Moving a young raccoon

[Sigarms]

Been by myself the last two weeks while the wife is visiting her mom.

Last couple of weeks, found out we have a young raccoon moving from tree to tree in front of the home at night or early morning when I take the dogs out for the first and last time of the day.

Guy is maybe 1.5 times the size of my cat. Not full size, but not small by any means. When I first caught his eyes with the flashlight the other week, at first I thought it might be a possum until I got closer and could tell by the tail it wasn't a possum pretty quick.

Last 14 days I've seen him perhaps 6 times early morning or after hours at night.

Game plan is put the live trap out at night in the front yard, put some cat food in it (make sure I bring the cat in for the night LOL). Check trap around 04:30, and if I catch him, load him in the truck bed and take him for a drive out back where there are some nice gullies that are forested that go down to the creek. Of course leave the trap open for him to get out, come back and pick up the trap.

Only used the trap in the past for dogs and cats for the local humane society. Had to put a couple rabid skunks down, but never had to move any wildlife.

For those who have done this before, assuming my game plan is sound? Figuring it's not rocket science.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I think racoons have a wide range territory, I'd move further so it doesn't return.
Some states have laws preventing relocating of certain animals, if it matters any to you. Wouldn't bother me.

 

[Sigarms]

I think racoons have a wide range territory, I'd move further so it doesn't return.
Some states have laws preventing relocating of certain animals, if it matters any to you. Wouldn't bother me.

With my dogs (and the neighbors dog who comes over occasionally) I'd probably be doing the young fellow a favor by moving him. Not certain about their range, but for whatever reason, seems to be hanging out in front of the house with all the trees.

Only see him late at night or early morning when there is no light. Leads me to believe non rabid, and he ended up out front some how. If I were to see him during the day, odds are he would be put down.

You made me look. Per law, a trapped raccoon in NC must either be put down or stay on the property where it was found (he'll be let go on my property which a decent distance from any other homes as my home would be the closest if anything). If he doesn't like the gully near the creek in the heavily wooded area, it's up for him where to go after that.

 

[Hay Dude]

Yeah….I’d be moving that raccoon way down the road…..I don’t care what the law says.
They’re nothing but Rabies and trouble in your trash.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'd move him also, but wouldn't be dumping him to be somebody else's problem. That's why I have a box of lead free .22 magnums.

 

[Sigarms]

Never had an issue with wildlife and trash thank God.

In other parts of the world, dogs are the predominant rabies carrier.

Can't blame an animal for getting rabies and wouldn't wish it on anything. Most humane thing to do is put it down before the disease progresses IMO.

That said, animals lack intelligence. My neighbor called animal control to report a rabid fox or something because his dog got into a fight with it. I asked him if his dog ever got his rabies shot. Told me no, and I explained to him what that would mean for his dog. He probably changed the story or told them not to come, but that was more than a couple of years ago and he still hasn't gotten his dog a rabies vaccination.

 

[Sigarms]

I'd move him also, but wouldn't be dumping him to be somebody else's problem. That's why I have a box of lead free .22 magnums.

You know your old when you don't want to kill things if you don't have to (that said, yellow jackets are an exception to that rule of mine).

Animal is showing no unwanted behavior around the house at night, but that's why I'm going to move him. Please note, I'm not dumping him on anyone else's property, but relocating him on my own property but further away from our home and no where closer to anyone else's home.

Any time I've had to dispatch of some wildlife around the house, have always used a 12 gauge.

 

[Hay Dude]

You know your old when you don't want to kill things if you don't have to (that said, yellow jackets are an exception to that rule of mine).

Animal is showing no unwanted behavior around the house at night, but that's why I'm going to move him. Please note, I'm not dumping him on anyone else's property, but relocating him on my own property but further away from our home and no where closer to anyone else's home.

Any time I've had to dispatch of some wildlife around the house, have always used a 12 gauge.

