Raccoon's are giving me fits!!!

[ShooterAZ]

No, they aren't in the attic. They are digging up my garden, and raising hell outside my bedroom window nightly. There has been a population explosion in my neighborhood. They roam around in packs, and when one pack meets another they have a gang fight.

They make the most god awful noises you ever heard. They won't go into the Havahart trap either, I tried canned cat food, tuna fish, and even BBQ steak trimmings. All they do is reach in there between the mesh and pull it out with their hands. I can't shoot them at 2:30 in the morning, because I live in the city limits and neighbors are close by.

I read on the internet that putting ammonia in dish with a rag will keep them away. Is this true? You know what they say about things you read on the internetI'm thinking of getting a crossbow and a headlamp. Anyone got any other ideas? Enough is enough, and Iv'e had enough! I need some advise!

[farmallcrew]

22lr sounds awful nice, or 1.5 coilspring traps sounds nice too.

[Cmemiss]

Try mothballs or better yet moth flakes, if you can stand the smell close to the house they kept possums out from under my deck.

[Gibbs44]

The only idea I might have is to brush up the sides and top of the trap enough that they cant reach in. You might get 1 or 2, but I don't know about all of them. Always could use a reason for getting a crossbow.

[country gent]

Put a fine mesh screen around sides and bottom of trap. bait with marshmellows and wait. Alot of town critters have been trapped with live traps so many times they can tell you make model and cost. A good 1000 fps pellet rifle with heavy "hunting pellets" will do the job with head shots at close range. Tuna fish oil, marshmellows, fruits and cat/dog food all make good baits. I have heard of penut butter being used also. Leg holds and conibears will get the niegbors complaining, As will animals dying in other yards. Ive had the same problem last year with woodchucks under the back deck. A 22 hornet dispatched them very cleanly from the kitchen window, Im out in the country though.

[1845greyhounds]

A friend had coons decimate his melon farm a couple years ago. He used traps and the like, but couldn't catch enough of them to matter. Through some research, he started using ant poison (pellets). He may have added some coke, maybe not. When the coons, or anything else, eats it, it kills them almost immediately. I can't image being poisoned is very humane, but he was past that... Any poison kills discriminately, so don't use it if there are other critters around that might get into it (dogs, cats, kids!!).

[Blacksmith]

CCI .22LR Quiet 40 gr. boolit 710 FPS accurate to 50 yards + but only 68 decibles, normal conversation is 60 Db.
http://www.cci-ammunition.com/produc...e=3&loadNo=960

Havaheart trap, Get the X-large Racoon sized one. Wire a cat food can inside hanging from the top so it is far enough away from the sides they can't reach it. In the can put some Marshmallow Fluff Cream, it is sticky so they have to work at it, add some grape jelly for aroma. Sprinkle some dry cat food along the center line of the cage to lead them in and put a small dish of water at the end of the trap, they like to wash their food. I always put the trap in place with the door wired open for several days before baiting it to get them used to it. If they still steal the bait put a thin board or aluminum plate inside to extend the trap trip plate so they can't reach over it.

Put up a game cam to see what's happening.

Trap
http://www.havahart.com/store/live-animal-traps/1081

Bait
http://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...k=g&matchtype=

[ShooterAZ]

Yup, I have the X-large trap. I wish I could shoot them...I have some Aguila Colibri 22 boolits, but I think even those will be too loud. I had no idea that they were partial to Marshmellows...I will give that a try, along with some of the other advice. My Coons are some smart ones, I just need to outsmart them I guess. The crossbow idea still sound exciting, to say the least.

[garym1a2]

A good dog will take care of them.

[Hamish]

Building a box for the live trap to go into will keep them from accessing anything but the entrance. (this works very nicely)

The bad thing about bolts and arrows is the chance of deflection.

[ShooterAZ]

You are right Gary. Sadly, my beloved Black Lab passed on Good Friday in April. I'm pretty sure that is one of the reasons why they are coming around now... I'm not sure if I would have wanted to send a 14 year old dog out after a pack of them coons though! I guess I need to start looking for another pup...still grieving and missing my dog.

[dbosman]

Flagstaff had a rabies outbreak in 2011.
Please be very careful.

In 2010 you had New, Fast-Evolving Rabies Virus Found -- And Spreading

Rabies has continued to crop up in skunks for eight years now, despite periodic vaccination campaigns. And so far this year, county officials have documented 14 rabid foxes in the Flagstaff area.
Now laboratory studies at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta appear to confirm that the fox and skunk rabies viruses

Here are your local experts, contact numbers.
http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/vector...malcontrol.htm

Coconino County Animal Management
2500 N. Fort Valley Rd. Bldg. 1
Flagstaff AZ 86001
(928) 226-2794
(928) 679-8756
(928) 679-8771
(877) 679-7272

Flagstaff Police Department - Animal Control
Coconino County Sheriff's Office
911 E. Sawmill Rd.
Flagstaff AZ 86001
(928) 774-1414
(800) 338-7888
(928) 779-2701 dispatch
(928) 679-8756
(928) 774-4523 after hours

[mroliver77]

We use peanut butter as bait in the wild. Lots of farmers use fly bait an sugar in antifreeze. I have seen coon 10 feet from the concoction. Other animals are at risk from poison. A long barreled rifle with a heavy for caliber pure lead boolit over a couple grains of bulls eye is very quiet!

My trick is to fill an fired 30-06 case up to the neck with WW alloy. I then drill down to the primer with a bit just large enough to allow depriming. I have a .250 rod from a lee die set with no expander portion but it has the depriming pin. I have got down to less than 1 grain of powder to move a boolit out of the barrel. 2 grain BE will move a 210 - 250 gr boolit plenty fast to damage a varmint! As has been stated, deflections and ricochets are common with these loads if you miss.

This is for informational purposes only! I stole the basic idea from Paco Kelley.
J

[garym1a2]

Good Dog.

[dakotashooter2]

Look up dog proof racoon traps........... I also saw where someone cut a 50 cent piece size hole on a piece of plywood and put a leghold trap and bait behind it (assuming it was enclosed).............

[ShooterAZ]

Good Dog.

Can I borrow your dog for a couple of days?

[frkelly74]

Put bacon grease on the ground right under the mercury vapor light and set up on the kitchen table. Shots through the screen from just inside the patio door with sub-sonic remingtons. At 4 in the AM no one noticed.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

CCI 22 min mag works just fine

[quilbilly]

When I had coyote problems at our former place in town, I used our den with a sliding door looking out into the back yard. When the coyote family complete with pups wandered out onto my backyard lawn, I just cracked open the sliding door and shot from 6 feet inside the den. All the neighbors knew was that the coyotes were suddenly gone

[45 2.1]

Do you want them to stop....... or be gone........ or dead within 30 feet? If it is the last, PM me and I will tell you how.