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Hunting & Fishing Need help getting rid of racoons

DIBBS

DIBBS

Old Mountain Man-Tired occasionally Grumpy SOB
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Minuteman
    • Aug 21, 2008
    3,249
    3,379
    WARSHington State
    I have a family of racoons that moved in by the house. They've tore the insulation out of the soffets in the carport looking for bees nests I think. I shot one tonight with a flashlight and .22 LR, but they're pretty spooky. Can you trap them in a live trap and if so, what do you recommend for bait? Last year skunks, now coons, aint country life great...
    grin.gif
    Thanks for your suggestions.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    get a trap its like a small cage there $80 youll catch 2or 3 a day put a can of cat food in there and deport them across town .
    i wouldnt shoot them though .
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Golden marlin. It's a fly bait. Was told by a friend they eat it like candy and do not make it far once eaten. But make sure it's out of reach of children and pets it has one hell of a warning label on the back. I have never used it myself but a friend at work has problems and that's what he recommended him to use.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons


    Yep, a have a heart trap works great. I use to have one and would catch everything, raccoons, skunk, opossum, and even the occasional neighbors cat. we just let everything go in the morning, but it was fun for us kids. You could easily relocate them if you want.

    Raccoons will eat ANYTHING, cat food, peanut butter, bacon, table scraps, whatever you have. Sardines worked well also.

    .22 works well also, if you don't want them around, but they are really cool critters. I'd move them.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    I've had great success with wet cat food, honey, marshmellows, and old leftovers. They will pretty much eat anything like stated above!

    If you aren't interested in killing them, get a live trap and board up the sides so they can't get their paws on the food without going in. If you don't mind shooting them, rimfires if it needs to be quieter/plan on keeping the hide/don't want a bloody mess. If none of this matters to you, post up about 50-100 yards away from a pile of bait and shoot with whatever suits your fancy!
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: iShoot17</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've had great success with wet cat food, honey, marshmellows, and old leftovers. They will pretty much eat anything like stated above!

    If you aren't interested in killing them, get a live trap and board up the sides so they can't get their paws on the food without going in. </div></div>

    This is what I do. I have the trap set year round near my chickens. Got number 9 yesterday.

    You can get a cheap trap at Harbor Freight but a big coon will trash it pretty quickly and the really big coons are too big for it. The Havahart traps are well built and can handle the big coons.

    I use dog treats and dangle them from the roof of the trap so the Racoon focuses on the treat and forgets about the trip plate.

    I use my 410 to kill them. I just stick the barrel through the trap and when the coon bites the end of the barrel (they always do) I pull the trigger. Their head muffles the noise nicely and there is no aiming issues. The .22 always seemed to take longer to finish the job.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    im with this guy, expect us a 22 that way it makes a small hole and you can make a hat out of em.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    If you close up all but the hole to a live trap and bait it with all mentioned above, you will catch em. Game Depts. don't like for you to relocate them, as they can carry disease, parasites, etc..to another location or do the same thing to someone else that they are doing to you. So really, once caught they should be disposed of. The best and cheapest way I know of to get rid of them is a baited 5 gal. bucket with a 220 Conibear trap. It kills them instantly with a blow behind the head. Plus unlike a live trap, the survivors aren't nearly as leery of sticking their heads in there, like they are with a live trap. To make one, cut slits on opposing sides of the bucket, just big enough for the springs of the 220 to fit into, stabilize the bucket, bait it, set trap in slots and reset after each catch.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Appreciate your suggestions. I will cover a live trap that I borrowed from a guy at work, and see what happens. I put some cantalouple inside...smells good to me. If that doesnt work I'll try some of your other suggestions for bait. The trap has caught a skunk or two in the past, and I'm wondering if its tainted as far as a coon crawling inside (havhart metal). Slight"odor" to it.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    I would trap them if at all possible. If you poison them you never know where they might crawl into and die until it starts to smell in the attic.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    I have some personal experience here... Bait = a packet of tuna & fresh strawberries. Camo the cage some; weight it so they can't roll the cage/trap over. They are surprisingly smart. Take care in handling; many do carry rabies.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Yea, tuna is great...and cb shorts combined with a flashlight if your the "waiting" type.

    Traps can be the "live" type, a conibare, or cable/wire type of snare. It all works, but the cb shorts are the most fun, you just have to be a bit more patient, and alert.

    Dibs-I notice your just south of me, the only traps legal in Wa are the live traps, none of the others listed above are legal.

    CB shorts are exceptionaly quiet, your neighbors won't notice, if your samrt.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Use sweet things, ie fruit, marshmallows, etc. It keeps the bi-catch of neighborhood cats to a minimum. You might get opossums using that kind of bait also though.

    I agree with killing them. It seems unsporting since they are in a cage and all, but they really shouldn't be turned loose.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Get a live trap(cheapest off E-Bay), some peanut butter, and some corn.

    Put some peanut butter on a cracker and put it inside the trap. Then take two handfulls of corn and throw some inside the trap, as well as some around the trap. The corn on the outside of the trap will acclimate the racoons to the trap.

    Put the trap out, and throw the corn underneath of something. Or where there is some cover over the trap. For instance under a boat, truck, or tractor.

    You should catch one every night. There are probably more there than you think. Tom.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HOGGHEAD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Get a live trap(cheapest off E-Bay), some peanut butter, and some corn.

    Put some peanut butter on a cracker and put it inside the trap. Then take two handfulls of corn and throw some inside the trap, as well as some around the trap. The corn on the outside of the trap will acclimate the racoons to the trap.

    Put the trap out, and throw the corn underneath of something. Or where there is some cover over the trap. For instance under a boat, truck, or tractor.

    You should catch one every night. There are probably more there than you think. Tom.
    </div></div>
    +1 They love PB&J lol
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: iShoot17</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've had great success with wet cat food, honey, marshmellows, and old leftovers. They will pretty much eat anything like stated above!

    If you aren't interested in killing them, get a live trap and board up the sides so they can't get their paws on the food without going in. If you don't mind shooting them, rimfires if it needs to be quieter/plan on keeping the hide/don't want a bloody mess. If none of this matters to you, post up about 50-100 yards away from a pile of bait and shoot with whatever suits your fancy! </div></div>

    Plus 1 on boarding up the sides of the trap. If you don't they have a nasty habit of taking your bait out the side. Smart little critters.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    i saw your reply i have the same problem i have some coons that are messing with my pheasants i never realy paid to much attenion to them because they never bothered them they were just around, but now that they have killed a few of my birds its time to take a few out. what would you suggest for bait in a trap? If that doesnt work i can always break out the .17HMR or the old .22LR. thanks
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    I use canned cat food. + 1 on boarding up the sides of a wire trap or the coon will try to reach through the trap and set it off before they get in it a lot of times. A bigger trap is better and easier to catch them in. You can build a real nice one out of plywood and scraps if have them.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Fox Urine; then watch them low crawl away!!!
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    I met great success last week in Junction,Tx with Dukes Coon Cuffs and canned cat food. Took out ten in 4 nights. I was tired of going out to the feeders in the middle of the night after too many totties. Gotta get out there early and check them though. They are trapped after all and need to be put down swiftly.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Easiest way to get rid of coons is to make a Prestone Corn Cocktail bar for them. I mix Prestone Antifreeze and corn together and place it where only a coon can access it so they are the only takers. You will come back a few days later and all you will see is a vultures and a terrible smell but your problem will be gone.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    LOL all I can think about is Forrest Gump when I read the tittle.

    Have had good luck with covered live traps and canned cat food.

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    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    i would post up 50-100 yrs away with the fox pro and use a raccoon pup in distress call. they come running in and then bust em with the shotgun
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Buy 4-5 coon cuff traps and bait them with marshmellows. We do this on our quail and turkey properties. Works great.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Go to the pound and get a rank ass old dog...it'll work itself out. What a great problem to have though...finally a use for that ghille suit i bought on craigslist.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    If you kill them, par boil them then barbecue them. They are gooood eatin.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    Another option is to get ahold of some one at a local hound club and invite them over for a hunt. Most of them would be more than glad to take you up on it for a new place to hunt. You might even enjoy going out and seeing how a good hound or cur dog trees them.
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    you can use havahearts or you could set out leg traps. or you could set up an old corn feeder in your yard, add a kill light and go to town
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    I'm a strong believer in just a plain and simple love trap with sarsines. I trap hard once a year for coons about the time quail and turkey start doing the funky. Trapped 38 in one weekend almost all love traps bit probably about 10 in some duke 1.5 steel traps. One thing I have noticed here in Texas atleast on our feeders the coons are very habitual. Especially if its a family. Ie mother with cubs. If there's 5 or 6 of em then I just assume hunt them instead of spending that much time trapping. Also taking out one at a time with a livetrap when there are more than one that travel together makes for the second one being harder and so on as they see what happens to there friends. So in that case it's figure out when there coming with camera on bait. I can usually vet it down to an hour period. If at all possible you will want the bait pile in a somewhat open area. Just give them a few nights of free access to a 50lb bag of corn and Load up a 12 gauge no plug with some turkey shot turn your light on and turn there's off. It's fun too. It's like a covert of quail taking off tryingto pick a shot an move on as quick as you can
     
    Re: Need help getting rid of racoons

    peanut butter works awesome for bait. Mix a little fly bait in and spread it on top of a branch in a tree where it wont fall to the ground. put some normal un spiked peanut butter lower on the tree to show them the way. Keeps dogs from getting to it.
     
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