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

[jywel417]

Why yes. . . . I DO get great enjoyment out of animals . . . that is why I have been a vet tech for over 8 years, b/c killing other animals brings me such great joy and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside . . .

**sarcasm off**


okay, honestly tho. . . . guess what, my chickens are MY pets, or food source, or whatever you want to see them as, that being said they are MINE to protect. . . . bet you if you get close to an angry coon's baby/food source or whatever it is going to try and defend its territory . . .

I chose to have chickens, I live in the woods, and I am going to protect them. End of story. Life isn't fair, for any species. Besides, I don't think coons or opossums are anywhere NEAR being an endangered species . . . so I don't think that my disposing of them in my area so they don't kill my chickens is hurting their numbers overall . . . .

Plus not only do they carry rabies they also harbor a kind of roundworm in their feces, and if somehow you manage to injest an egg from that worm from a coon it migrates to the brain and you die a slow, painful death and most of the time doctors don't figure out what it was that killed you til after you are dead. There are several people in this area that own coons as pets and while the doctors I work for will work on Birds of Prey for the local rehab facility he will NOT see coons, too many potentially fatal diseases that we as humans can get.

 

[Boyd]

LCORTAWAY........ all I have to say to you is this


The Gospel according to
St. Matthew 7

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Mk. 4.24
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

 

[Mahonri]

First time I ever took out a raccoon, I was 18 at the time and walking through a barley field to see if the irrigation water I had put on it was making it to the bottom of the field. My old German Shepherd "Dusty" was with me and he started growling. It was a momma out with two little coons. I wacked one of the little ones with the shovel I had and it was history. I soon sent the other little one to the other side and then mamma coon and Dusty got into it. They both ended up bloodied and although I never found the body, I think I hit her hard enough with the shovel that she eventually crawled somewhere and died. Poor dusty was wanting love and affection after that encounter.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
Just a small note, to provide sme perspective here --

Although Baylisascaris DOES produce a very nasty disease in humans, it has only been diagnosed in **11** humans -- EVER. You have a LOT more risk of being hit by lightning or being run over by a train than of catching Baylisascaris from a raccoon.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol8no4/01-0273.htm

ETA -- adding a small correction to myself -- The study above was published in 2002. I found a more recent one, published in 2007. It seems that 3 more human cases were diagnosed in the 5 years between 2002 and 2007, bringing the grand total of human cases to 14 -- ever.

http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/13/6/pdfs/928.pdf

 

[jywel417]

Thanks amazondoc, I couldn't remember the name of the disease and I knew it was rare but still rather not take my chances

And honestly I would leave the coons alone if they would leave my coop and chickens alone

but repairing stuff after coons tear into it and loosing the chickens, even tho it is instinct for them, I guess my chickens are like my dogs and I don't want anything tearing into them

So I figure its safest for everyone, dogs chickens cat myself and kids included, that I dispatch of the ones who want to come that close to my house

 

[JennsPeeps]

Just found this on photobucket. Thought you might enjoy it...

 

[CoonX]

Quote:
It's good to hear that your wife is safe to be around now.

 

[cmjust0]

Speaking as a person who was really, really impressed with himself yesterday for hitting a helpless little groundsquirrel in the weeds with a .22LR at about 75', drowning a trapped animal seems pretty rough even to me. I don't mean to condemn anyone for doing it, mind you...I just kinda shudder at the thought of having to do it myself. I'd so much rather just pop one in the noggin'..

I would drown one if I had to, of course, and AGAIN...not trying to condemn or make anybody feel bad...I just wish there was a better way.

To that end, I think someone should work to perfect the CO2 thing. That seems super humane, compared to drowning.

PS -- I think the groundsquirrel and its friends were taking up little patches of the garden as quick as we could get the seeds out.. That's why I dispatched him.

I just hope it wasn't Alvin.

Edit: I also can't help but think that if there were a less disturbing, more discreet, and still mostly hands-off way to kill a nuisance animal in a trap other than drowning in a trashcan full of water, there may just be a lot fewer relocations going on.

 

[falloonfarm]

If you can't bring yourself to dispatch & have a river or lake nearby, you can also relocate them - I'd make sure it is somplace at least 10 + miles from your place so they can't find their way back.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
Ahem...Please don't mention that, again. It's a hot topic in these parts.