What would you do re: Raccoons during deer season

jmorris said:

Go get a couple bags of cat treats and some of these.
https://www.flemingtraps.com/fleming-dog-proof-raccoon-trap-galvanized.html

No need to actively “hunt” them. I use them a few times a year, when too many of them are cleaning out the food from my hog traps.

Once caught you could kill them with just about anything, I use a .22.

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You need to place them far enough apart where a single coon can’t be caught in two traps. Yeah, I learned that after it happened.

Never have caught a dog or cat in any of them, just opposable thumb animals like coons and possums.
Trapping and killing them does nothing to discourage deer, from what I have seen, it encourages them, eliminates the competition. Same goes for hogs.

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Friend of mine swears by these. I'm going to borrow a set right after our rifle season. I'm now up to 5 of the %^%$ things on my feeder, plus they took a a lot of the apples from my trees in my deer engagement area, breaking branches in the process. I'm now convinced trying to peacefully co-exist with them isn't going to work.

They generally don’t get the fruit until it’s almost ready for you to pick. 5 isn’t bad but will turn into 15 pretty quick.

I use 1/16” wire rope, 4-6’, make loops at both ends and crimp. I first loop the wire through the ring on the trap, the other loop needs to be large enough to fit the trap through, after going around your anchor point, tree, fence post, feeder leg, etc.

jmorris said:

They generally don’t get the fruit until it’s almost ready for you to pick. 5 isn’t bad but will turn into 15 pretty quick.

I use 1/16” wire rope, 4-6’, make loops at both ends and crimp. I first loop the wire through the ring on the trap, the other loop needs to be large enough to fit the trap through, after going around your anchor point, tree, fence post, feeder leg, etc.

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Thanks!

That's exactly what they did, only I was leaving it on the trees for the deer.

I've got wire rope loops ready to go due to my beaver/muskrat trapping endeavors. Owning property with ponds is another thing that "briefs well", but in application equals work!

Chuck R. said:

. . . . I'm now convinced trying to peacefully co-exist with them isn't going to work.

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It doesn't

If you want any kind of varmint or insect
gone, you have to eliminate them.


The DP traps work great for coons
JMHO- I don't like putting any kind of
wet or sticky baits in mine.
Deer corn and dollar store dry cat
food is all I use and it works great

Good Luck

daniel craig said:

The land owner prefers not to do it himself. He dislikes killing that which he won’t eat.

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Does he then expect YOU to eat them? It seems a disingenuous principle to 'require' of someone else (the killing) something you would not do for yourself. Its like hiring someone else to be a man for you.

IF Raccoons are being destructive/nuisance then they need to be dealt with. Not consuming the meat resource of what is generally considered a pest animal is NOT wasteful if that is the landowner's concern. I am always puzzled by the concept some have....that anything killed and not eaten by 'Humans' ...has gone to waste.

Scavengers and opportunistic feeders have to eat also and will make good use of the carcasses.

In my State (Texas) it is actually unlawful to possess any fur bearing animal taken as a nuisance. Even live trapped animals can not be relocated off of the property they were trapped on without first notifying Fish and Game AND securing permission to release the animal(s) from the owner of that land.

daniel craig said:

The land owner prefers not to do it himself. He dislikes killing that which he won’t eat.

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He says that, yet, he sprays for roaches, flies, etc right? Mouse traps? Or is he Buddhist?

It's manipulation.

I'm thinking it's time to move to new territory. The raccoons are there because food is there, landowner needs to police up what they are eating. Having you do his dirty work is what he's up to.

Icky raccoons.

I have several of these I use out at the cabin, along with live traps. Don't have to worry about catching anything but coons. Easy t set, easy to bait with sardines or canned cat food. Shrimp shells work well too. Once coons find a food source, they are hard to eliminate. Having a small dumpster along with a garbage can on the deck is what attracts them. They will also raid the grease trap on the grill and prey on the Mudbugs along the creek. https://www.fntpost.com/Products/Dog+Proof+Coon+Traps/Bridger+T3+Dogproof+Raccoon+Trap

dh1633pm said:

Makes for easy shooting when they are already captive. Sometimes you just have to use what ya got. Kersplat with the 12.

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At $1.50 per splat

Yes, even at $2.50 a splat. Beats having Raccoons invade your space.

Chuck R. said:

Friend of mine swears by these. I'm going to borrow a set right after our rifle season. I'm now up to 5 of the %^%$ things on my feeder, plus they took a a lot of the apples from my trees in my deer engagement area, breaking branches in the process. I'm now convinced trying to peacefully co-exist with them isn't going to work.

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Coons are a real PITA. They wreaked my apple trees one year and have trashed my sweetcorn way too many times.
I bought a couple of the DP traps at the Orschelans down in Larryville. I bait them with marshmallows with some peppermint oil on them.
They've worked well.

