Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Hey guys, I got raccoons terrorizing my place in the city. They did through my plants every night and most days while Im away at work. They are really going to town on my palm seedlings for some reason, and have killed many already. Im down to only one of a few varieties now so I need to try something asap. I've have done some reading, but does anything actually work??? Has anyone successfully kept them away. They dont get into the garbage or anything, just the plants. If I wasn't in the city I would just shoot them, maybe with the airsoft gun first ;-) but thats not an option here. Any ideas are appreciated.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Humane Raccoon Traps| Havahart Live Cage Traps for a Coon
How about some Havahart live traps baited with canned Tuna and/or Marshmallows?
If you catch one, just do not dump the problem on someone else.....

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Ammonia? It sometimes keeps them away from garbage. If you start trapping them, expect to keep trapping for a while. Also, check your local laws on live trapping/releasing. You can call your state wildlife division to ind out your options.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

we live in the country and have chickens, raccoons are a big problem
they are very easy to trap with those live traps, use table scraps of meat for bait. Our problem is the woods are full of em and you can't get em all
we just have to lock the chickens up at night and not forget
never had em bother our plants, the deer do that
these seem to protect my plants pretty well

Amazon.com: scarecrow water sprinkler

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

wolfyhound,

around here the wildlife folks say

1) you can't trap em without a permit (yea, right)
2) if you trap em anyway, put em down, there's way to many of them and they carry rabies:eek:

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

I use a live trap. Had to bump up the size after I got a giant possum. He filled the cage from end to end. Tail was like 16 inches long.

I found that pieces of apple are the best all around bait and domestic pets ignore it. So far this year got 3 possum, 1 raccoon, 1 cotton rat and a squirrrell.

A trick I use to catch small stuff in the big trap is to put a big baited rat trap on the trip paddle. Even a mouse or bird will trigger the big trap when the rat trap goes off.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

I got Procyon lotors also, they are going after the worms and insects in my mulch.
They uproot everything.
I use a live trap...and relocate them in another state.
My farmer friends use high velocity lead and raccoon specific leg hold traps.
And still others use chemical weapons.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

At my old place, I would live trap raccoons and the local hunt clubs would come by and pick them up to relocate onto their hunt clubs. They chased raccoons with hounds so they wanted good healthy populations in the hunt club areas. It meant that I didn't have to drive the things miles away, and they brought the traps back clean and ready for my to reset.
Apples do make great bait too, and cats don't go after apples, which was the biggest issue I had to start with when I was trying to trap raccoons. It was getting frustrating to find my own stupid cat in the trap every day! Melon also works well and I used the rinds when I ate melon since the smell attracted them.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Many places its illegal to relocate a problem animal
I have raccoons around but they don't bother my garden
Pellet gun is legal & I shoot the Ground Hogs that do damage to my garden
I've shot 4 so far this year
I do use HavaHart traps but shoot any wild animal that gets caught

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

"Someone" would transplant the critters to the local campground so they could raid the tourista's coolers.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

One other possible solution to repel the pests is to spread ground Cayenne Pepper all around the area. You can also try mixing the pepper powder with peanut butter as bait and then placing the bait at stations around your plants. Eating the bait may be unpleasant enough to convince the pests to go somewhere else.

Of course, the only permanent solution (for your location in a city) is lead from a high-speed pellet rifle.
:doggyandnaner:

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

I would not be able to harvest any corn if I did not have an electric fence around it. You put it up so there is a wire about 4 inches off the ground and another one between eight and 12 inches off the ground. It is very effective. You have to make sure that they cannot climb over on trees or buildings though.

I have found that a " True Catch" live catch trap works better than have a heart traps. I also find the easiest way to eliminate the raccoons is to give them safety swim lessons in the trap.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Eat lots of meat, drink lots of beer, pee on everything. . .

No raccoon poop on the roof for 2 years running!

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Now this I can do! Actually I've already been doing this, gotta be sneaky though would get a big fine if the neighbours saw me.

Im gunna try a cayenne, habanero and garlic mixture and spray it on everything first before I go and get traps. Gunna spray it around the fence, on plant pots, plants themselves, deck, shed, etc. Lost some pineapples and a few leaves on my B.O.P. seedling last night so gotta stop these bastards sooner than later.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

You need a few Coon hounds!

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Given your location, the options that work best for me seem to be off limits for you. True, the different liquid concoctions might work for awhile, but rain or your own irrigation will probably rinse them away requiring repeated treatments and what a hassle to reapply over time. Forget once and "bam" they take out your favorite plant. The mixtures might also mes up your plants. There is a product that shines two red eyes when motion detected that mimics predators. This could be your best option.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Have you contacted the city about your problem? Rabies might not be an issue in Canada but is in the US.

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

I keep on catching my neighbors kats
They smell and they bite, and will not take a bath.
They sleep all day and are awake all night.
They will not cuddle at all.
However they are ...adorbs....

Re: Is there anything I can do about raccoons?
 

Yes keep in mind I am right in the heart of a huge metropolitan area. Unfortunately my dog is old and blind and would get waxed by a pair of fat coons. I will look into to contacting the city tomorrow, although I doubt they'll do much.

The thought behind the sprays is because they are very habitual/territorial creatures, that if I teach them my yard is no place to come visit, and change the ritual of their nightly scavenger hunts, then in the long run they won't come by often. But we'll see....

Glad I dont have possums at least, that thing is ugly!!