Saw a roccoon walking across the front yard and climb up & into a big maple at the road. I thought they don't come out during the day and if so it was a sign of rabies. I really would not like them around the house and barn-due to our dogs, chickens, ducks etc.
What does everyone think? Rabies? Trap & release? Or just get out the Remington.
Welcome to the forum.
You will get 'soup ta nuts' in responses here, but if me, I would get a bead on it with the "remington" (spelled Winchester here) or I would get the trap out and live trap it, 'first'!
No way would I remove and re-posit it somewhere else for someone else to take care of the problem. I get enough racoons, cats, squirrels (found out two guys trapped over 50 squirrels in town last year and dumped them out near here, and that aint' right!), and dogs dumped as it is (even a white rabbit).
So, "Remington", or "trap and Remington" for a couple choices. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]
Racoons are not purely nocturnal, and can be active during the day as well, so seeing one during the day is not a sign of rabies. No need to harm it. This is the animals' environment as well as our own. We need to learn to live with them, and not blast them out of existence whenever we see them (not that you intended to do that).
Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."
If you don't want them around, then I would definitely get rid of it. They won't help out your chicken or duck eggs any and if one of your dogs tangles with it, even if their rabies is up to date they still recommend getting a booster. At least in PA.
If I see a normally nocturnal animal out in the daylight and close to my house, it meets my "Remington"... spelled Marlin here... [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
I would vote for shooting it next time you see it.
We had one that was wandering around our barn from time to time, no big deal I thought, just eating a bit of the chicken food.
Then a couple young hens disappeared, I found one of them eaten in a distinctive racoon like fashion. It took me a couple nights to get him, but I finally set the chicken feeder in front of the open door of the barn and left the lights on in the barn, I ended up shooting the racoon from behind the woodpile into the barn, but I got him.
No more disappearing chickens or going to the barn in the middle of the night to find out what the chickens are raising a ruckus about and finding a racoon chasing the chickens off their perches.
They are pretty tasty! I know what I'd do with him. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
We had one get 7 of our chickens before we ended his feast.
its 5 o'clock somewhere
Thanks everyone for the help. No sign of the coon since last week, but I havn't been looking for him either. My soft side says live and let live like RichZ says but the 50 acres of woods across the road is where they should be. I'll keep a close eye out for them and be ready. Beenthere- good point about trap & release - I won't Just pass the problem along to someone else.
We have a Reminton plant up here in Ilion, NY so I try to
" support my local gun factory".
Thanks again, Larry
Did ya get him Larry??? [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
My chicken feeder was tipped over a couple nights in a row so I bought a live trap and baited it with tuna fish. I looked out the window at 1 am this morning and two BIG racoons are helping themselves to the chicken feed.
I snuck out and shot one, I couldn't see the other until I went into the barn. The other one had climbed up and was sitting at the top of the wall where the roof joists meet the wall ( 12 foot wall in a pole barn ). I stood there and looked at him a minute trying to figure out how to get him down without putting a hole in the roof and eventually just gave up and shot him. I was using a .223 and it didn't go thru him so no hole in the roof, thank goodness.
I didn't have a scale but I would guess both of these racoons were between 10 and 20 pounds.
My chickens had taken to roosting in the rafters of the barn at night, now I know why.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote