Serious question, advice needed re: Raccoons
Jun 23, 2015 12:35:34 #
Los-Angeles-Shooter
Loc: Los Angeles
Situation: Suburban garage, with a cat door. Water and dry food is left there at all times for the cat who splits his time indoors and outdoors. A few feet away is a storage container for the dry food, with a screw on lid.
For close to a week, each morning, we've seen the food bowl empty, the water bowl empty, and the screw-on lid off the container.
The cat doesn't eat much and never has emptied the food bowl or the water dish.
The neighborhood has skunks, raccoons, and coyotes. We suspect raccoon(s) have been coming in, eating the food, drinking the water, and taking the top off the storage container to eat more dry food.
Are raccoons actually this smart? And are they able to unscrew a lid off a storage container? And suppose this is actually the actions of raccoons, what's the best way to deter the 'coons?
For close to a week, each morning, we've seen the food bowl empty, the water bowl empty, and the screw-on lid off the container.
The cat doesn't eat much and never has emptied the food bowl or the water dish.
The neighborhood has skunks, raccoons, and coyotes. We suspect raccoon(s) have been coming in, eating the food, drinking the water, and taking the top off the storage container to eat more dry food.
Are raccoons actually this smart? And are they able to unscrew a lid off a storage container? And suppose this is actually the actions of raccoons, what's the best way to deter the 'coons?
Jun 23, 2015 12:39:32 #
Yes, Yes and Golden Malrin (mixed with Pepsi. Cat won't touch it, coon's will gulp it down. They won't make it far and there will be a lot more than you think.
Jun 23, 2015 12:41:11 #
Have-a-hart traps and a trip of at least 5-10 miles to wooded area to release them one by one. Or, wait up and shoot them. Could try coyote urine from a hunting supply store, but that might scare your cat just as much as the coons!!
Jun 23, 2015 12:58:29 #
I have a close friend that lives a few miles away in a wooded residential area. He had the same problem with coons eating the cat food. He set live traps, and trapped 36 coons (yes 36) before they quit coming. Don't know how many tanks of gas he used hauling them miles away to the coast range to let them go.
Jun 23, 2015 13:59:11 #
Raccoons are damn smart & resourceful. I had to store our cat food in a metal garbage can with a 30lb weight on top. Even then the raccoon was able to knock the weight off the can but unfortunately it landed on his head. Looked like a murder scene in the garage. But, no more raccoon.
Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:
Situation: Suburban garage, with a cat door. Water... (show quote)
Jun 23, 2015 14:15:11 #
ClutchDisk
Loc: Fayetteville, NC
Set up a camera on a tripod and take a lot of photos. That would be a hoot. Btw I did the pee thing, gorilla, lion, coyote, billy bob cat urine. Even my own. Save your shekels. Coons are smart and tenacious. Trap the them, give em a ride 10 miles or more, find someone else's yard and release them there. Oh don't forget to set up your camera at the other place post both of those pictures. We could vote on them.
Jun 23, 2015 14:28:25 #
Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:
Situation: Suburban garage, with a cat door. Water... (show quote)
Advice?
A nice high powered pellet gun and some strong coffee.
Jun 23, 2015 15:54:51 #
Shoot their butts
Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:
Situation: Suburban garage, with a cat door. Water... (show quote)
Jun 23, 2015 15:58:22 #
Put a sign on your garbage can that says NO COONS ALLOWED...they can read, they are that smart...
nakkh wrote:
Raccoons are damn smart & resourceful. I had to store our cat food in a metal garbage can with a 30lb weight on top. Even then the raccoon was able to knock the weight off the can but unfortunately it landed on his head. Looked like a murder scene in the garage. But, no more raccoon.
Jun 23, 2015 17:18:06 #
Los-Angeles-Shooter
Loc: Los Angeles
Some rural acquaintances have written me suggesting equipping a kid with a .22 rifle and a bunch of Red Bull. However, this is suburbia, and gunfire is neither legal nor reasonable.
(My understanding is that .22 is a very small caliber rifle, used for hunting small critters.)
(My understanding is that .22 is a very small caliber rifle, used for hunting small critters.)
Jun 23, 2015 19:52:12 #
Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:
Some rural acquaintances have written me suggesting equipping a kid with a .22 rifle and a bunch of Red Bull. However, this is suburbia, and gunfire is neither legal nor reasonable.
(My understanding is that .22 is a very small caliber rifle, used for hunting small critters.)
(My understanding is that .22 is a very small caliber rifle, used for hunting small critters.)
Also quite lethal to somewhat larger critters (humans). I grew up hunting rabbits, and coyotes with a .22 long rifle. Had to hit the coyote just behind the front shoulder to kill him, or you had to track him for too many miles (western Kansas - we have LOTS of miles). A .22 long rifle bullet, fired into the air at about a 45 degree angle will carry a mile. Damned dangerous in the hands of the uninformed. Definitely not a toy.
Jun 24, 2015 01:13:08 #
Trap them and haul them to the country and release them? I'm sure the folks who live out there in the country will be delighted to have them. NOT!
The Golden Marlin fly bait and root beer method works every time, but I think Golden Marlin and its copycat products have been taken off the market, probably because they worked too well.
Can't shoot in town? Trap them and kill them or live with them. Please don't take them to the country and release them. We country folks don't want them, either.
The Golden Marlin fly bait and root beer method works every time, but I think Golden Marlin and its copycat products have been taken off the market, probably because they worked too well.
Can't shoot in town? Trap them and kill them or live with them. Please don't take them to the country and release them. We country folks don't want them, either.
Jun 24, 2015 06:21:47 #
paulrph1
Loc: Washington, Utah
rpavich wrote:
Advice?
A nice high powered pellet gun and some strong coffee.
A nice high powered pellet gun and some strong coffee.
Not to mention a sleepless night or two. One never knows when they will come around.
Jun 24, 2015 06:23:56 #
Jun 24, 2015 06:42:12 #
When I was a boy we were going through a drought. My pop came home and immediately went to water the garden. He then found me where I was playing and admonished me for leaving the backyard faucet on! I denied touching it. He just gave me his "look" and went about the garden. The next day the same situation arouse, however I had spent the day over at a friends house from right after breakfast until dinner time. I hadn't been home all day. My dad did a little investigating and after dinner he took me out to the back faucet and apologized for blaming me for leaving the faucet on. He then proceeded to show me the footprints in the mud created from the faucet. Sure enough a raccoon had been turning it on! Well pop took of the handle so they couldn't turn it on any more and had me leave a bowl of water out every night until the drought ended.
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