While I appreciate you not dumping him on someone elses property, I don’t care how far you go away on your property, that coon will be back in your back yard the next day, because you fed it.

Take it to a public game land

 

[Spindifferent]

Been there, done that.

You need 5-10 miles distance or you will see it soon again.

Good luck!

 

[Jstpssng]

You know your old when you don't want to kill things if you don't have to (that said, yellow jackets are an exception to that rule of mine).

Animal is showing no unwanted behavior around the house at night, but that's why I'm going to move him. Please note, I'm not dumping him on anyone else's property, but relocating him on my own property but further away from our home and no where closer to anyone else's home.

Any time I've had to dispatch of some wildlife around the house, have always used a 12 gauge.

I don't want to kill things either. The last woodchuck I shot cried like a baby while I went back to the truck for a second bullet to kill it. That's when I switched to the 22 magnum. Yet it's quite likely I had to kill it because somebody else didn't want to, and let it go on "some old back road" instead. I live on that backroad. Over the years I've had woodchucks, dogs, cats, and a rat appear. The first and last don't naturally occur alone.
I have gone to lead free because I leave the animal for something else to eat. There may or may not be any truth to lead fragmentation killing birds but I don't need to risk it.

 

[Hay Dude]

I don't want to kill things either. The last woodchuck I shot cried like a baby while I went back to the truck for a second bullet to kill it. That's when I switched to the 22 magnum. Yet it's quite likely I had to kill it because somebody else didn't want to, and let it go on "some old back road" instead. I live on that backroad. Over the years I've had woodchucks, dogs, cats, and a rat appear. The first and last don't naturally occur alone.
I have gone to lead free because I leave the animal for something else to eat. There may or may not be any truth to lead fragmentation killing birds but I don't need to risk it.

You “cried like a baby” from shooting a ground hog?

Maybe you should hire/ask someone with a stiffer spine to take care of the raccoon for you?

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I think he meant the woodchuck cried, at least that was the way I read it.

 

[Jstpssng]

You “cried like a baby” from shooting a ground hog?

Maybe you should hire/ask someone with a stiffer spine to take care of the raccoon for you?

Maybe you should enhance your reading comprehension instead.

 

[MountainBuck]

At my last house, my neighbor fed raccoons. One day he showed me about 4pm in the afternoon, he clanged some pans together and I counted 36 raccoons climbing out of trees and from under barns to gather at his pans of food.

I was really startled at the sight.

After his own dinner, my neighbor would then take out the pots and plates that he ate off and lay them in the yard for the raccoons to "lick'em clean" as he would put it.

It wasn't too long after that when some disease went through them and killed about half. They would walk around in circles and get the shakes and fall down. Discharge from eye and mouth.

Back then the internet wasn't very knowledgeable but I did find that raccoons commonly carry worms that aren't good for humans.

They became very destructive, tearing up shingles, my wooden shed and the like.

Given my experience, I don't think I would relocate the young raccoon so that it won't become the problem of another.

 

[MMC]

You know your old when you don't want to kill things if you don't have to (that said, yellow jackets are an exception to that rule of mine).

Animal is showing no unwanted behavior around the house at night, but that's why I'm going to move him. Please note, I'm not dumping him on anyone else's property, but relocating him on my own property but further away from our home and no where closer to anyone else's home.

Any time I've had to dispatch of some wildlife around the house, have always used a 12 gauge.

I agree with some of the sentiments others offer. Obviously, if you enjoy killing an animal and the suffering it experiences, you need professional help.

That said, wild animals are to be enjoyed in their own environment. They normally do not really domesticate well and feeding them or putting out other attractions sets up all sorts of problems for the future.

This animal is attracted to your house for some reason, most probably food somewhere around it. I would almost guarantee the raccoon will immediately return if you relocate it only a short distance.

Those laws on relocation serve to educate. No one wants your problem... And raccoons do harbor rabies and probably other diseases your pets might get from contact.

