OK, it's personal now

[BC38]

Coons are crafty little buggers. There was one raiding the barrel my gramp's used to store grain for his horses in the "corn crib". Seemed like no matter how hard we tried to secure the barrel lid the trash panda would find a way to get the lid off and get into the barrel.
So, I tried setting a leg trap in the grain barrel. Even though I buried the trap under a layer of grain, the coon was too smart for that. The little bugger would spring the trap, without getting caught by it. Afterwards he would go right ahead and eat his fill of grain.
So, one night I decided to camp out in the barn next to the corn crib to wait in ambush for the raider. When I heard the barrel lid hit the ground I sprang into action.
I snuck out of the barn, threw open the door to the corn crib, and turned on my flashlight - only to see the bandit run up the wall and escape through the gap between the roof and rafters of the corn crib before I could draw a bead on him.
So, the next day I spent some time blocking all the gaps between the rafters with pieces of boards and such.
That night, when the raider dumped the barrel lid on the ground, I was again lying in wait in the barn.
Once again, I crossed the barnyard, threw open the door to the corn crib, and turned on my flashlight. The bandit again ran right up the wall - but when he got to the top he found the gaps between the rafters and roof were blocked.
He turned and looked directly at me.
That was when I shot him right between the shoulder blades with gramp's Winchester 32 Special. He hung there for 1-2 seconds, before dropping to the floor - DRT.
I skinned that coon, tanned the hide, and kept the pelt for around 10 - 12 years. It had a perfectly round hole about 3/8" in diameter, located dead center of the hide - right between the front legs.
Unfortunately, after being improperly stored during my many moves, the hide started to mold and stink, so it eventually ended up being thrown away.
That is my one and only experience with coon hunting.

 

[DWalt]

I frequently get coon and possum visitors to my back yard. More often the latter than the former. The dog usually runs them off. Nothing much in my back yard for them to damage. Never felt any need to shoot or trap them.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Raccoons visit my club every night. Dumpsters and trash cans become disaster areas. Located on a bluff overlooking the Arkansas river so we have lots of critters coming and going. Short walk to downtown so some of the critters have only 2 legs and can do more damage.

Private club, about 600 members. So far the "They are so cute" votes outnumber the "shoot 'em" votes, so the 'coons are safe for now. The couple doing custodial work have a monthly fee contract, but they are talking about hourly rates now.

 

[rwsmith]

You mean with a motion sensor light.....

We've been dealing with a minor varmint infestation, mainly they've been causing mischief in Mrs. Walnut Reds flowers and garden. So I set out a live trap with apple and marshmallows and the first night I caught a large raccoon. Reset the trap that night and the next morning found the trap had been emptied of bait, flipped completely over and no varmint. Third night I rebaited the trap but staked it down with long metal rods. There was a medium sized raccoon waiting in the trap.

Last night I rebaited and staked the trap. Woke up to not only find the trap had been raided without setting it off but my trash can had been tipped over AND there was a large pile of raccoon droppings in front of BOTH my back doors!!!!

Tonight I've staked the trap to the ground and wired the bait into the cage. We'll see what the morning brings. My next step is an all night vigil with a motion sensor light.

...AND your favorite varmint gun.


Oh, PS: They've torn up all the woods around here and varmints have nowhere to go so generally we leave them be. They come eat the cat food sometimes, which I would normally discourage, but they are homeless.

 

[tops]

Catching a pest and relocating it is giving someone else your problem. The best trap for a pest is a conibear. After you release a pest from a conibear trap they will never return or do anymore damage. Larry

 

[s&wchad]

Chef Boyardee Ravioli makes great bait!

About 20 years ago, my wife woke me up out of a sound sleep and told me there's a raccoon on the porch with a can on its head. Huh???

I went outside and found the little varmint climbing up one of our downspouts. I grabbed the can and tried to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge. The coon finally made it onto our roof, went to the highest spot and sat there. The Mrs was leaving for work and told me not to kill it.

I called Animal Control, the PD and the Fire department and none of them would respond. The Sheriff's Office offered to send someone out to shoot it, but I've seen them shoot.

I'm too big to climb on my roof, but I got my neighbor to go up there and scoop it in my salmon net. I retrieved some leather welding gloves and a pair of tin snips and was able to remove the can. We let him out of the net and he hightailed it up the neighbors pine tree.

Word must have got around in the local raccoon community, because we haven't seen one on our property since!

 

[47knuckle]

The cute little rascals have got to eat. During nesting season I think their favorite foods are quail eggs and turkey eggs. Depredation trapping permits are free for the asking from our South Carolina DNR

I know I can't eliminate them but I do try to keep the population under control.

We are limited to foot hold (dog proof traps) or live traps. If you catch a neighbor's dog in a connibar (spelling?) it's too late to turn him loose.

