Moving a young raccoon

[Hay Dude]

I had traps out to cat squirrels. Caught possums and cats and coons. I carried the coon out pass the city limits and set it free. I kept catching coons all the time. Saw a wildlife officer that I knew and told him about catching the coons and said I didn't know there was that many in town. He said how far did i carry it to release it, and I said about two miles. He said there is your problem if not taken more than five miles they will return to there home. He said I was probably catching the same coon. To test what he said, the next coon I caught I sprayed orange paint used to mark utility lines. Three days later I had another coon in the trap and yes it did have the orange paint i put on his back. End of story.

I have heard this story before. They must have excellent sense of smell and internal compass.
I like deer, fox, hawks, and other large predatory animals and generally have no desire to kill them, but these mangey ground hogs, coons, etc….I’ve no use for them, and they serve no purpose but to inflict damage to property, pets, people & livestock.
Kill em off as much as you can.

I have a customer, older couple. They have a perfect small gentlemans farm. The stables are ravaged with ground hogs. Inside the stalls, there are 2’ high mounds of dirt. Horses get injured by den holes. The outsides of the walls look like freakin bomb craters every 5 feet. He can’t kill them fast enough.

 

[Jstpssng]

View attachment 3456299

I have to ask. Did you make this on the fly or is it something you found which coincidentally fits?

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Turns out ChatGPT is good for something.

 

[MossRoad]

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.

It's a common myth that raccoons seen in the daylight are rabid or sick. Just saying.

As for relocating to the back of your property, it may work. He might be scared and keep on going once you release him. That works for groundhogs in our yard that tunnel under the front porch. I give them a good hazing while they're in the live trap by making a lot of noise and yelling at them. Then I walk them back to the rear of the property and off they go. Fill in the hole. A few months later, another one shows up and starts digging. Where ever there's a good spot for a hole, nest, den, etc... an animal will find it.

But it's kinda fun to trap them. A good hobby.

 

[MossRoad]

We are going to have to back to that reading comprehension ...

What's all this I hear about violins on television?

 

[Jstpssng]

The only animal I will automatically kill besides woodchucks is a porcupine. While neither of my dogs got into them in a bad way, that's a chance I don't want to take.
In either case it's only if they are on my property.

 

[Torvy]

If a critter bothers me enough to think I should catch it or relocate it, I'm using an appropriate firearm and ending it.

Even if you drop it off at some distant public land, you are pushing the problem to someone else. Critters are territorial. Imagine that critter gets to a 1000 acre public land. Well, someone borders that place. Either your critter get pushed out by the local critters, or he pushes one of them out. Now some unsuspecting shlub is dealing with your mess.

I tend to leave critters alone unless they are close to house, pets, or people. I'll make exceptions for vipers. We have Cottonmouths and Copperheads around here. I'll let the other snakes keep vermin under control. Even the Coral Snakes are OK as they aren't so aggressive and you almost have to be dumb or very unlucky to be bit by one.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Rattlesnakes are actually protected by law in some places, including "red" Florida, which makes you wonder how stupid people can get before they stop breathing.

Personally, I will kill every rattler or moccasin I see here. Good luck catching me.

Environmentalists love to tell us every species is necessary and that the system will collapse if one slug or spider goes extinct. Somehow, we have survived the loss of the passenger pigeon, which used to darken the sky with its flocks, and the American chestnut, which was a dominant tree in our forests and fed all sorts of wildlife. Doesn't matter to greenies. Life on Earth will cease to exist if I shoot a rattlesnake's head off.

People never stop to ask themselves how Europeans have done so well after exterminating so many unpleasant species. Maybe they should bring bears and lions back to places like England and restore leopards to the European countries where they used to roam.

I remember when urban Americans freaked out because a wild lion with a nickname had been shot. Africans didn't care, were happy about it, or were only worried that it could hurt tourism.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Here at the farm, I have found that deer, squirrels, crows, ground hawgs, beavers, rabbits ALL suffer from a mineral deficiency. I have found a high velocity LEAD inoculation cures them of this deficiency.

