Trap and release Raccoons

[teejk]

I understand coons carry a parasite that can be transmitted to humans. The only thing I shoot is squirrels that make a mess in my barn loft and in my house soffit ....russ

I think that parasite was a big problem maybe 30 years ago and just about ended all coon hunting that was very popular at the time (for reasons I never understood...feeding hounds all year and then running them while you tripped and stumbled in the dark woods???). I haven't heard much about it in years other than you should be careful with the droppings if they happen to leave any on your picnic table or deck.

 

[teejk]

I read some data regarding our attempt to make the buffalo extinct a few hundred years ago. Many hunters were injured learning that important lesson.

The buffalo (actually bison) thing dated back to before people cared about sustainability of a species. That really didn't end until around the time of Teddy Roosevelt who loved to hunt but was wise enough to see that "pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered" (an expression I learned in tax law but find it applies to a lot of things). But back to the subject...I don't think anybody has to worry about the eradication of the raccoon as a species.

 

[MossRoad]

If you run cattle, as I do, food plots are not an option, also food plots are weather dependent and as you are probably well aware rain can be scarce down here...and I don’t shoot whatever else shows up, only coons...Your stance is clear and I respect it, but don’t condescend because you don’t agree with my practices.
As you are fond of saying ...”that’s just wrong...”

Haha whatever chief take care...

I say the same thing to people that put out bird feeders then shoot the squirrels and racoons that show up. Your practice of feeding animals from feeders is the root cause of the problem and its easy to fix.... killing animals that show up to eat food that you put out is just plain wrong. Unless you're using the pelts, it's also a tremendous waste of life. It is an ethics issue.

 

[goeduck]

Maybe the reason I do not have raccoon and coyote problems is that I have always stopped doing what seems to attract them? Just my :2cents:

 

[PILOON]

One big problem is the urban tree huggers that shudder at hurting god's little creatures.

As a consequence grey and black squirrels, coons and skunks etc ret transported to an outside zone to become somebody else's problem.

I have owned my land for over 50 years and never saw a grey or black squirrel but every day I see about 6 or 7.
Same problem goes with bears and coyotes, they trap and move them but they come back, must be GPS equipped. LOL

 

[the old grind]

IIRC baiting mouse traps is to gather and extinguish vermin. What so wrong about shooting vermin over food if the shooter, unlike a conibear, is selective about whom/what is dispatched or not?? They s__ in my barn they go swimming, and no blood to rinse off the "Duke Heavy Duty Large" trap. I've had a pair of 'coons eat and poop 4' of a 12ga extension cord, four colors of plastic and shredded wire in their scat.

Props to the use of Duke 'Dog Proof' pictured a page or so back, a very selective trap for raccoons. There's a right spot to crack the skull when you catch 'em in a DP or leg-hold trap. btw, global fur market collapsed years ago, and recent weather has made things messy, with mud more likely during trapping seasons when bitter cold doesn't keep them from running.

So, rats are bad and once caught should be released to live on? Not sure where to draw the line between rats and coons. Cute babies, is that it? BTW, if we catch a skunk in a coon set, should we or shouldn't we have it de-scented before we crate and ship it to Moss?

 

[/pine]

Killing unwanted animals (regardless of the species) that are attracted by food because they are a nuisance or destructive to gardens etc. is at the least being irresponsible and being entirely bone headed stupid at the extreme...people are lazy...it's easier to kill something than it is to not spill any feed grains or clean up after themselves...

shooting racoons because they are attracted to food..be it put out for pets or part of a crop is only treating symptoms and not the problem...

 

[Billrog]

We had packs of dogs running around our place some even being aggressive so I made a live trap & to my surprise caught not only dogs but a few raccoons and a bob cat . Dogs went to the dog catcher and wild animals I open the gate and let them go. None of the wild animals have ever been a problem for us.

 

[4570Man]

I've shot dozens of rabbits out of the garden. My bigger problem is groundhogs digging holes in my buildings with gravel floors. I've trapped and shot several of them. What's the better solution to that?

 

[the old grind]

.... shooting racoons because they are attracted to food..be it put out for pets or part of a crop is only treating symptoms and not the problem...

So don't plant corn? Drawing vermin to food for a reason, yes, and not just shooting everything that shows up. "A rat is a rat." etc. I'll agree to disagree as long as I think that coon damage 'symptoms' ARE the problem.

Raccoons aren't house-pets to some of us. If they didn't come to feeders they'd come to your house or barn. They raid nests and trash my barn. I kill flies and ants too.