Raccoons

[JenEM]

This seemed the right forum for this, as I’m sure plenty of your farm owners deal with these little masterminds. We’ve recently moved to a property adjacent to a land trust forest, so we’ve got all kinds of critters passing through the yard. Deer, fox, and most noticeable recently, raccoons.

The raccoons have come out in force since I tried putting up a suet feeder for the birds. At first I thought it was squirrels, but the speed with which they not only defeated but dismantled the squirrel baffle says otherwise. Obviously, took down the suet feeder, and have been limiting the birdseed I’ve been putting out in the regular feeder, hoping to only give the birds enough for the day.

But last night the dog went nuts while we were watching TV, and I flipped on the back patio light to see FOUR of them scarfing up every scrap from the ground under the birdfeeder, and digging for more. Most of them moseyed away, but only only hurried off after I headed out with the (leashed) dog. Dog would really like to help us get rid of them, but I don’t want her hurt.

I don’t really want to hurt the raccoons, either, because I recognize we live on the edge of the forest, which is their habitat. I just want them to not be coming quite so close to the house so boldly. One quick search turned up suggestions of hot pepper sauce, so I quickly squirted some sriracha around where they were hanging out :lol: Didn’t seem to deter them much, as when I looked out again this morning, two of the nearby plant pots had been overturned.

So, dear COTHers, how do I discourage these little guys without hurting them? I just want to give them a good scare or two to keep them away. Other than birdfeeders, there aren’t any other food sources in our yard (yet). Trash and recycling are locked up in the shed, as is birdseed can, and veggies/fruits aren’t in the ground yet.

[amymoyer]

If you can, I’d suggest a motion detection light first. aim the sensor towards where you think they’ll be wandering through. This may not be enough to deter the hungry guys, though. Used kitty litter or other similar “predator smells” may also help deter them - maybe you can have your dog help “water” the area. Good luck!

[Bluey]

I would say, first ask your local game warden, generally the sheriff’s office is where to contact them, about what laws and regulations apply to what you can do with wildlife where you are.

The game warden may tell you how to keep them away, if to trap them and how to dispose of them if you do, etc.

Definitely the first line of defense is to make your place unwelcome, for your sake, coons are immensely destructive and their sake, generally those that live around people end up being a pest and getting killed for it.

We live in the middle of a wildlife preserve and have that problem.
Coons will tear up the wall by a door to get into a feed room they will then trash, make a hole in the roof to get inside, you name it, we have seen it.

Once we had a wrecker crew of coons shimmy up the conduit electric pipes, could have been electrocuted and caused a fire, to the roof.
They then had parties there, sounded like elephants walking around up there, were clawing it all up, including gabs of insulation, to make themselves dens in there.
That time we trapped 11 of them before we ran out of that problem.

Wildlife is cute out in the wild, not when they make your place their preferred hunting and play grounds.

Try starting with your game warden, they have seen it all before and know what will be best where you are to keep you and yours and the wildlife safe from each other.

[2DogsFarm]

Totally agree with Bluey.
Racoons can do a lot of damage to your yard & I doubt there is any such thing as a Coonproof bird feeder :no:
Also any Close Encounter with your dog could end up with vet bills. They are nasty.
Also they can be a vector for rabies, so you want them out of your barn too.
Leaving any food available is one certain way to attract coons, opossum (EPM!) & skunks. So you need to be diligent about sweeping up spilled feed and secure bags of feed in coonproof containers < galvanized that may require a bungee holding the lid down,

[Buford]

There is no good and easy answer to harm free varmint control. There is too much at stake with disease and destruction when varmints interact with barns and horses. I don’t enjoy varmint control, but I have accepted that if I don’t do it, the vet bills, blind horses, and damage are far, far worse.

[Guilherme]

I consider wildlife has a “right of free passage” in most instances. If they stay around and do damage then I’ll take action, including “extreme prejudice” actions. Depending on what state you live in you may or may not be able to freely deal with them. I’d call your state wildlife agency and ask. Or Google is still your friend. Or both.

As noted varmints and other wild life can carry diseases that can be very costly to horse owners and fatal to both live stock and pets. If it comes down to a choice between offing a 'coon or risking a big vet bill then the 'coon is going to have bad day.

G.

[JenEM]

Fortunately we’re in a neighborhood, not a farm, so no worry with horses/feed rooms. The dog goes out on a leash (because Terrier) and will happily chase them, and I’m hoping a bit of a run at them will be enough deterrent, no intention of actually letting her loose after them.

Unfortunately, the woodline is about 50 yards from our backdoor, so their habitat is very close to ours. I have no problem with them in their forest, or even just passing through, as you said Guilherme. But they’re becoming destructive–my birdbath was knocked over this morning, and they’ve topped over several plant pots.

We’ve got a lady in the neighborhood who is a naturalist, we’ve chatted a bit about gardening, maybe I’ll shoot her an email about this, and see who she’s worked with on wildlife issues. The game warden idea is a good one there, and I’ll check out the local DNR too.

[Mango20]

Sounds like you might have to choose between feeding the birds and a raccoon-free yard.

[2DogsFarm]

Please be watchful with your terrier.
Barn I boarded at lost a BIG (12#+) barncat to a coon.
We found the cat drowned in the pond - doubtful cat took himself into the water :no:

[JenEM]

@Mango20

Sounds like you might have to choose between feeding the birds and a raccoon-free yard.