How long is your deer rifle season? Unfortunately Oh is only a week a year (plus one bonus weekend). So, I would never waste a min of deer gun on a coon. I'd wait until after deer season and go on a 'coon elimination rampage with a .22. We have a bunch on our land that we need to do the same with. Nasty buggers can make a major mess of a cabin.

Shanghai McCoy said:

Coons are a real PITA. They wreaked my apple trees one year and have trashed my sweetcorn way too many times.
I bought a couple of the DP traps at the Orschelans down in Larryville. I bait them with marshmallows with some peppermint oil on them.
They've worked well.

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I hit Orcheln's today and bought a couple! Going to wait till after deer seasons down to try them out.

I have always been of the opinion that if a person is too squeamish to kill his own rats he should just have to live with them. In my case I wouldn't be able to see another coon till after hunting season.

daniel craig said:

Some people prefer not to kill. Some people prefer to only kill things they’ll eat. Some people have no qualms killing anything on 4 legs for any reason. I don’t tend to question other people’s ethics especially if I’m hunting their land.

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Well, then you better shoot those coons. It’s his land and he asked you to do it.

surely you can see the difference between “I won’t kill the raccoon because I won’t eat it, but I won’t stop anyone else from killing it” vs “I won’t kill the raccoon because I won’t eat it SO I’ll ask someone else to do it.” The latter is what your landowner is doing and it is faking a principled position. He doesn’t care if the coon goes to waste. He just doesn’t want to kill it out of laziness or squeamishness.

You go banging at coons while deer hunting and you might as well go home. Kill the coons with whatever then deer hunt in silence.

daniel craig said:

I’m not here to argue his or my morality.

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So you are saying 'killing' is immoral? Or not utilizing the resource of ANY animal is likewise immoral? I think you'll get argument about that (and for good reason).

Don’t feed the trolls

daniel craig said:

So the land owner where I hunt, after I reported seeing raccoons making a home near my stand, asked me if I would shoot them because they’ve been bothering the livestock (apparently he’s live trapped and relocated [yes that’s illegal] 12 so far).

I said no problem.

Here’s the rub, I’ve been hunting with my slug gun because my deer rifle is out of commission for a bit yet. I don’t really want to waste a 12ga slug on a raccoon. I also don’t want to carry two rifles into the woods. So I was thinking I have 2 options:
- 1.) bring my 9mm with me and use that
- 2.) start hunting with my sks because that would be “appropriate” for both deer and raccoon.

option 3 is to see if I can find a .243 for sale somewhere but I’d prefer not to spend that money of money at this point.

Of the first two options which would you do?

Edit: to answer a few questions here, The land owner prefers not to do it himself. He dislikes killing that which he won’t eat. I respect that.

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See the below answer-

Armored farmer said:

I probably wouldn't see any more 'coons until after deer season closed.

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I definitely wouldn't.

daniel craig said:

It’s not like I’m actually seeing any deer anyway

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Then it should be easy to 'not see' any raccoons.

Just goes to show how different every
region is. I've shot coyotes and deer on
the same day here. Varmints are enough
of a problem here that you just don't pass
up any opportunity to make a small dent.
Of course, all that's up to the individual
Just me- I wouldn't risk losing my hunting
spot if the landowner specifically told me
to take any varmints I saw

I hate to admit this, but I have no problems ruining a good deer hunt to shoot a coyote, raccoon, or possum. I'll do it every time, especially if I've sat there for a couple hours and not seen any sign of life. But honestly, shooting the coons probably won't "ruin" your hunting. The deer around here don't seem to mind gun shots, don't know how they are in NY. Have shot deer 30 minutes after smoking a 'yote out of the same stand. Coincidence? Stupid deer? Dunno, but it worked out. Were I you, I'd slip some #4 HB's in my coat pocket and blast the coons, chuck the carcasses in the nearest convenient ditch, then resume "not seeing" any deer. If you're worried about Mr. Greenjeans catching you with the #4's, then use the SKS and some cheap hardball for the coons. Skip the pistol; the rifle will be more accurate. Probably wouldn't buy traps to set on someone else's land myself. If the landowner wanted them trapped I might do it for him if I liked the guy and he bought the traps and supplies. Just my opinion.


Mac

Don't shoot possums
A possum eats 4000 ticks per DAY.

Seedy Character said:

Don't shoot possums
A possum eats 4000 ticks per DAY.

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No, not really; that's PETA's possum or rather, what they want you to think. Your average possum will eat ticks and other bugs, but they also destroy the nests of turkeys, quail, and other ground nesting birds, eat the eggs and kill the chicks. Your average turkey will eat 3x the ticks in a year's time vs. a possum. Furthermore, they carry a disease known as EPM which is deadly to horses and is transmitted by the cute little possum when it craps on/in their feed. Possums also raid chicken houses, eating eggs and killing chicks and full-grown birds. And possibly worst of all, they ruin great coyote sets! If you want to save the possums, go ahead; I personally prefer to sic the dog on them. Saves ammunition and is cheap entertainment.

Mac

Don't go confusing the narrative with FACTS

PLM!