Raccoon help needed

Hope this is the right place to put this. I know we have a raccoon problem, I've caught them in our trash, and I didn't witness it, but I'm sure as I can be that they're responsible for twice killing off our male goose in winters 2005 and 2006(finally got rid of our geese), and end of this October going after my cat(he's all healed up now, but it was a close call). So I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions about how to either make our property offensive to raccoons(I was thinking about using our pooper scooper to pick up our dog feces and put them all along the fence line) or how to make traps to catch them(and if I feel like it, are they safe to eat?).

 

Get some live traps and bait them put it to rest with a .40. then gut it skin it and grill it coon is good to eat............

 

Plumbous Deficiency

From what I've noticed from the past 15 years of raising chickens / pheasants / ducks and geese. What your raccoons are experiencing an Plumbous Deficiency. Relatively easy to resolve in a rural setting or wide open suburban area. More difficult to fix in a urban setting. What these critters need is a nice piece of high speed lead (plumbous) place preferably between the eyes. Easiest to get them at night. carry a flash light, their eyes glow. just aim between the 2 dots.

I've found that raccoons once they have gotten a taste for feathered dinner. they will keep coming back until you make it impossible for them to come back.

I prefer a .22 LR with subsonic hollow point rounds or a shot gun with any thing 6 shot or larger (smaller numerically 5,4,2) doesnt matter what gauge shot gun either. Anything that can deliver a copious amount of lead pellets into their head will make um dead.

if you are in an urban setting you might want to use a snare (might be problem with cats though) or a box (live trap). If you want to relocate the raccoons you will need to consult your state wild animal regulations as in some areas it is illegal to move them to a new location.

I've personally not found that dogs or their feces will necessarily keep them away. Anectodally, I did how ever have fewer raccoon issues when we raised pigs. concisdence, maybe, i don't know for sure.

but with a raccoon, dead is best.

as for eating them? I'll let someone else comment.

a properly prepared hide depending on condition (late winter fur is best) and size can bring anywhere between 8 and 30 bucks

 

I live on a Bayou, and raccoon's are just part of life here...even in the City...I've found 3 dead carcasses in the past 4 weeks by the back shed...My Rottweiler has developed a taste for killing them...I'm not liking this at all, as I've read about people training pit bulls to fight by putting them against raccoons....But, it's "her" yard, and anything that comes in it is fair game to her....She's still a house dog, and a gentle giant indoors....(Still a puppy at almost 15 months old...)

I have a friend here who eats them as part of her regular diet...She can clean one and knows right where to get the scent glands off, in 2 heartbeats...It's funny watching her...I've tasted it...and the only way she cooks it that was palatable is with bbq sauce, in the oven...and she had soaked it in Buttermilk the whole day before...It's not my favorite...but if I was hungry, I'd eat it before opossum...blech....Have a friend that eats them too...he told me "You haven't lived until you've had opossum grease run down your chin..."
That comment alone made me gag...

One got in the house once....late on a Sunday night...The 22 Rifle got it real quick...one shot. Too bad no one filmed that for posterity...I'm sure it was hilarious, between me, the cats, and the dang raccoon....

 

SCENT GLANDS !!!
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THIS ONE LITTLE THING CAN NOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH. You have to know where they are. How many you are looking for. Find them all and remove them before even considering fixing a raccoon to eat, or, YOU WILL REGRET IT.
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Raccoon:​

As always start with a clean kill to the head. Raccoon are best when taken in the winter months. Cut the jugular vein and hang by tail immediately after the kill. Keep cool until ready to dress. Remove the glands from under the front legs and fleshy part of the rear legs before dressing. Remove as much fat as possible from the carcass. Gut, remove head, tail, and feet, rinse well. In a non metallic container mix 2 gallons water with 5 tablespoons baking soda and 1/2 cup salt. Completely submerge possum in brine, refrigerate overnight before preparing. If you are going to store in the freezer for any length of time it is best to freeze in a plastic container filled with water with a tightly sealed lid.​

CRC touched on it, It needed to be repeated with emphasis.
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They are described as waxy looking kernels. I have never personally prepared a coon for cooking. I will do a bit more research. Maybe find a link.