I’m beginning to think the same thing Very disappointing, because we’ve had such a lovely assortment of birds in the two months we’ve been here, which is a delight to watch while having my breakfast. I’ve already eliminated the suet feeder, and have been putting out very limited quantities in the regular feeder. It’s supposed to be very nice here this weekend, so maybe I will leave off feeding completely for a few days, while I know the birds can easily find food elsewhere, and see if that encourages the raccoons to pick another dining destination.

No signs of them last night (damage, moved pots, dog leaping awake at 2AM barking at the patio door:lol:) but it was also Trash Night, so I think they found their smorgasbord elsewhere.

The dog is bigger than the raccoons (30#) but very much of the terrier chickenhawk mentality and would totally chase first and regret the consequences later. She’s only ever off leash in the yard during daylight hours, when we’re out with her and critters are unlikely to be visiting. The squirrels have learned to stay away while she’s out, at least.

[invinoveritas]

Make sure all animals, including equine, canines and cats, all have current rabies shots. Every year.
Coons go through cycles of die offs with rabies.

[Minxitbabe]

@JenEM

The dog is bigger than the raccoons (30#) but very much of the terrier chickenhawk mentality and would totally chase first and regret the consequences later. She’s only ever off leash in the yard during daylight hours, when we’re out with her and critters are unlikely to be visiting. The squirrels have learned to stay away while she’s out, at least.

You must never of seen photos of what racoons have done to 50-75 lb coonhounds… Those creatures are nasty. I wouldn’t even let your small dog chase them on a leash. A large male can weigh close to your dog and if there are multiples you really don’t have a chance at controlling the situation. I am a major anti coon person as the disgusting creatures managed to break into my pet chickens coop as a child. It was very secure but they still managed to massacre most of my flock in one night.

[JJ_sLuckyTrain]

I bring our bird feeders in at night or else they get raided by the coons. If there is not a food source, they will not spend as much time around your place.

Not only are they rabies vectors (most vaccines are protective for 3+ years) but they can carry other diseases like distemper and some parasites. You do not want your yard becoming a hang out for them.

We once had a small raccoon come in our cat door. That was exciting!

[danacat]

To keep a family of raccoons from coming into my yard and around the house, I started feeding them – in the woods – at a distance from my house. Since raccoons go to where ever there is a food source, I figured it would be easy to ‘train’ them to stay in the woods. Well, it worked. I regulary put out eggs that were past their expiration date + fruit and veggies that were starting to spoil + chicken carcasses + the dreggs in old peanut butter jars + all sorts of leftovers. Raccoons will eat just about anything…

…but the key was to put the food in different far away spots each time (spread out like bread crumbs) – and not every day. This arbitrary ‘look for it’ feeding program kept them scavenging like they are supposed to. I didn’t want them to become totally reliant on my offerings. Just wanted them to get some satisfaction that ‘food’ was in the woods.

The other plus is that my garbage cans are a lot less attractive to them – not to mention that I feel warm and fuzzy, knowing they are getting fed.

[invinoveritas]

Moth balls in an old sock or stocking will deter raccoons.

[cloudyandcallie]

@2DogsFarm

Please be watchful with your terrier.
Barn I boarded at lost a BIG (12#+) barncat to a coon.
We found the cat drowned in the pond - doubtful cat took himself into the water :no:

Our raccoons used to only come out at night unless they were ill. But one day I was down by the river, and a coon was in the water. My aussie jumped in and the coon went up a pole that the boat was moored to. The coon jumped off of the pole on top of my aussie and took her under the water. I jumped on top of the coon and he let go and swam off. Coons will drown animals in the water, just as the old Outdoor Life magazine said.
I later boarded at a barn where over 30 coons would come out of the trees about 4pm, in daylight, and some would go into the marshes by Skidaway Island to hunt, while others would fight the horses for their dinner which the BO fed outside because she was too lazy to lead them into the barn. My 2 horses ate in their stalls but the coons would come down the aisle looking for food. I paid to have the barn cat get his rabies shot until I took him home to become a house cat. The old border collie had to get booster shots for rabies when she got into fights with the raccoons. My horses had rabies shots each year but the BO and other boarders did not get rabies shots.

[candyappy]

As long as you have something they can eat they will be back. As well as opossums and every other rodent that is undesirable. My mom had a raccoon that came into the house through the pet door and continually ransacked the trash can they had by the back door ( light made no difference).

For these reasons I do not feed the birds or my cat outside.

[HungarianHippo]

This time of year I find them to be especially aggressive / hungry-- could be a pregnant female. Remove ALL food and generally they will move on (But it may take a couple weeks of them tipping crap over, trying to pry things open, etc. We co-exist with our wildlife for the most part, but have lost too many chickens and had barn cats injured by raccoons. So any coons that take up residence in our outbuildings are trapped and dispatched with a .22 They have 17 ac of woods to live in.

Before some well-intentioned soul suggests it: let me say please do not trap and relocate. They’re known to travel 10 mi or more to find their way back home, and often die in the process from either starvation or vicious fights with raccoons that control the area where it was dumped. It may seem “nicer” than dispatching with a gun, but that’s only because their slow/violent demise is out of your line of sight. It’s truly not a humane thing to do.

[LLee]

We used to have raccoons coming about every other night to check out our garbage cans, bird feeders, etc. Some actually dig up the flower beds and pots, looking for grubs. Trapping (SSS) only worked on some of the pack, but what finished them off was putting one of those stinking toilet bowl “fresh scent” things in the garbage can. They never, never came back. They HATE the smell of that stuff. Just get the cheapest ones you can find, always have one in the garbage can (close the lid) and the coons, possums, feral cats, dogs, whatever, will NOT be wanting your garbage. Oh, yeah, and no flies. Ever. :yes: