Completely legal in the state it occurred in so you do what you think is better.
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Itās ālegalā in about a third of the states.
However, nowhere is it legal to release nuisance animals on state or national ground - all 50 states have these laws. To release on private ground, you need written land owner permission.
I highly doubt that happened based on your description, so what your BO did was, indeed, illegal.
Oh, I hope you can find a solution. I have such a soft spot for raccoons so Iāll be the one dissenting voice about dispatching 
. I am with you, Iām too soft-hearted about some things too.
I missed if this was an option in your OP, but have you tried calling our local wildlife agents to see if there are any resources available? One year we found a raccoon momma with kits that had made a nest in the eaves of one of our run in sheds. The problem was she was tottering off to our neighbor farmerās compost pile to eat leftovers. The farmer started putting poison in the compost to deter the wildlife that was coming to it. I called our local AO and she gave me some numbers to call. Once I explained the situation, I got some help. A woman that was peripherally involved in some wildlife rehab/outreach program came and trapped them all.
I agree with others that an apron of hardware cloth would likely solve this once and for all, but itās an awful undertaking and you certainly have my sympathies. I would be inclined to live trap to remove them from the indoor, and then install the cloth while they are out. They are familiar with the territory and it would not be the same as relocating, youāre just forcing eviction.
Havaheart trap and a .22 to get rid of the current residents. You might also try coyote urine and letting a big dog run around the arena. Maybe the scent of a predator will deter new ones from coming back
I havenāt had raccoons in my barn since I extended my dog fence to the barn.
Please do not trap a release. Youāve taken a nuisance raccoon who associates humans with shelter and taught it what a trap was. It makes it extremely difficult for the next person he harrasses to dispatch.
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You have no knowledge at all to determine any of that but continue. I do not know why you always have to be so confrontational and justified on all these threads but Iām certainly not playing into it.
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The plural gives it away. Teach me of not one, but multiple land owners that want 19 nuisance raccoons released on their property. Not happening.
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Unless youāre saying she released them on the same property? Big property you have, then. Several hundred acres worth.
You trap them and shoot them. Legal or not, relocated wildlife have little chance of surviving. If the area supported coons, it has a resident population in place. There will be fights and death and starvation. Itās not about being āsoft heartedā- itās not fair to the animal to set it up to fail. Is it fun? No. Is it necessary? Yes.
They cannot chew through bona fide hardware cloth and youāll also need to install something on those poles that they cannot climb, be it sheet metal or something else. Whatever you choose, make sure it fits snugly, or birds will get stuck trying to eat the spiders and such that set up housekeeping under it.
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I really dislike people who believe theyāre being humane releasing a nuisance animal because ooo cute and fluffy.
Yeah, and a hazard to other native wildlife when overpopulated.
And a rabies vector.
And a nuisance to other land owners.
And, as an āurbanā raccoon thatās used to people and easy food sources, almost zero chance they survived.
So, excuse me while I care about the animals, 19! of them, that starved to death slowly because a trapper was completely irresponsible. Itās equivalent to a hunter having a crappy shot, and taking it anyways. Itās just making the animals suffer, and needlessly so. I find it disgusting anyone would support that.
Iām wondering if a perimeter of semi-buried cinderblock would assist with them burrowing from outside. The hardware mesh would be a bugger to secure (both top and bottom), and would look bad once it starts to rust a bit.
Iāve buried hardware cloth all the way around my barn, one foot deep and then 18 inches out. I used heavier metal but it is plastic coated to prevent rust. Going on 14 years and no problems.
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Golden Malrin fly bait and Pepsi. Mix it in a dish and set it where they congregate. They love the sweet flavor and it kills them immediately.
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How did you secure it to the barn itself? For the best visual you would tuck it behind, but that can be tricky.
We used screws and washers, attached to the bottom board every six inches. Itās close to invisible unless you get down on the ground to look. I can maybe grab a pic later if you want.
Former barn owner had a couple of raccoons decide to nest in the hay mow. They had a recipe that they used of a mix of bread soaked in grape soda and mixed with very likely cholecalciferol. Raccoons loved the bread and grape flavor, which masked any other flavor. They put the mix in a tin pie plate, raccoons would eat it up, and it would work within 24 hours.
Iād love a picture.
Iām imagining pinning it with a second board, but Iām likely wrong, and thinking in āover killā. The raccoons around me are tenacious and very destructive.
We use granite bound marker cutoffs around the indoor. We wedge them under the bottom board, into the riprap that surrounds the building. Checking that theyāre all in place isnāt a terrible job and it seems to keep the critters from getting in that way. But pulling down the hardware cloth in the soffits is a new trick and Iāve got to get them out before reattaching it.
Our raccoon, fox and coyote population got wiped out about 5 years ago when rabies raged through the wildlife. Coyotes and fox are healthy now, but the numbers are still down. In the interim, raccoons and woodchucks have returned to spread their particular joy and the deer have rebounded well.
And while on the nuisance animal topic, does anyone have a squirrel solution? They recently caused almost $12,000 in damage to my truck electricals after momma squirrel built her nest between the engine and fender. Discovered when I went to hook up the horse trailer, turned the switch, and smoke started coming out of the hood. The dry nest had ignited from sparking chewed wires. I should have suspected something when I saw her come out from under the truck as I was walking up to it. For you kind-hearted squirrel lovers, there were no babies in the nest.
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No advice, but that absolutely sucks. Iām sorry.
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Oh that is NOT fun. We had mice and larger rodents (squirrels included) who liked to chew wires in engine compartments. Spraying the wires with light amber oil works (I think itās called light oil now) or spraying with Pine Sol. Got both hints from my wise old mechanicā¦after he fixed the wires.
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