I need this raccoon gone. I believe he or she is living in the loft. It’s just the space above the rafters not a hay mow. Comes in the tack room and steals barn cat food. Now I only feed cat when I am out there. Suggestions?
Either block access, or trap and release. The humane society would be a good resource. It needs to be gone before it builds a nest.
As a last resort, you could consider shooting it. Check fish and game laws.
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Thanks. Can’t block off loft but I guess I will borrow a trap.
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Yep. Havaheart trap. Just bait with cat food. I leave a trail of cat food into the trap. If you can’t lock up the cats, you usually only trap them once and they aren’t hurt just scared a bit. Mine usually look embarrassed that they fell for it. Check the laws for how to handle the raccoon. Relocation may be illegal. If you do release it, please drive it very, very far into the woods because you’re taking an animal that’s learned to associate people with food and now taught it what a trap is. The other alternative is a well placed .22. That caliber will fit between the squares of the trap. Although you may want to make sure the owner of the trap is ok with a hole in the trap.
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Make sure all cats and horses and dogs have rabies shots every year.
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You might be looking at a female with a nest. This is the dilemma I have faced before, so rather than trap/remove/kill I wait until any babies might be grown. After, I never leave out cat food, I put out pans of ammonia, and often play loud music (when horses are out of barn). This has really helped to keep them away.
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You’re probably better off calling DNR, their nuisance wildlife extension, or a private company. I work for a humane society and get calls all day about nuisance wildlife but there’s nothing we can do. We’re not part of animal control, we’re a private organization, and even if you call animal control, they will refer you to DNR/private pest management companies. Animal control will not trap or pick up a raccoon (or anything feral/wild). And like others have said, often relocation is illegal because it is incredibly stressful on whatever you’re releasing and it disrupts the wildlife already there.
Anyway, best to trap and kill it or call a pest management company to do so for you. I had a raccoon coming into my feed room through the cat door and started having to close up the feed room at night. I did see a raccoon hit in the road in front of my field so I’m morbidly hoping that was the culprit and I can start relaxing night-time restrictions.
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have professionally handled/eliminated Ӣ
immediately as in Monday Ӣ
Be careful ~ please for all involved Ӣ
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Before trapping, are you able to get up in the loft area and check for a nest? Be a shame if there are babies there, and left to starve.
I’m one of the bleeding hearts who’s rescued and raised fallen out of nest baby raccoons who’s mother was probably trapped and removed by grouchy old neighbors. Baby racoons are delightful little critters and I’d feel guilty if I contributed to their demise by starvation.
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Live and let live.
What is the harm in allowing the little buggers to stay? I’m a bleeding heart … if no trouble is being caused, they’re allowed to stay. I even allowed a wasp nest in a back section as we made a deal to not annoy each other. Rarely saw them.
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If you want to trap the raccoon without trapping your barn cat, you can bait it with a jelly sandwich. A half sandwich of welch’s grape on whole wheat bread has been the downfall of several raccoons at my place over the past 10 years. I had no trouble with them for the first 10 years or so, but in the past 10 years, I’ll get one a year or every other year who causes mayhem in my barn (and last year killed 2 chickens).
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You must have a different kind of coons that most have?
Ours are extremely destructive.
They trashed the feed room when they got in there.
“No shelf left unturned, no bag left untorn” was their motto, I think.
To get in the feed room, first time they tore a hole in the door.
When we put up a stronger door, they tore a hole on the side of the door, on the wall itself.
Next they tore a hole in the edge of the barn right under the eaves we didn’t notice and made a nest in the insulation under the roof above the tack room ceiling.
The noise they made at night, they were having scratch around parties trying to find more places to get in on the roof.
Most coons are not good neighbors to have.
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^^^^ This has been my experience as well. Good luck- I hope you are able to make life miserable so it leaves.
We’ve found that marshmallows make a good bait for trapping raccoons without catching your barn kitties.
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I would trap with a havahart and relocate, right or wrong.
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Please refer to them as raccoons.
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I was going to suggest baiting with marshmallows but see someone else beat me to it. I have one cat that always insists on being trapped if I bait with cat food. 
Tie the trap down after baiting it. Wiring it to something is good or putting a tall stake thru trap if you have a dirt floor. They will chew rope or baler string off. We have wired hard cloth wire to the trap outside to prevent raccoons reaching thru the holes to grab the marshmallows. Also prevents them reaching out when caught to pull things closer or move the trap. Our feed room is very narrow with cans lining it, so they could grab can handles, tip cans or tip trap over to escape. Our trap is old, door works by gravity with sliding washers as door locks. Tip it over and door is easy to open.
Trapped Raccoons are VERY strong, so it was rather destructive with cans flung about, spilled grain. Next time I set the double-walled wire trap I wired it in place, could not be tipped over, too small of holes to reach the cans. Caught 2 in 2 days, no more trouble. They were big, 40 pounds or so, ANGRY.
It is caught and done here. They do return. Possums too. Not sharing my barn with the varmint wildlife. Lots of nice woods around to live in. Yeah, I am one of the grouchy neighbors. Pet raccoons are the WORST varmints to deal with, nasty AND not afraid. So destructive, often killing MY PETS. Kind of like folks dumping kittens and puppies in the country, expecting farm folk to take care of them. If we wanted such pets, we would have them already!! So we end up removing dumped animals to animal control, dispatching your grown baby Raccoons that suddenly appear in our buildings. Not very kind raising them for that ending.
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Trap and dispose of. Raccoons are very easy to trap with a variety of live traps. Please do not relocate. Relocating wildlife is illegal. It spreads disease. it is inhumane as relocated animals don’t know where to find food and water, and a raccoon that has been living off of cat food and poached garbage is not likely to do well in a wild situation. It also is dumping your problem on someone else. Trust me, no one wants your raccoon relocated anywhere near their home or farm and many people own pets and poultry that are vulnerable to predation by raccoons. A raccoon with nuisance habits is extremely likely to end up being trapped and killed by someone else if you don’t do it.
To prevent future raccoons and other pests, keep your feed locked up and don’t leave pet food or garbage accessible after dark. Seal up any “hiding places” in your loft.
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Had my hired helper here today and he volunteered to climb up into the loft and see what’s up. No nest and nowhere to hide, but visible scat. So I am relieved that the animal is not residing up there. I do keep all feed contained and now am only feeding the barn cat when I am out there.
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