Hey guys, I have a raccoon problem as of last night. They have discovered my garbage can and found out how to get the lid off. Now in all honesty if I were on my own, I would shoot em. However my wife wants to to get rid of em a more humane and live way. I have thought about traps and even an electric bug zapper on a pole while I sit in a ground blind near my garbage.lol. Anyone have any quick and easy ways of gettin rid of them that does not involve me shootin the suckers. Theres 4 of em. Thanks guys and gals!
You might borrow someones dog or you could rig it with those little fire crackers you put on door knobs.
Ya my friend has a black Mouthed Curr that would make short work of em.lol. I just don't want the dog to get scratched up. I like the alarm angle though. I know somewhere I have a door alarm I can rig up to the can.
you can make a simple coon trap. make a wooden box about 2 feet wide, 4 feet long and a foot deep. drill some holes in it about 3/4 to 1 inch big along the top. drive a few nails in around the holes, angled in toward the holes (usually 3 or 4 nails around the egde of the holes will work) and then put some pocekt change or pieces of aluminum foil in the box. it works better if you make one side of the box out of plexiglass, that way they can see they shiny stuff in the box. they will reach down in the box and grab the shiny stuff and wont let go, thus trapping them selves to it. then you can catch them in a big old catfish net and remove them from near your property.
Mothballs in can, might work should give them a good head ache, when the lid comes off also around can, might discourge them. Have used mothballs to move skunks and mice from biuldings. worth a try aand cheap Jim
I would try something simple. You aren't going to shoot them or kill them so why put a dog on them or a door alarm. Yea, a coon will kill a dog. Seen many have to have their guts stuffed back in and sewn up and seen some dogs that were "finished off". Taking any dog that isnt trained or has been around coons to defend a trashcan against 4 coons is a death sentence. Like taking my house dog black bear hunting. I would get in the habit of making what I put in the can unappealing. Try pouring some straight ammonia in your garbage bags before you can them.
I second that with the ammonia.It worked real good for me when I had skunks trying to get into my trash.
My buddy's Curr is a known Coon killer. He' taken on a big group before and made out with only a scratch on his nose. This dog hates Coons and is very wise to em. If he needs some help then our Boxers should do the trick. We have had to clean up many a possum after those 3 came across them. So four big strong dogs with a background in killin furry critters is enough for the four coons. However that isn't my intention. I'm setting live traps and then takin em out to the wildlife management area bout 17kms from our place. Thanks for all the helpful hints though guys!
If you are not using them, switch to metal trash cans. Run a bungee strap from one handle, across the lid and to the handle on the other side. That will prevent them from getting the lid off.
What gets in my trash the most is the bum down the road looking for stuff. LOL. Why not just build a trash bin to store your trash cans in. Can make a wood frame, use a good heavy wire fencing to rap around it or wood siding so neighbors cant see in it. Might look better, Put. a hinged top with latch. Can be made out of chain link, just about anything. Put trash cans in it. If using wood siding, might add some vent holes for smell, depends on what you need. I have seen them done many different way's Lot of folks in the country do this to keep dogs out of trash. Some build them by the road for a trash man to pick up. keeps dogs out, should keep coons out. Doesn't look bad. Me, I like to feed all the neighbors dogs and stray animals. it adds color to my yard when trash is scattered all over it and when a good wind comes up, it blows to the neighborshouse, the ones who's dogs cause it in first place. What dont blow away, the crows and buzzards finish off. LOL. kidding.
If ya dont want to kill em then live cage traps are the only alternative,try sardines,grape jelly or catfood for bait.
no no no those things wont work. the only thing that will work is hiding in the can and jumping out when they try to remove the lid. just kidding NOT a good idea. lol i would use a live trap then drive them 50 miles away, or tell your wife you drove them away:wink:.
Shouldn't be hard to make a live trap. We caught 2 or 3 just playing around with a big bird cage. (Parrot cage?)
ya if ya dont want to shoot em just get a live trap and take them 10 miles down the road by a timber or creek. might as well. if they are there now more will likly come. get a live trap. it will work for coons feral cats ect. toss it in the garage till more come.
We had that problem in Fla at my dads house. We built a nice box with PT 2x4's and lattice that fit 3 cans. Made it all pretty, put trim around it and painted it the same colors as the house. This way they couldn't knock them over. For the lids we used bungee cords or locking lids. The front you can hinge if you wanted to have a easier access to pull the cans out or clean in there. Its a nice way to hide your garbage instead of looking at the cans etc. -Jim-
