Caught a theif red-handed on my front porch

[Faulkner]

The whole family has really missed our border collie, Champ the wonder dog, for obvious reasons since we had to put her down a few months ago. But one secondary reason why we miss her has raised it's ugly head this summer. We have had a significant increase in night time raiding varmints. Most every morning we're finding bird feeders (and my wife has a lot of bird feeders around our place), knocked to the ground and broken. Lately, though, where the critters have crossed the line is getting on our front porch and back deck and demolishing hummingbird feeders.

When Champ the wonder dog was around and on patrol we never had this problem, so the solution is obvious. Unfortunately, we're not ready yet. We just got back from a two week trip to Alaska and we have another two week trip planned later this summer. After that we'll consider a new family member.

In the meantime I've been live trapping the vermin that get too close to the house, which is over a dozen in the past few weeks. The nightly raids seem to be slacking off, though I there was another raccoon in the front porch trap this morning. Hopefully in another week or so I'll have 'em thinned out.

My wife has asked me to release them, so my youngest son, the college boy, has been hauling them in his pickup to a remote creek crossing to release them each morning on his way to his summer job.

 

[BC38]

Release? I'd release them from their mortal coils quick and clean with a 38 slug to the cranium...
I have no compunctions about thinning the herd when it comes to vermin with the potential to carry rabies...

 

[Texas40]

Release? I'd release them from their mortal coils quick and clean with a 38 slug to the cranium...
I have no compunctions about thinning the herd when it comes to vermin with the potential to carry rabies...

Opossums cant carry rabies their body temp is too low.
Coons however can.
opossum set it free.
Coon well make a hat.


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[Mistered]

Release? I'd release them from their mortal coils quick and clean with a 38 slug to the cranium...
I have no compunctions about thinning the herd when it comes to vermin with the potential to carry rabies...

Yep - two of the nastiest creatures the lord ever strung a gut through! Fortunately no possums where I live and the cougars keep the raccoons in check!

 

[SC_Mike]

Those cage traps can be fun. I enjoyed getting up in the morning to see if I'd caught anything and about half the time I did.

I've taken a few to the deep woods and used the occupied cage as live bait with a predator call to bring in coyotes. One time the coyote stood on top of the cage, giving me a nice clean profile. I'm sure you know the rest of the story... and yes, the opossum was playing dead after the shot. I let him out and hopefully never see him again.

 

[Watchdog]

My wife has asked me to release them, so my youngest son, the college boy, has been hauling them in his pickup to a remote creek crossing to release them each morning on his way to his summer job.

Good for you and your family for doing the catch-and-release thing.

And best of luck on your future search for another dog. Perhaps we will see some photos of your new family member by year's end.

 

[chaparrito]

Tell your wife that statistically a relocated raccoon only has a 50-50 survival chance in new habitat. They are territorial and have to fight their way into new territory. They are also, nationwide one of the top vectors for rabies. I used to trap and relocate them on the wife and young son's wishes, until I showed them one day graphic evidence what a coon will do to a hen it gets its grubby paws on. After than they said "fire at will dad". Havahart and the horse tank is another option, but then you gotta clean out the horse tank.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

. Havahart and the horse tank is another option, but then you gotta clean out the horse tank.

Now if THAT ain't passive aggressive I don't know what is!

 

[Doug627]

They will just right come back unless your son gives them a stern look and good talking to. Waging a finger in their faces, while still in the cage, is mighty effective, too.

 

[Faulkner]

Tell your wife that statistically a relocated raccoon only has a 50-50 survival chance in new habitat. They are territorial and have to fight their way into new territory. They are also, nationwide one of the top vectors for rabies. I used to trap and relocate them on the wife and young son's wishes, until I showed them one day graphic evidence what a coon will do to a hen it gets its grubby paws on. After than they said "fire at will dad". Havahart and the horse tank is another option, but then you gotta clean out the horse tank.

I don't think statistics will help with this one. I started off thinning them out with my 10-22 'possum slayer, but one night she followed me out on the front porch after we heard a glass hummingbird feeder crash and we found momma coon and four little ones lapping up the nectar. I had a suppressed Ruger MKIII in hand. Now, she's not typically the least bit squeamish about doing what needs to be done around a farm but she wouldn't let me take them out. After that I went to trapping and releasing them.

They will just right come back unless your son gives them a stern look and good talking to. Waging a finger in their faces, while still in the cage, is mighty effective, too.

Ha, I'll be impressed if they make it back, he's dropping them about 12 miles away on a section of creek that runs through some big woods.

 

[Mistered]

I promised my mother (god rest her soul) I would NEVER shoot another feral cat - but that didn't extend to other nasty creatures!

 

[Faulkner]

I've taken a few to the deep woods and used the occupied cage as live bait with a predator call to bring in coyotes. One time the coyote stood on top of the cage, giving me a nice clean profile. I'm sure you know the rest of the story... and yes, the opossum was playing dead after the shot. I let him out and hopefully never see him again.

Hey, I hadn't thought of that. I may give that a try.

 

[ameridaddy]

About two miles away from our house, there's a very busy traffic corridor with miles and miles of malls, shopping centers, car dealers, etc. and the associated traffic. On the far side, in the middle, is a DMV office with a few dozen undeveloped acres around it. When we capture unwanted bird feeder destroyers, we say "We're taking it to get a driver's license" and release the night time terrorist in the woods beyond the DMV. We figure the critters don't have much chance or desire to cross that wide ribbon of busy asphalt to get back to our place.
So far, so good.

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

Cranial lead poisoning via .22LR, problem solved. Let 'em go, the problem comes back.

 

[DeathGrip]

Opossums cant carry rabies their body temp is too low.
Coons however can.
opossum set it free.
Coon well make a hat.


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I thought it was that marsupials can't get rabies.

 

[Mistered]

Hey, I hadn't thought of that. I may give that a try.

Might want to check the regs - live baiting of most anything is illegal. A while back on another forum a guy posted about how he ties up female dogs as an attractant for coyotes and the responses were not positive...

 

[Houlton]

I trapped squirrels for awhile. Waste of time. I would paint their tails red and take them to the park. One I turned loose almost 2 miles away came back. Unless there were other bright red tailed squirrels around. A friend shot 19 in just a few weeks and didn't notice and fewer in the neighborhood. He did have a lot of stew though.

 

[Texas40]

I thought it was that marsupials can't get rabies.

While they are N Americas only marsupial........

Any mammal can get rabies. However, the chance of rabies in an opossum is EXTREMELY RARE. This may have something to do with the opossum's low body temperature (94-97º F) making it difficult for the virus to survive in an opossum's body.


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[woodsltc]

In Tennessee you can live trap the coons, foxes, skunks and coyotes.....but it is illegal to relocate them as they are vectors for rabies. Law requires them to be euthanized.....so I use the SSS method (shoot, shovel and shut-up).

Don

 

[Faulkner]

So I just checked the Arkansas Game & Fish Regulations:

Nuisance Wildlife: Beaver, coyote, muskrat, nutria, opossum, raccoon, squirrel, striped skunk and nongame wildlife other than migratory birds and endangered species that are causing damage to personal property may be taken during daylight hours or trapped the entire year. . . . Trapping in towns must be in compliance with municipal ordinances. Live-trapped wildlife must be released unharmed outside the municipality's boundaries within 24 hours.