Marauding bandits captured then released on own recognizance

[Faulkner]

Mrs. Faulkner's hummingbird feeders have been raided a couple of evenings this week. I've got them hung so that they are not readily accessible, but then again squirrels, raccoons, and 'possums can be pretty acrobatic when they have a desire to do so. Since it's happening at night I ruled out the local squirrel population, so that left either raccoons or 'possums and I've trapped both on the front porch and our deck around back in times past.

The problem with the feeders getting raided is that they usually get damaged or destroyed by the marauders. We have brought them indoors in times past, but she has around a dozen hummingbird feeders and it's chore to bring them all in without spilling sugar water which just attracts ants.

So, instead, I usually just live trap the raiders and relocate them far enough away so they don't come back. So, last night I set the trap near the front porch and baited it with some of Daisy's dog food.

As I was getting ready for bed I decided to peak out the front window and check the trap and low and behold it was tripped and I could see I'd captured a racoon. I grabbed a flashlight and headed outside and as I got up on the trap I could see not one, but two raccoons in the trap. It was a pair of younglings, probably no more than a few months old. It was the first time I've ever caught two at the same time.

They were cute as they could be and not the least bit stressed at my appearance. They were lucky Daisy was already bedded down in her pen for the night. I took the live trap and loaded it on the back of my ATV and transported them to the creek on the backside of our pasture near the tree line. As I released them I advised them a return trip would not be in their best interest. They waddled out of the trap in no particular hurry, waded across the stream and climbed up the opposite bank and into the brush out of sight.

 

[Puller]

I've never caught a twofer in a live trap. That's pretty cool.

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

Cute little buggers. Catching them at that age you could domesticate them.

Knowing how raccoons are wired, you didn't take them far enough away.

They will be back.

 

[Eric300]

The only good racoon is a dead racoon!

 

[Xfuzz]

When I lived at the lake I would live trap the coons.
Hit their back with a shot of florescent paint to see
if they made a return trip.

Couple did.

After I increased the relocation distance...nary a one was re-captured.

 

[Rudi]

They can really be pests, but they sure are cute.

 

[Wdbutcher97]

We caught this guy when we were trying to catch our mostly feral cat to be fixed. He wasn't nearly as pleasant during his release

 

[DUSTYDOGDAN]

I come here for all the great info on S&W 3RD Gen Autos..but spend way to long here for great posts like this!

 

[deadin]

We have a cockamamie law here that protects racoons.
You can't shoot them. They can only be live-trapped and have to be released in a "like environment" in which they were caught.

I don't think my neighbor is going to like me letting them go under his house.....

The last bunch cost me around $2000 replacing the vapor barrier and insulation. Luckily they hadn't got to the wiring and plumbing yet....

 

[Puller]

We have a cockamamie law here that protects racoons.
You can't shoot them. They can only be live-trapped and have to be released in a "like environment" in which they were caught.

I don't think my neighbor is going to like me letting them go under his house.....

The last bunch cost me around $2000 replacing the vapor barrier and insulation. Luckily they hadn't got to the wiring and plumbing yet....

They're considered a pest here and regardless of how we trap them they are usually dispatched with a .22.

Even though little raccoons grow into destructive adult raccoons, I doubt I could dispatch a pair of younglings like the pair Faulkner caught.

 

[fiasconva]

It's illegal to trap and relocate critters like that in VA but what they don't know won't hurt me. Racoons and possums get relocated to the local reservoir and nature park nearby.

 

[Mule Packer]

In Utah, there are five animals that are illegal to relocate if they are live-trapped. In other words, they are to be dispatched.

The five are:

raccoons
skunks
coyotes
foxes
jack rabbits​

The reasoning behind this is that 1) they are considered varmints, and 2) there is an over abundance of them.

I admit, cute they may be...but they sure can cause a heckuva lot of damage.

 

[glenwolde]

I think people might have been relocating them to a Texas State Park we volunteered at. We were doing our end of shift patrol one night when we came around a corner our headlights hit a dumpster and Holy Cow! It was like a racoon street party! About thirty or so racoons waddled off into the woods after doing a kamikaze off the dumpster. I'd never seen a herd of them before.

 

[Greyman50]

Racoon that size would make your hand look like it had been in a blender. ONLY way to raise one is get it before its opened its eyes or right after. Had 2 as pets in the 60s and both were very small kits. Wonderful pets and smarter than dogs or cats.

 

[Shibadog]

Mrs. Faulkner's hummingbird feeders have been raided a couple of evenings this week. I've got them hung so that they are not readily accessible, but then again squirrels, raccoons, and 'possums can be pretty acrobatic when they have a desire to do so. Since it's happening at night I ruled out the local squirrel population, so that left either raccoons or 'possums and I've trapped both on the front porch and our deck around back in times past.

The problem with the feeders getting raided is that they usually get damaged or destroyed by the marauders. We have brought them indoors in times past, but she has around a dozen hummingbird feeders and it's chore to bring them all in without spilling sugar water which just attracts ants.

So, instead, I usually just live trap the raiders and relocate them far enough away so they don't come back. So, last night I set the trap near the front porch and baited it with some of Daisy's dog food.

As I was getting ready for bed I decided to peak out the front window and check the trap and low and behold it was tripped and I could see I'd captured a racoon. I grabbed a flashlight and headed outside and as I got up on the trap I could see not one, but two raccoons in the trap. It was a pair of younglings, probably no more than a few months old. It was the first time I've ever caught two at the same time.

They were cute as they could be and not the least bit stressed at my appearance. They were lucky Daisy was already bedded down in her pen for the night. I took the live trap and loaded it on the back of my ATV and transported them to the creek on the backside of our pasture near the tree line. As I released them I advised them a return trip would not be in their best interest. They waddled out of the trap in no particular hurry, waded across the stream and climbed up the opposite bank and into the brush out of sight.

Neighbor back when we lived in Michigan had a similar problem. Set his live trap. Next morning sure enough it was tripped-however instead of a nice little raccoon, er had this big black kitty with a wide white stripe down its back. That was an “interesting day” in the neighborhood