What would tree a raccoon?

[hitekcountry]

I was awakened the other morning around 3:00 by a loud commotion outside behind my house, sounds I had never heard before. It sounded like two different types of animals. I turned on the light out back and went outside and by that time the noise had stopped. I shined a light all around the back yard and saw nothing. So I went back in the house and turned out all the lights and waited by the back door and the noises started up again. By this time I was able to see a lot of motion of one of the branches up in a tree and it was clear the noise was coming from that direction. One sound was a sort of screeching/whining sound of an animal trapped but determined to fight to the death and the other the sound of aggression from what I thought sounded like some sort of cat. With my flash light I was able to see a set of eyes but nothing else then finally the animal turned and I could see it was a raccoon. A raccoon is pretty easy to identify even with the mask. I never did see the other animal but it was clear to me that it had to have been in the tree with the raccoon because the coon was about as far out on that limb as he could get on about a 1 dia. limb. The raccoon was a small one, about the size of a cat. I'd assuming what ever was trying to get the coon was too big to go out on that small of a limb.

What I'm wondering is what would go up a tree after a raccoon? I rather doubt a house cat would do it. So what else is there, a bob cat? Or, and this is the one that concerns me, could it have been a cougar, because if that's what it was, that's way too close. That tree is only 30' from the back of my house. About 4 hours earlier I walked in the dark with no flashlight all the way to the garage which is about 100' from the house.

Ok so am I making too much of this or is there reason to be concerned?

The picture taken the next morning shows where the raccoon was. The night time picture didn't come out very well but it's a pic of the raccoon.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Screeching...sounds of an animal you've never heard....animal sounding like it's fighting for it's life against something else...

A big cat?

Sounds like you've got a cougar to me, but I've never been to California and i don't know your terrain.

In Illinois they still don't exist although there are several reports of them being sighted.

 

[jinman]

I would carefully look for tracks to help ID the animal. A coyote can screech and yelp and carry on like no dog I've ever heard. To me, they sound more like a cat. A bobcat is a possibility, but normally they would be after smaller prey than that racoon (I think...). If you have a big cat, I'd expect it to leave some tracks. Even in the woods with lots of debris on the ground, you might find a track. That would solve the mystery.

I think the raccoon out on the end of the branch would be a normal reaction to any predator whether the predator was in the tree or on the ground. You probably won't find evidence on the tree, but you might find it on the ground.

 

[tallyho8]

It could have been another coon. I've heard them make terrible rackets while fighting especially around breeding season.

 

[Skyco]

Chupacabra? See here-

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/related-topics/106924-chupacabra-found.html#post1216043

or here-

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/106943-blood-sucking-chupacabra.html#post1215921

 

[hockeypuck]

Fisher cat.

I do not know if you have them in your area, but the sound of one in a battle and the sound of them gutting their prey would make the hair stand up on the back of the neck of a battle hardened Marine.

puck

 

[Western]

I wouldnt get between two fighting coons if I was wearing body armor.

 

[jbrumberg]

Best bets- another raccoon or a fisher cat. Fisher cats are very comfortable in trees. If a fisher cat can catch it it will eat it . Jay

 

[hitekcountry]

Birdhunter

I should have mentioned that cougars AKA mountain lions are in this area, but I've always been told they don't come in this close to people and houses. The people that live at the end of the road have seen them near their house even during the day. They're about 1/4m further into the woods.

Jinman

On the other side of the tree is a paved driveway (neighbors) and on my side I didn't see any tracks. I think what ever it was would have gone out the other side.

Tallyho8

Another coon. I would prefer to think that's what it was. I would like to get to the point where I'm reasonably sure it wasn't a cougar.

Fisher Cats?

Never heard of them, are they aggressive towards people?

 

[Birdhunter1]

mountain lions are in this area, but I've always been told they don't come in this close to people and houses.

Whoever told you that doesn't know their butt from a hole in the ground, they will come right in your yard and snatch whatever they want.