Help with pesky raccoons

Try some wire traps or maybe lace some food with poison. Or even better, if you have neighbors, get a nice crossbow and camp there with bait.
 
Hello,

We have 3 dogs, a boxer, american bulldog, and a husky. The husky regularly gets opossums and large rats. Its funny, he never ever barks but every few weeks my mom walks out back and he has a gift for her. Our house is next to a golf course that backs up to the hills so we get a good amount of critters. My mom also has a large garden, probably 50' square, and it attracts a lot of wildlife. The husky's a terrible guard dog though, anyone can just walk into the yard and hes ready to invite them in with a dog toy but my 155lbs american bulldog does all the guard dog work. The husky is a great family dog too but he can be anti social at times. Rescue one if you can but you never know what your getting if its not a puppy. Regardless of what you do look into dog insurance, it will save you a ton of money down the road.

Have a good one,

Chris
 
The rat dogs, aka most terriers have always had a fun time keeping any raccoons the stray through our yard. I know most are too small to kill one, but I think they just annoy the hell out them until they stay away, and are smart enough not to get close enough to them. Mutts from the pound are the best. Then you save a dog and get rid of the vermin.
 
Coons can carry a lot of diseases distemper, rabies etc. They can also put the hurt on a dog in a fight even if the dog kills the coon it might cost you more in vet bills than calling a pest company. they are smart but generally urban coons are easy to trap. get a live trap, learn how it works, let let it sit outside for a week or so to get the people smell fading. use marshmallows for bait as cats and skunks wont eat them but coons love them. trap it and relocate and release (might be border line illegal). or trap kill and sell the fur if its in season. Some local governments have a service that might send someone out to trap it for you depending on where you live on the public safety thing (they can be viscous little bastards). If you decide to trap it in a live trap check the trap every morning, it is inhumane to leave one in a trap for very long sometimes they freak out and break teeth trying to chew there way out. good luck to you, I look forward to putting a damper on the coon population in the coming months in my area. I live in an urban area currently, and we had some ravage a water garden scattering our coy all over the yard.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Racoons can and will kick the everliving crap out of any dog that is in that kind of aggressive but dumb category. Racoons are also super smart, so they will avoid the dog at first, and learn what they can get away with. A dog aggressive enough to take on racoons will probably be high maintenance as far as training, possible injuries, and space requirements. Can you look after a dog that learns it can kill whatever it wants? Coons, skunks, and neighborhood cats are all the same to a dog. Some dogs easily get a kill instinct, huskies, dobies and rotties are well known (I know these can be great dogs, but we have to be realistic, lots of lines of these dogs are very aggressive when on the hunt.) I had friends in school that had coon hunting rottie mixes. however those dogs took a lot of work to keep in line, and they were under no illusions that at any time they may have had to put them down. Unfortunately, coons will eventually outsmart any non-killer dog, leaving you with the problem you originally had.

I'm not saying its a bad idea, I am saying it's not an easy idea.

Trap and relocate might be logistically simpler. Or just live with them. Are they causing damage?
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My Samoyed was like that. He'd try to kill whatever he could get inside his jaws. Cats, squirrels, pigeons, etc. But would run into his dog house at the first sign of lightning, heavy thunder, fireworks... LOL
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the help. I don't know what I'll end up doing. Maybe nothing for now. Winter's coming and they hibernate...don't they? I'll have all winter to think about it. Thanks for pointing out the disease thing. Even if I get a dog that will tear one apart, they could still catch a nasty disease. The Benjamin Marauder looks real nice but...dang that sucker costs alot! I've always wanted a crossbow and you don't have to take them to the vet or feed them?
Thanks again everybody. I love this place!
 
A humane trap is another alternative. They work 24/7, and at night when you can't see the critters. And it keeps your dog from fighting with them. Then you haul the coon away and give it some new woods to live in. Do that a few times, and no more coons.
 
Coons do not hibernate like bears. They keep on running year round. And I would want something more powerful and accurate than a slingshot to dispatch one, for sure.
 
They will hold up in dens when it gets real cold, for sure. But they do not hibernate like some bears do. You do not indicate where you are from either. Most critters behave differently in different environments.

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Columbus, OH. and thank you codger for your insight. They sure are purdy.
I really didn't think that they per-say hibernate, but, when it gets below, I'm trying to remember here, 30 degrees maybe, they're scarce. Not an issue.
I really didn't want to dispatch em', I mean, we all have our place in this world. I remember when I was about 7 or 8, kids used to ride by our dead end road house on those Honda Trail 70's, we had 2 dogs that used to chase em' like there was no tomorrow. Dad mixed up a squirt bottle w/water and a few drops of ammonium. He gave a couple to a few of the guys and told them to squirt it in their eyes. They did and all it did was make their eyes burn a tad. They finally quit chasing mini bikes.
I wonder.......
 
Any of the mid size to large terriers will do. Not vocal like hounds and instinctively go after critters of all sorts. I commented earlier this weekend in another thread - pound for pound best dog otg - about my pit/Bassett mix. He almost never barks, but loves chasing/killing critters.
I am from Columbus, if you are in the city those are big raccoons. If you are on the outskirts they are relatively normal size. I hit one on Dodridge rd just off of high st in my twenties. I thought I hit a dog, like a small lab. So I pulled over to check my car and the dog. The front bumper of my accord was cracked and crushed. The dog was a 45# raccoon.
 
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porkbilly.223 said:
I really didn't want to dispatch em', I mean, we all have our place in this world.
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I'm with you on this. Pre-slingshot they were very bold, actually walking within arms reach of me a few times. I go for body shots and take a little steam off, and it gives them a good thunk. I'd say it has cut down the raccoon and skunk visitations by a good 75%...and when they see me they run like hell. It's good to be the King!
 
I got a couple options for you

My uncle had to keep coons from getting into his muskedine grapes (makes wine with them), he put an electric fence around them, I dont know if that will work for your situation though. he had it hooked up to AC current....zapped the shit out of them...kind of like sticking a fork in a socket, very dangerous, especially if you have kids

and this is my second Idea

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along with some mace filled paintballs. 30 balls per second in full auto should do the trick...and there aren't as many laws regarding shooting them in city limits....and to top it off, you can harass friend and neighbors (or those pesky kids that roll your house on home coming night, I dont recommend using the pepper balls with that though).
 
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