 

I could not find any pictures worth posting about preparing a raccoon for cooking. I did find this slightly better description. Only problem was, It didn't give a number of kernels....
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[SIZE=+3]Cleaning a Raccoon [/SIZE]​

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Raccoon meat is very dark and when the coon's food is abundant, the body is covered with a thick layer of fat that has an exceptionally strong flavor and odor.
This fat also extends in layers between the strong bands of muscle.
It should always be removed along with the scent glands. Unless these glands are removed, the meat will have a tainted flavor.
The scent glands are located under the forelegs and along the spine in the small of the back.
They are usually pea-shaped, have a waxy texture and range from a reddish to a light yellow color.
Care should be taken when removing the glands to never cut into them or bring them in contact with the flesh.
Those most experienced in the cooking of coon recommend parboiling it first. Some also add a tbsp each of baking soda and black pepper to the parboiling water to remove the strong gamey flavor.
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We're in Oregon too. One year we had five of them, so bold that they were coming up on the rear porch and eating the cats' food in broad daylight. Then they made the mistake of snarling at the wife and daughter when the ladies went outside. The ladies told us about it, I went outside with SIL, and between the two of us, all five raccoons did not have a good day. FYI, at 30 feet, bird shot does not impress a raccoon, #4 buck does.

 

If you have a single shot .22 or a .22 revolver you can dispatch a raccoon with a .22 short or cb cap (Conical pointed) in town without too much noise... or a high velocity .177 pellet rifle or a sliongshot.... you can "bait" them with fish and hunt over them if desired or legal...

just a thought...

 

If you see this, you know you are outclassed:

 

We had a problem with them a few tears ago ,I talked to the coon hunters club in the area and let them hunt my place and now not so much .
As far as the birds go we found out if we put the goats and birds together the coons won't chance a fight with the goat and they get along pretty well !

 

That's awesome! My sister in the Klamath area has been getting her chickens whacked recently, and we're pretty sure it's a skunk or two. I'll be sure to let her know about this. No one wants to shoot the skunk (for obvious reasons) even if they're kind of bold coming to their back yard.

Thanks for the great advice :^)

 

Trapped a pile of 'coon over the years, shot a few, but mostly trapped. If you live where shooting them is tricky, and you don't want to kill non-target critters, get a couple live traps. Tractor Supply sells them in most areas. Bait them with grape jelly or marshmallows. I like marshmallows best, because most non-target animals won't bother your traps, but coon can't see to resist them.

Yes, they are edible. The 'coons I'm talking about, not the marshmallows.

If you should catch a skunk, don't panic. Take an old sheet and carefully cover the trap. Once the skunk has had time to quite down, you can move the trap to an area away from the house, 100 yds is good if you don't live in town. My live traps just have to be turned over for the door to open and release the skunk. Run like heck!

I've never tried to eat a skunk. I suppose it could be done. Go with the raccoons.

 

Where in Klamath area NVBeaver? I'm between Bly and Beatty here.

@Wild Trapper: Not really worried about skunks, I saw one our first year here, and I think last year it was, our neighbor took care of at least 3 of them(mainly because one of their dogs found out the hard way about skunks). And this summer, driving into Klamath Falls, just about all the roadkills we saw were skunks, whether we went Sprague River Road or 140.

 

*Googles Aaron Sorkin* Oh...well unless he's now working for Publisher's Clearinghouse giveaways, he can stay the hell off my porch

 

What's wrong with killin' coons? Some coons just need killin'. Y"all don't be takin' this the wrong way now. Ya hear?

 

Not a problem i have some foam trays and saran wrap... i'll add some stickers and send it home with him... may miss the glands but what the heck.

 

I'll supply the butchering skills. It'll be practice for my long pork BBQ after TEOTWAWKI.

 

Fried Green Tomatoes flashback happening now(which btw is the only 'chick flick' I can stand)