%@&^*/%#$)* Raccoon!!

**cab54** · 07-09-2009, 11:10 AM

OK, I already KNOW that there is an animal hierarchy, and that all animals have to forage/hunt for their food, etc etc.

BUT, we have had a raccoon hanging around at dusk (not something new) and this particular guy is becoming more and more aggressive and a pest. He prowls on our porch and deck at night and knocks stuff over (no big deal) and scratches around in my flower pots, knocking the plants out and throwing all of the dirt all over the porch (kind of a big deal), and NOW he has killed the birds (Eastern Phoebes) that nested over our back door.

Those darn birds were like pets! We have watched them raise brood after brood, tag-teaming to bring bugs and stuff to the babies--they have at least two broods a year. Grrr.....I am so mad at that raccoon, and dh is ready to shoot him.

2 nights ago, the raccoon was scratching around on the deck and we thought he was trying to just play with our garden tools or get in the garbage (he has gnawed at my brand new rubbermaid snap-on lid cans' lids and cracked one).

No--in the morning, the nest was down (the Phoebes had raised one brood and had eggs in there again)on the deck floor, all broken up, and the eggs were gone, and there was a pile of Phoebe-colored feathers on the doormat. Nothing else. The Phoebe mate (Mr. Phoebe) is out there the last couple of days calling 'Phheeee-beeee' to it's lost mate. It makes me near tears.

**frugalfranny** · 07-09-2009, 12:31 PM

Can you trap him? Is there an animal control that you can ask what your options are?

Do you need a Davey Crockett hat? (oldsters will know about this)

That would make me furious. Those things are super smart and can get into anything plus they can be aggressive......hope you don't have any dogs that will 'wrangle' with him.

**Missy** · 07-09-2009, 01:15 PM

I have raccoons, I am reletively sure it was one that massacred my chicks in their chick house the last weekend. Made dd cry. One was the cause of death of one of my dogs years back.

We'll say it this way...raccoons don't seem to have much quaility of life once discovered here on my homestead. If you don't want to physically dispatch it...get a have a hart trap and contact your regional wildlife department, don't relocate one yourself. makes it someone else's problem. City raccoons will return to city or towns and be pests again from what i understand.

**Nana2two** · 07-09-2009, 04:44 PM

Its time to trap and take hime to a far away place and let go he has worn his. welcome.

**prairiewife** · 07-09-2009, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by frugalfranny

Do you need a Davey Crockett hat? (oldsters will know about this).

LOL, I must be an oldster, my little brother had one of these!

Racoons are very smart, but so destrutive. It's amazing to me what they can get into. We had a couple that tore open a sack of grain in the back of dh's pick up. What a mess they made. We knew it was racoons because they left nice paw prints and scratches up and down the sides of the truck. Boy was dh angry.

If you are in town I would call animal control and have them trap it for you. We live in the country so dh takes care of these things himself.

**MommyBliss** · 07-09-2009, 06:05 PM

I'd call and have him trapped and removed. Raccoons are just such horrible pests.

**KatieInLa2** · 07-09-2009, 06:30 PM

We had one knocking our bird feeder down and eating seed. We set a hav-a-heart box trap and caught it the very first night. We are bringing in the bird feeders at night now. They love marshmellows. You can bait a trap with them.

**cab54** · 07-09-2009, 09:15 PM

LOL, I guess I should have mentioned that we are in a cabin back in the woods, about 3 miles from the nearest dirt road that has a name.

So....we built our cabin on HIS land (the raccoon's), and if we called someone, they would laugh their butts off at us. We have to expect animals around us, BUT, I really really hate this particular raccoon, as he has been so destructive compared to ones we've seen around in the past.

I also have been watching a family of groundhogs nestled in a pile of logs a few yards from the cabin. A mama and two babies. The babies were getting pretty big and starting to stray away from mama more (she watched them closely,though). They were so cute! They kept my 4 and 5 year old niece and nephew entertained when they were visiting here a week ago. I haven't seen mama or the babies in days........

Makes me worried for them, too. DH says I have to quit getting all sappy over the animals, that they are going to eat each other, and that is the way of the wild. BUT he was sitting with his gun next to him the other night waiting for 'Rory' the raccoon. LOL!

We had to put our old Lab down in March. I'm glad he never tangled with a raccoon or anything else up here.

**cab54** · 07-09-2009, 09:17 PM

OH, and dh WAS talking about needing a Daniel Boone hat! LOL!

**miss_thrifty** · 07-09-2009, 09:28 PM

disease ridden things that carry parasites ans if any bodys pets eat after they eaten they can carry the parasites back to the animal and and if we ingest it we get really sick!!! plus they can be viscious , the older ones i find here in the city are way too cocky and arent scared of anything. i always had to put a large brick on the cans to keep them away. it works they cant lift the covers so they dont come back night after night.
As on your deck i dont have alot of advice beacuse if u shoot them or after them and ur seen doing it u will get fined. so just be careful.
I do understand ur frustration though. too bad u couldnt find there den.!!!

**frugalfranny** · 07-10-2009, 02:01 AM

Keep us posted on the raccoon........I do hope you get him......they are horrible critters......too bad they have such a cute face on such a destructive thing....and are so darn smart.

I was going to post a pic of a really cute 'coon.......but maybe AFTER you get him.

**pop goes the weasel** · 07-10-2009, 10:44 AM

I don't know if it will work for you or not but the game commission here told us (yes they didn't even offer to come and get the thing) Take a balloon and fill it with ammonia, Tie a knot in it and put it where the offending critter is. We used string and tied it down just in case. Then pour some honey on it. We put one on our garbage can and one by the flowers. Haven't had a coon since. that was a number of years ago. When the coon sticks it with his claws it will break the balloon and the offending smell of ammonia will, or is suppose to deter him but not harm him. Now if it would work on coyotes and mountain lions we'd be good to go. good luck

**cab54** · 07-10-2009, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by miss_thrifty

disease ridden things that carry parasites ans if any bodys pets eat after they eaten they can carry the parasites back to the animal and and if we ingest it we get really sick!!! plus they can be viscious , the older ones i find here in the city are way too cocky and arent scared of anything. i always had to put a large brick on the cans to keep them away. it works they cant lift the covers so they dont come back night after night.
As on your deck i dont have alot of advice beacuse if u shoot them or after them and ur seen doing it u will get fined. so just be careful.
I do understand ur frustration though. too bad u couldnt find there den.!!!

Yeah, that is HIS problem, he is so bold! I ran up to the screen the other night, waving my arms and screaming arrrrrrrggghhh (a pretty sight, I'm sure) and he was just INCHES from the screen (on the other side) and didn't even flinch, didn't move, didn't blink an eye. He just looked at me like 'what is YOUR problem, lady?' LOL!

DH yells at him out the window (expletives) and he just gives him the stink-eye.