How To KILL A Raccoon That's Raiding Your Garden

Started by tbone0106, August 24, 2011, 06:48:20 PM

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tbone0106

Happy that you're happy! Don't assume you've beaten them, though. You haven't. I've killed 13 raccoons and 4 possums so far this season -- and things have slowed down a lot lately -- but I don't think for one second that every raccoon in the county is dead.

Vigilance. Fortitude. Stick-To-Itiveness.

I don't assume they're all dead. I assume they're all waiting for my sweet corn to yield. And it's getting close -- I have stalks that are silking, some of them with two ears. :smile:


walkstall

Quote from: Sword of Justice on July 08, 2012, 09:17:30 PM

Thanks for the update on the gloves. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that if you're using something that drops animals in their tracks, you darn sure better keep it away from yourself!  Been using rubber gloves since the onset.  Washing them thoroughly after each use.

You would be surprised at the number of people (rocket scientist also) that can not use everyday common sense.  I would say about half the the people in the U.S. do not know what  MSDS is.  (Material Safety Data Sheet)   



http://www.msds.com/
A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.- James Freeman Clarke

Always remember "Feelings Aren't Facts."

Solar

One other thing I'd like to point out, these animals are trying to feed families of their own, it is incumbent of those taking this short cut to make an attempt to find these dens and end the suffering of their potential off spring.

Believe me, I'm no bleeding heart, but I was raised, "You kill it, you eat it", and never to cause undue suffering to any of God's creatures.
I know many of you have come to disdain these animals, but remember, they are only doing what comes natural and without the malice you have for their demise.
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Sword of Justice

Tbone,

I have no intention of letting down my guard, nor do I intend to back off.  Last night was a great success with another oppossum and another raccoon succumbing to the effects of GM, placed on leftover fried chicken, a cracked egg, and more grape pop/GM mix.  These dropped within 10 feet of one another!

Solar,

I do respect your opinion.  I know they are God's creatures and He designed them as hunters.  In fact, I had no fight with them for the 4-5 years I have kept chickens.  They relied on alternative food sources other than my pets/property.  Lately, unfortunately, they discovered my well-fenced flocks, found entry points in spite of my attempts to prevent it, and have nearly destroyed everything I built up over time.  I have been providing eggs to several elderly ladies, but my egg production has dropped from 23 eggs a month ago to 3 yesterday.

I did not desire this battle, however,remember that man has been given dominion over the creatures.  And GM is, at last providing a means of getting the upper hand.  The only alternative would have been to simply open the doors of my chicken pen and allow them to feast more easily.

I am attaching a few shots of last night's take.  I will probably only report numbers in the future, as I don't want the pictures to offend anyone on this fine forum.  However, I took note of the dental display on both raccoons and oppossums for a reason, and to show,if you're a chicken awaiting destruction,these animals are not "cute and cuddly" in the least!

P.S. I almost made a comment on the last picture regarding "shot while surrendering" but that bit of dark humor might have been lost on some...







Solar

I understand what is at risk here, and it wasn't meant as a slight, but a reminder that our actions carry consequences, actions we should not take lightly.
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tbone0106

There are a few points that I think deserve to be made in this discussion.

First, I would like nothing better than to backtrack the 'coons that raid my garden and eradicate the entire den. But I own a touch under three acres here, and there is no den on my property. I have a fair idea where the dens probably are, but they're on another man's property, and I don't know that man (he is an absentee landowner, lives in Hawaii I think) or have his permission to hunt on his land.

Second, even if I managed to get permission from the landowner, if I pursue the 'coons to their dens, I am hunting, and subject to all the hunting laws and regulations. I frankly have no desire to hunt raccoons -- or have any sort of contact with them, for that matter -- and would certainly never buy a hunting license and a fur taker permit and subject myself to the state's rules for the sake of doing so. Even if I was so inclined, in Ohio I would be allowed to legally hunt them only in November, December, and January, not terribly helpful if I'm trying to protect my sweet corn in July. On the other hand, when a raccoon comes onto my property for the purpose of eating my food (or killing my critters), I have the moral and legal right to kill the son of a bitch without any sort of license or legal mumbo jumbo.

Third, and I think most importantly, I'm mindful that the current bumper crop of 'coons is very likely our fault, not in a personal sense, but in the sense that the actions of humans have likely caused it. For one thing, here in Ohio we have created perfect conditions for 'coons to live and multiply. At the same time we've eliminated just about every predator capable of killing one. (Wolves and big cats once roamed here; no more.) Until recent years, a decent market for fur kept 'coon trappers and hunters active, but the collapse of the fur market has eliminated even that threat to 'coons. The only folks who hunt 'coons around here any more are those who do it just to hear their dogs baying in the moonlight.

It's a similar situation with white-tailed deer. When I was growing up, it was a rarity to even see one, and the gun hunting season was only six days long, with a bag limit of exactly one buck. Nowadays, there are five or six different seasons and a hunter can take half a dozen or more deer per season. Last year, the organized slaughter in Ohio tallied nearly 240,000 carcasses. This does not take into consideration the roughly 40,000 reported car-deer collisions in this state each year. (There are estimates that 100,000 or more go unreported.) I have personally struck eight deer with various vehicles in the past twenty years or so. The last one cost my insurance company $3,500 -- and that damn buck got up and ran away after I hit him. It has gotten so bad that the state now has "Urban Deer Units" that conduct hunts in normally hunting-prohibited state and metro parks. Urban unit hunters can take as many as six deer in addition to the normal season bag limit.

As a society, we are really crappy game managers. In the case of raccoons, we have so restricted their hunting and so demonized fur in general (a raccoon's primary value to mankind has always been its fur) that they are no longer considered desirable game. At the same time, we've done absolutely nothing to control their -- quite predictable -- population explosion. Because of this, right now my area is overrun with raccoons, and they are coming onto my property and stealing my food. Now, I realize that they're only doing what comes naturally to them. But it is also quite natural for me to protect my own food. I respect the "you kill it, you eat it" philosophy, and have always followed it when hunting or fishing, but this ain't hunting or fishing. This is pest control, plain and simple. I caught probably twenty mice last winter in snap traps, and I didn't eat even one.  :tounge: :tounge: :tounge:


walkstall

A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.- James Freeman Clarke

Always remember "Feelings Aren't Facts."

Sword of Justice

All good points, tbone. 

And Solar while I certainly didn't consider anything you said a "slight", we clearly see things very differently.

When you made a comment about consequences, I really don't identify with that at all.  I think no differently about poisoning a raiding raccoon than stepping on a kitchen cockroach.  Although both are technically "God's creatures", neither has any rights or privileges once they infringe on my space and property.   And believe me, I am certainly NOT a cold-blooded individual. I think of David, way before Goliath, slaying both the lion and the bear as he defended his sheep as a very good and justifiable thing.   Once the population of raccoons, possums, skunks, foxes, etc etc are reduced to the point I don't fear nightly for the safety of my flock, I will perhaps soften my position but certainly not before.   

Solar

SOJ I completely understand your position, and if I were in your place, would very possibly be doing the same.
My point about unintended consequences, was that many of these coons have young, and in killing their sole providers, the young suffer a far worse fate than their parents.

Point is, it is incumbent on the individual to do their best to alleviate any consequences they have caused.
Asking your neighbors if they possibly know of any dens in the area and explain that you found dead adults and want to make sure the brood is not suffering.

Seriously, is that too much to undertake, or is your need for revenge overtaking your humanity?

Again, I broach the question only to raise awareness that actions have consequences.
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ccd2002

Has anyone on this thread ever eaten squirrel.They are in the rodent(rat) family.

I know folks who have practically survived on them in a bad economy.

I don't think I would like to try it.

ccd2002

Also lots of folks eat possum.I have heard they produce a lot of fat when they are cooked.I wouldn't want to eat any possum either.

tbone0106

Quote from: ccd2002 on July 11, 2012, 07:19:26 PM
Has anyone on this thread ever eaten squirrel.They are in the rodent(rat) family.

I know folks who have practically survived on them in a bad economy.

I don't think I would like to try it.
Can't say I've "survived" on squirrel in a "bad economy," but I've certainly enjoyed squirrel. Carefully cleaned and properly cooked, it's quite tasty. Fox squirrels especially produce tender meat and excellent gravy.

tbone0106

Quote from: Solar on July 11, 2012, 09:29:27 AM
SOJ I completely understand your position, and if I were in your place, would very possibly be doing the same.
My point about unintended consequences, was that many of these coons have young, and in killing their sole providers, the young suffer a far worse fate than their parents.

Point is, it is incumbent on the individual to do their best to alleviate any consequences they have caused.
Asking your neighbors if they possibly know of any dens in the area and explain that you found dead adults and want to make sure the brood is not suffering.

Seriously, is that too much to undertake, or is your need for revenge overtaking your humanity?

Again, I broach the question only to raise awareness that actions have consequences.

The young 'uns have been visiting the Tbone spread quite regularly, and account for three of the thirteen victims so far this season. In this part of the world, they are weaned and active before June 1, and venture out with mama as soon as they're able. In fact, the usual visit here involves a number of raccoons. The little ones are just as agile, just as clever, just as bold, just as hungry as their parents. I kill them just as dead.

I get no joy from this. But by the time my sweet corn comes on -- in about two weeks -- those baby 'coons would be full-grown, hungry as hell, and traveling in a pack.

Some years ago, I was in a situation where I could observe a family of five 'coons who raided a garbage dumpster every night, and saw that they left a guard on top of the dumpster to keep watch! Every now and then, one of the 'coons in the can would come up and spell the lookout. I do not care to deal with that sort of organized attack.

Solar

Quote from: tbone0106 on July 11, 2012, 10:48:30 PM


Some years ago, I was in a situation where I could observe a family of five 'coons who raided a garbage dumpster every night, and saw that they left a guard on top of the dumpster to keep watch! Every now and then, one of the 'coons in the can would come up and spell the lookout. I do not care to deal with that sort of organized attack.
:laugh:
You're missing the bigger picture, they are recycling.
Just think of all the crap they keep out of the landfills.

When I was running cattle in the high Sierra years back, the coons new that one particular cabin was where all provisions were stored.
Every spring when we would return, they had always found a way inside, usually by chewing through the wall.
So instead of trying to fight them, we placed a large bag of unopened cat food inside and left the hole open, they came in, found the food, carried every morsel away and left the rest of the place intact.

No moral, sometimes sacrifice can be seen as a win as well.
It was better to spend a few bucks rather than costly repairs every year.

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SWMP

#89
I live in a very wooded area and recently decided to grow tomatoes on our deck.  The plants did incredibly well.  One plant produced slicing tomatoes and the other Roma tomatoes.  Just as the fruit began to ripen, along came the raccoons to decimate my attempt at a modest and hopefully safe and secure garden.

At this point I started to research the critters and how to deal with them. I have a friend whose father in law traps and shoots the raccoons in his yard after they began tearing the shingles off his house in an attempt to enter his attic.  He jokes that he digs more graves than the local cemetery.  He's up to about 4 dozen over the last few years.

Another tid bit that this exercise has reminded me of is a TV show that documented the unusual ailment of a small toddler that was eventually determined to be attributable to a parasitic worm in raccoon scat.  The young child somehow ingested some scat playing in the yard and the parasite attacked his brain leaving him mentally disabled.

Then there's another friends goofy wife who feeds a family of raccoons all of their leftovers.  We were at their home sitting around their pool one evening when the raccoons showed up and were treated to leftover pizza from the night before.  I have since learned that the raccoons now let themselves into my friend's home to eat out of the dog's bowl.  That is just bat-shit-crazy.

I have also read that rather than being predators simply killing or raiding a garden to survive, raccoons are actually highly destructive and kill everything they encounter if able to do so.  I have read that raccoons will raid a chicken coop and kill everything, break every egg and eat just bits of the mess.  This is somewhat like their behavior with the tomatoes on my deck.  They leave a mess of half eaten or barely touched tomatoes all over the place.

I really don't want to deal with a pile of dead animals, but have no aversion to poison, whether GM or lead.  I don't want to deal with a pissed off live animal in a trap and don't particularly want to shoot through a trap.

I am pretty pissed that my very modest attempt at gardening is being made impossible by these raccoons.  I really empathize with the people who have large gardens or actually grow crops for a livelihood. 

I am no tree hugger and do not particularly sympathize with the plight of wildlife.  I haven't commented on what the deer do to my landscaping. 

There is speculation that along with the deer, turkeys, coyotes, etc. that have moved into the neighborhood over the years that big cats are out there as well.  That is the one addition I would like to see in order to bring some balance back into this situation.

My question is in regards to the territorial behavior of raccoons.  My friend's father in law has killed 4 dozen or so and new ones seem to fill the vacuum left by the departing ones.  Is there really an effective way to deal with these things in the longer term?