So, I personally would simply shoot the animal, ensuring a clean shot and a quick death (and a 12ga heavy shot is pretty effective...). There are pest removal folks who could be paid to deal with the situation, but you probably know how they would handle it in the in the long run.

That may seem a bit cold - I don't mean it that way exactly. For those of us on farms, I think we enjoy wildlife and respect and protect it whenever we can. But there are situations when the responsible thing to do is what we don't want to do...

Raccoons and people just don't go together well.

Best of Luck.

 

[Jrasband]

Never had an issue with wildlife and trash thank God.

In other parts of the world, dogs are the predominant rabies carrier.

Can't blame an animal for getting rabies and wouldn't wish it on anything. Most humane thing to do is put it down before the disease progresses IMO.

That said, animals lack intelligence. My neighbor called animal control to report a rabid fox or something because his dog got into a fight with it. I asked him if his dog ever got his rabies shot. Told me no, and I explained to him what that would mean for his dog. He probably changed the story or told them not to come, but that was more than a couple of years ago and he still hasn't gotten his dog a rabies vaccination.

I don't want to give my dogs the shot either!

 

[Hay Dude]

I think he meant the woodchuck cried, at least that was the way I read it.

Gotcha
I have found having possibly rabid mammals with sharp teeth near my house to be uncomfortable.

Relocating is risky and you could easily be bitten.
Not worth the risk. 12ga is quick & easy

 

[gstrom99]

Trap, 22lr (or two) and bury. (SSS)
Relocation is not a good plan, for all the legal and other reasons posted.

They're cute and all that, but they're better off in the woods than around your house.

 

[wolc123]

I’m a long way north of you, just below the Canadian border in upstate NY, but raccoons are a big problem here. In our state, landowners or lessees are allowed to trap and kill “damaging” raccoons in unlimited number, year round, without a permit or license of any kind, but the carcasses are supposed to be burried or burned, outside of the open trapping season. After that, we can just throw them out in the fields to feed the buzzards.

They don’t specify how deep to bury the carcasses. It doesn’t seem to matter how deep I put them, eventually our local coyotes always dig them up. The good thing about that, is that the fatty coon meat must be so tasty to the coyotes, that they move in to the area and take over most of the coon control themselves, especially the females and juvenile ones.

They won’t mess with the adult males though, and those represent about 75 % of what I’ve trapped around my sweetcorn, the last several growing seasons. I just burry the trapped ones shallow now, to help out my friends the coyotes a little.

Creating a coon-free area is very beneficial to other, more useful species, like wild turkeys, and other game birds. The raccoon is a voracious nest predator.

The easiest way to draw them in for elimination. Is to plant sweetcorn. They will begin hitting that a week or so before it’s ripe enough for eating. I use box trays, baited with peanut butter coated marshmallows, or dog proof traps baited with cat food. I can’t think of any furbearer that is easier to trap than raccoons. They can be caught with foothold traps placed under shallow running water with tinfoil wrapped around the pan.

 

[MMC]

Gotcha
I have found having possibly rabid mammals with sharp teeth near my house to be uncomfortable.

Relocating is risky and you could easily be bitten.
Not worth the risk. 12ga is quick & easy

I'm going to second the dog proof (paw) trap. I have used the old Hav-a-Heart cage traps over the decades. They do work (marshmallows, sardines, etc.), but then you have to dispatch an exceptionally unhappy animal. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the raccoon runs straight out of the trap at release and away from you for the shot. But...once and a while, they will turn to fight. I still have my foot, but probably not by much. If bitten, unless the animal can be tested, you honestly should have rabies shots.

The paw traps baited with mini-marshmallows do the trick. The raccoon is there the next day waiting for a clean exit with a .22 shot. One disagreement with an earlier poster. On my sweet corn, I swear they waited until they smelled the maximum sugar in the corn...and ate it one day before I wanted to pick, not a week...

No, I do not like raccoons...

Best of Luck