 

[walnutred]

So far it's Walnut Red 2, Raccoons 4. I wired the bait to the inside of the trap and the critter managed to clean the wire without setting off the trap. For tonight I'm taking the suggestion of putting the bait inside a suet cage and wiring that to the inside of the trap. The varmint is getting so smart I'm afraid that one morning I'll find it hotwired my truck and went joy riding.

 

[pasound]

Who is to say they haven't?

 

[chief38]

We've been dealing with a minor varmint infestation, mainly they've been causing mischief in Mrs. Walnut Reds flowers and garden. So I set out a live trap with apple and marshmallows and the first night I caught a large raccoon. Reset the trap that night and the next morning found the trap had been emptied of bait, flipped completely over and no varmint. Third night I rebaited the trap but staked it down with long metal rods. There was a medium sized raccoon waiting in the trap.

Last night I rebaited and staked the trap. Woke up to not only find the trap had been raided without setting it off but my trash can had been tipped over AND there was a large pile of raccoon droppings in front of BOTH my back doors!!!!

Tonight I've staked the trap to the ground and wired the bait into the cage. We'll see what the morning brings. My next step is an all night vigil with a motion sensor light.

Ahhhh a "new" Border Patrol has been initiated - lol. Good Luck. R U gonna Catch & Release like another agency does?

 

[ColbyBruce]

"I'm taking the suggestion of putting the bait inside a suet cage and wiring that to the inside of the trap"


The suet cage needs to be firmly attached and suspended directly above the trigger so the animal has to focus on the bait and not the trigger. I used carabiners because they made it easier to secure on the trap that doesn't have a back door. You need to be able to pin the trapped animal towards one end of the trap while you raise the door to release it, if that is your intention. I use a multiple prong hay fork inserted through the side of the trap.

 

[Greyman50]

Had 2 Coons as pets when a kid. Raised them from kits to about 1 year old. Best pet ever had.
However few years ago coons were wrecking our bird feeders so built a wide " shelf" around the main feeder tree with an opening as wide as a medium ConAbear. IIRC got 18 in a few weeks and that was the end of the problem. Lived close to river/ marsh and neighborhood was over run with them. About wore out my PHD, no one knew as had a 6' privacy fence around back yard. Also did not want our Grey to get into fight with one. Grey would most likely won but with serious injuries.

 

[walnutred]

I normally leave varmints alone if I'm in the woods because I figure I'm in their back yard. However once they come into my backyard they've lost their link in the food chain. Buzzards and eagles have to eat also.

 

[lihpster]

After you release a pest from a conibear trap they will never return or do anymore damage. Larry

Not necessarily. We had some terrible neighbors. Thieves, liars and probably worse. They had 2 medium large dogs that they let run loose. They would come down and tease our dog, but the worst was they would tip over our garbage can looking for food. I don't think they were fed regularly. The first time they did it, 9 year old me, who had the garbage duties at the house, had to pick it up. So, I got my wrist rocket and some .50 cal. lead roundballs. The next time I shot one of those dogs right in the ribs with that slingshot, they ran off, and this time my dad called the house and they made the 2 boys, a year or 2 older than me. come pick up the garbage. The next time they did it, my dad got evil. He took a couple of the smallest connibears, which would barely close on their snout, and baited them with baloney. All it took was a couple of steel traps snapping shut on their noses and they never bothered our garbage or our dog again.

 

[taz666]

Lawn chair ... flash light ... and a 12 ga. choked full.


From experience ... don't setup a habitat for it. The friends and family discount will be used.

 

[yaktamer]

Nuke 'em from outer space. I was at a conference in Tucson last week and when I got back from dinner I was blocked from getting into the hotel from the parking garage by a half dozen javelina who had raided a trash can and were having a pizza party. I called the froint desk and they said they'd send security down, but the piggies (I know, they aren't considered pigs) wandered off on their own before they arrived.

 

[Rotorhead1026]

Nuke 'em from outer space. I was at a conference in Tucson last week and when I got back from dinner I was blocked from getting into the hotel from the parking garage by a half dozen javelina who had raided a trash can and were having a pizza party. I called the froint desk and they said they'd send security down, but the piggies (I know, they aren't considered pigs) wandered off on their own before they arrived.

Pizza had anchovies, likely. Javelina hate anchovies.

 

[Skeet 028]

Have a cat that got in a little tiff with a coon or two cost us a couple hundred bucks ...Have big live traps. Caught coons for 3 weeks fore it was over. The yotes that live out on the dry ground did real well for themselves for a while. They did real good the year we were overrun with rabbits Killed over 100 in 2 weeks. I put live traps out caught 2or 3 at a time. So...it was 22 and 38 time

 

[Doug M.]

Raccoons will mess up a cat and many dogs. I would not risk my pets in that manner.

 

[BC38]

Pizza had anchovies, likely. Javelina hate anchovies.

That's because anchovies stink almost as bad as they do