband and I carried it up to our pond and dropped it in at 5:30 this morning. A few minutes later we fished it out and put the remains in an open field for the hawks to feast upon.

I thought I would feel more badly about killing an animal, but I really don't. I know raccoons carry a lot of disease (esp. rabies), so I figured I was protecting my children (and ducks). Maybe the guilt will set in later...is there a therapy forum, just in case?

Thanks again for all the insight and advice.
Amy

 

[toredano]

Quote:
Yes a pellet gun will go through an raccoons skull. I trap and Ive put many foxes, coyotes, and raccoons out with a .177 and .22 pellet gun. If its a .177 make sure its 1000fps or over, and if its a .22 make sure its 800fps or over. Mind that this is all done under 5ft from the animal, and with a perfect shot behind the ear.

~Bryan

ok i give you that.

usualy poeopel tend to stay back and shoot and i know theywill just bounce off.. u have to be close enough for it .

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Parjackson, glad you caught your culprit. I don't feel too bad for raccoons & opossums, the folks at our local nature center told me that these animals' populations have actually increased in developed areas. Their predators have been eliminated but their habitat & food sources have both grown. Especially where people leave out cat & dog food 24/7 and leave garbage cans filled with goodies.

Jywel417, you've got some awfully strong raccoons in your neighborhood, do they have access to steroids? I guess you have to use wire to secure the seams of your traps, and just use plastic zip-ties for very short-term security. With the Hav-a-Hart traps, there's a place where the top of the trap door can be secured with zip-ties where the critter cannot reach them.

Danielbrown, our local feed store sells traps like the one you pictured, but I too don't remember the brand name. They look really good, but I cannot afford them, the Hav-a-Hart traps are cheaper at Home Depot.

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
actually the best cure for guilt in this case would be:

1 child saved from a frightening encounter with a possibly dangerous disease.
another would be, shed off parasites one of the children can contract.
there are a lot of different things to think about when dealing with warm blooded critters. disease and parasites being the largest.

You do not have to be bitten by a rabid animal to contract the disease.
it can live on other surfaces, such as fur of other animals, wet saliva( worse case,scenario would be fresh saliva on a swing set, slide or grass, a stretch at best but you never know)
This is one reason the CDC puts out pamphlets encouraging washing hands and clothing if ever one is encountered a suspected animal with rabies.
some where on this forum is a link to rabies and how to deal with the after math of a suspected case. but you can also go to the CDC web page and look it up.

 

[Ricky Crawford]

My wife was walking up our walk to the house once when a stray cat attacked her leg. It tested positive for rabies at the vet clinic. After well over $1000 dollars for the series of shots and a lot of anxiety, she is now safe to be around, although she still growls at me sometimes. That is what happens when people relocate[dump] their unwanted animals in the country. I dispatched a new one yesterday. Some call it cruel; I call it self-preservation.

 

[halo]

Ive caught several raccoons in a Havahart trap, and I will tell you they are the TOUGHEST critters in the world to kill. A friend of mine came over to shoot them for me, and each time he had to shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot. It took 4 or 5 shots to finally kill it. Neither of us could believe it. Dont ask me what he used to shoot it, I dont know. All I know is he's very gun savvy and knew, or thought he knew, what he'd need to kill it.

 

[Boyd]

usually I walk up, poke the barrel of my .22 right up to the critter center of head and ........

Its over instantly. Don't be scared of walking up close to do the deed.

 

[jywel417]

Yeah, gonna have to get wire when I get the trap back. There is actually a guy my dad works with who coon hunts and he has been using the coons I trap as training. I have caught several opossums and have ended up turning them loose so far b/c I have not gotten a large 55 gal drum for drowning and don't have a gun here (besides pellet or paintball) and atm I want the coons gone more than the opossums since they don't seem as determined to do what they want as the coons do, but their time will come

 

[lcourtaway]

Please carefully read the rules for this forum section before EVER posting in the predators and pests section again.

Thank you
Kurtis