WOW 100 racoons

[ivan3]

scooter147 wrote: I set my trap last night with wet cat food. Well the little devil rolled the trap about 6 feet and managed to get the cat food to fall out of the can and ate it all. Smart devil. I may have to put on my Elmer Fudd hat and go sit in the dark with my 20 guage this Friday night and wait for him to show up. ;-)

Try this before sacrificing time and ammo on the vermin: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=232969​

 

[scooter147]

Update.
Still have not caught this racoon. He is a smart one. He has managed to steal every piece and type of bait I put in the trap. I have tried tying pieces of meat to the top and back and I can tell he has bitten in to them but basically leaves it alone, like he knows if he struggles with it he will set the trap off.
This morning was really the topper though. I tried another can of cat food last night and around 5:30 am as I am standing at the kitchen window putting water in the coffee pot and still half a sleep I am wondering what I am seeing in the backyard. WELL it was the racoon PLAYING with the now empty cat food can. He was throwing it in the air and then rolling it around a bit. It was almost like he was taunting me!!!!
He is so lucky I can't discharge a gun or I would have ROLLED HIM in the yard.

 

[chkn]

I've heard of racoons travelling in hoards and attacking animals and people.

 

[sourland]

Beware the hoards of raccoons:

Try building a plywood box to cover the trap completely so that the coon can not reach through the wire. A larger dog sized trap might also work. Undoubtedly you are dealing with a trap smart coon that someone caught and relocated. Edited because the smilies refuse to cooperate!

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
That's just it he isn't reaching through the trap he is going in it!!!!! and completely avoids the trip plate. I placed sand under and around the trap to see if I could figure out what he was doing. He was going in and avoiding the trip plate. One smart booger. Yes I figured he has been trapped before. I have heard the neighbor done the road traps squirrels so I wonder if he has caught it and let it go

 

[mgw]

invest in a .22 cal air rifle a good one. they have plenty of power to kill a coon or fox at 100ft or so plus stealthy.

 

[sourland]

Drill a hole through the trip plate, attach a wire fish leader, bring it up through the bottom of the cage and snuggly attach a solid bait of some sort. As the coon pulls up on the bait, the trip pate will have to go down. He would probably be easy to catch with a leghold, but they may be illegal in your state.

 

[itsachicken]

I live in St. Louis City and I have no problem believing that somebody caught 100 of them in the county. I see them all the time here but, luckily, haven't seen any evidence that they've discovered my yard yet. The Botanical Gardens have foxes and there are coyotes in Forest Park and Tower Grove park and raccoon and 'possum EVERYWHERE. Our house seems to be along a 'possum "route". They freak the chickens out, but don't really try to get into the coop (that I've seen). Apparently, they're more intent on getting to the dumpsters behind Jack-in-the-Box. I guess they're not all that interested in wrestling a live chicken to the ground when they can get a left over chicken(ish) fillet with lettuce, sauce and bread with very little effort. As an "aside" city 'possums aren't near as easy to kill as their country cousins--they don't always play dead when you surprise them, do you think they've realized that makes them easy targets for clumsy humans?

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
I have a garden pond and many a night as I sit on the patio I have watched possums climb the back fence waddle over to my pond get a drink and waddle back. My dog a chow/lab mix use to go after them and they would play possum which I think made her mad. She would just snif them and walk away. I think she wanted to chase and destroy like I've seen her do with groundhogs, squirrels and rabbits. She ignores them now.
The only reason I am determined to get this coon is 1. he got one chicken already, my fault the chicken apparently was still out when I locked up. 2. it has eaten some of the fish in my pond, all I find are tails left on the rocks 3. It turns over my flowers and I am pretty sure it's the culprit that has gotten most of my tomatos and grapes.

 

[itsachicken]

Quote:
I have a garden pond and many a night as I sit on the patio I have watched possums climb the back fence waddle over to my pond get a drink and waddle back. My dog a chow/lab mix use to go after them and they would play possum which I think made her mad. She would just snif them and walk away. I think she wanted to chase and destroy like I've seen her do with groundhogs, squirrels and rabbits. She ignores them now.
The only reason I am determined to get this coon is 1. he got one chicken already, my fault the chicken apparently was still out when I locked up. 2. it has eaten some of the fish in my pond, all I find are tails left on the rocks 3. It turns over my flowers and I am pretty sure it's the culprit that has gotten most of my tomatos and grapes.

I hope I didn't give the impression that you shouldn't get that 'coon. I will point out that there's a pretty hefty fine for relocating live-trap critters (at least in the city) without a license. I know a lot of people that trap 'possums and then dump the Hav-a-hart trap (critter and all) into their fish pond and then quietly dispose of the body in a dumpster. I used to have a greyhound that was superb at catching and killing 'possums. You have no idea how much I miss that dog. Anyway, I have spent several nights sitting outside with my specially sharpened shovel and a flashlight, and still, repeatedly failed to startle a 'possum enough to play dead long enough to dispatch it.