Got real lucky once. Had a Gazebo made from cedar behind our old house. Noticed a new hole in the top of it, cedar shingles. A squirrel had made a nest in it. When it came out, drilled it with the 17hmr. Then a little while later saw 5 babies had come around the mother/daddy. So technically I killed 6 with a single shot. Cruel? I didn't/don't think so. Oh a hawk came by and got mom then the little ones and fed them to her babies (or she ate them herself not positive). So the circle of life continued.

Here are the farm I am always shooting something that is trying to get something off'n the farm. Last Saturday evening notice I had two 10-12" pine trees near my pond that had the bark eaten around them girdling the tree to cause sure death to them soon. Later I parked the mule on the bank and watched/waited. Out swam two beavers. One is no more. This story to be continued as I wait another evening for the other one. I have them come in every 2-3 years to take over.

 

[Torvy]

I forgot, we do have Timber Rattlers here, too.

Most of my childhood was East River South Dakota. (IYKYK) No poisonous snakes there at all.

West River has Prairie Rattlers.

How would someone know you popped a snake unless you told them?

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

It's amazing how many of the wild animals here are problems.

Bears, coyotes, bobcats, coons, and foxes all kill livestock and pets.

Poisonous snakes: harm people, livestock, and pets. Kill small game.

Squirrels: destroy everything and plant oak trees a foot from house foundations. Eat fruit and crops.

Pythons haven't gotten here yet.

 

[Torvy]

It's amazing how many of the wild animals here are problems.

Bears, coyotes, bobcats, coons, and foxes all kill livestock and pets.

Poisonous snakes: harm people, livestock, and pets. Kill small game.

Squirrels: destroy everything and plant oak trees a foot from house foundations. Eat fruit and crops.

Pythons haven't gotten here yet.

I looked at a state by state list of protected snakes.

The strangest part to me is how the 'naturalists' insist that each species needs to be well populated anywhere they have ever been seen.

Nature didn't work like that before people. Why do we think we need to maintain a particular level everywhere?

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

No creature other than man is stupid enough to want to bring troublesome predators back, and that goes for dangerous snakes, too.

Imagine a bunch of deer voting on whether to bring wolves back.

 

[masseyrider]

Maybe you should enhance your reading comprehension instead.

He's blind to anything that's not pumpkin orange.

 

[Jstpssng]

He's blind to anything that's not pumpkin orange.

They had some fun with it. Did you note the guy drinking with his woodchuck?

 

[shooterdon]

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 am old. Critters that are or can be a nuisance stop being a nuisance when they get lead poisoning.

Tired of dealing with the consequences.

 

[Dftodd]

I forgot, we do have Timber Rattlers here, too.

Most of my childhood was East River South Dakota. (IYKYK) No poisonous snakes there at all.

West River has Prairie Rattlers.

How would someone know you popped a snake unless you told them?

Thats how it was growing up in vermont as well. I never paid attention to snakes as a kid.

The only poisonous snake in our area were spotted adders. And they would just make you a little sick if you got bit by one.

We did have rattle snakes in the southern part of the state around the slate pits. But sightings were super rare.

 

[CalG]

I can imagine that most of have seen this image, but I get a kick out of just how many creatures live "with" us humans.

Now feral pigs,,, that's an issue!

 

[Torvy]

There's no relocating those. Around here they are shoot on sight. No quarter given regardless of size.

 

[Hay Dude]

It's a common myth that raccoons seen in the daylight are rabid or sick. Just saying.

As for relocating to the back of your property, it may work. He might be scared and keep on going once you release him. That works for groundhogs in our yard that tunnel under the front porch. I give them a good hazing while they're in the live trap by making a lot of noise and yelling at them. Then I walk them back to the rear of the property and off they go. Fill in the hole. A few months later, another one shows up and starts digging. Where ever there's a good spot for a hole, nest, den, etc... an animal will find it.

But it's kinda fun to trap them. A good hobby.

FAFO.
Just a friendly warning:
I would never suggest approaching a raccoon during the day with the assumption that it’s not rabid, or any time AM/PM for that matter.

Stay away from raccoons at all times. Although treatable, left untreated, Rabies is 100% fatal.