Raccoons in the yard (again)

Heard a rustling noise in the backyard a few moments ago and figured some animal was probably in our yard. I grabbed the nearest light I had on my desk (2D MagLED) and slowly made my way over to the window. I slowly opened the window, waited until i heard more noise, then "BAM" I aimed the light at the noise.

It turned out to be a raccoon digging around under one of our trees and about 10 feet away, I saw another raccoon; most likely his/her mate, on the fence between my yard and the neighbor's. I yelled and the first raccoon ran up onto the fence then caught up with the second and both ran through my neighbor's yard then gave me one final stare at the very far corner before heading off into the hills.

Too bad though, my camera was downstairs. Being in the hills, I expect to see more wild animals; I still remember the possum who frequently visited. There's another raccoon living in the bushes across the street from me but I haven't seen it in a month.

i love racoons

I was on heading to work early in the morning on Friday and saw a live raccoon cautiously walking up to his dead partner who had been run over the night before. I got a feeling of sadness at his loss. Poor little feller.

raggie33 said:

i love racoons

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They're cute but they could be rabid.

http://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/2003/Summer/rabies.shtml

Well, Bob, so am I.

I find them fascinating. They learn very early how to open Igloo coolers. Once we were camped where one could open a rotary latch Coleman cooler.

Funny story from scouts years back..........

We were camping at Massawepie and were in sites that allowed the troop to cook for itself. Now someone may have been messing with me, but we were given these large government tubs of peanut butter. The kind that are in a cardboard tube with the top that looks like it should be the plastic top on a coffee can. Well we left the site for a camp wide activity with all the scouts in tow (being the senior patrol leader in a boy run troop, it was my responsibility to make sure the scouts were all accounted for at all times, as the adults took a hands off supervisory role in my troop, so i know that none of my kids were in the site) Well getting back to my site, we noticed that someone had left one of the tubs of peanut butter out on the wooden kitchen box that came with each site. The TOP WAS ON the peanut butter and no one thought anything was weird untill we opened it about 15 minuted later. The inside was completley concave with imprints of raccoon tounge inside the tube (basically they had licked out the inside to a level that they could reach and then stopped) When I had left the site, some of the kids were scooping out some of the peanut butter and there were spoon trenches in the peanut butter. To all observers, it appears that the raccoons took the top off the peanut butter, had their fill and then PUT THE TOP BACK ON. Seems far fetched but I am damn certain (well at least as certain as my and many others foggy memories of about 8 years ago can be) that no one was in the site b/c they had roll call at the event that we were at and the whole camp was there and everyone swears up and down and on all sorts of things holy that they did not touch that tub of peanut butter.

weird (although could be totally false, but i would like to think that they did put the top back on......)

I get almost nightly visits from raccoons. They clean up any birdseed still around on the deck and try to get at the suet cages hanging nearby. Years ago I would buy cheap dry dog food and feed them. I could actually go out and call them and they'd come running, sometimes as many as eight. It got so some would actually take pieces of bread from my hand and beg like dogs. I finally decided it probably wasn't wise to encourage this behavior, but it was fun.

Geoff

Uncle Bob said:

They're cute but they could be rabid.

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just about anything nowadays can be rabid...from bears to hamsters

we used to have one around there, routinely visiting [and depleting] the bird feeders around here without a care in the world, but one day it came about strolling into the garden while the sun was up, the neighbors had their kids at the bus stop and I'm not sure what happened but heard some shouting and saw an animal control truck pull up and took him/her away
I think I still kept a pic somewhere, shot taken awhile ago [in 2004] when dad left some meat out close to the forest to stop him/her from getting into the garage

A neighbor across the street from me spotted a large raccoon while walking his dog this past summer. It was the same one I spotted earlier in the spring while coming home from work one evening. It lives in an attic in the last house on our block in Chicago. It apparently chows down on veggies in our neighbors' back yards. When the vegetation thins out this fall and winter I hope to illuminate him one night with my PT Surge.

I don't know much about raccoons. Would a dog scrag a raccoon, or would it see the dog off?

DM51 said:

I don't know much about raccoons. Would a dog scrag a raccoon, or would it see the dog off?

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depends how big your dog is and whether the breed was originally grown for raccoon hunting

I suspect most raccoons, given an easy escape, would tend to run from a large dog regardless of breed. However, a good NC native Plott Hound would likely win the day against even the most determined coon since they are well suited to boar and bear tracking as well!

Gatsby said:

I suspect most raccoons, given an easy escape, would tend to run from a large dog regardless of breed.

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still, before you unleash your best friend at the raccoon....make sure its rabid
shots up to date, as rabid raccoons may in fact put up a fight despite it has equal chances of escape

Coons are very smart and vicious fighters. It takes a pretty good dog to beat one mano a mano. (or should I say perro a coono?). Almost impossible for any dog to beat a coon in the water. I've know of several good dogs drowned by coons -- the coon simply climbs up on the dogs head and sits there til it's over. Kind of oversimplified, but I have seen it happen.

BIGIRON said:

Coons are very smart and vicious fighters. It takes a pretty good dog to beat one mano a mano. (or should I say perro a coono?). Almost impossible for any dog to beat a coon in the water. I've know of several good dogs drowned by coons -- the coon simply climbs up on the dogs head and sits there til it's over. Kind of oversimplified, but I have seen it happen.

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Completely agree. I'd never let a dog I owned, no matter what it's size, take on a coon. So unless it was an emergency keep your dogs away from them.

BIGIRON said:

I've know of several good dogs drowned by coons -- the coon simply climbs up on the dogs head and sits there til it's over. Kind of oversimplified, but I have seen it happen.

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oo: I didn't know about this
suddenly the thought of paintballs and a slingshot seemed like a good idea....

Trust me, guys, they're cute until they eat a hole in your windowscreen and come in the house to steal your trash. True story..

BIGIRON said:

Coons are very smart and vicious fighters. It takes a pretty good dog to beat one mano a mano. (or should I say perro a coono?). Almost impossible for any dog to beat a coon in the water. I've know of several good dogs drowned by coons -- the coon simply climbs up on the dogs head and sits there til it's over. Kind of oversimplified, but I have seen it happen.

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ditto...its sad but pretty impressive! :green:

Racoons are tough critters and survivors. I live in San Antonio Texas and my home is actually not far from downtown so not country living. 100 year old two story house on pier & beam. Racoons are not a rare siting and I have trapped many in my attic then hauled them off out to the country. Can`t keep them from getting under the house then crawling up the walls next to the fire places and stairways to the attic. Wakes me up evrytime thinking someone is in the house and seems like more than just a single someone because they are loud when the tear things up. AC/heat vent tubing, boxes and packaging material stored away and anything a coon feels liked taking apart. I hope one doesn`t tear a hole through the ceiling one night and land on me in bed! YIKES!!!

Ken

BIGIRON said:

Coons are very smart and vicious fighters. It takes a pretty good dog to beat one mano a mano.

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You just reminded me about the first time I saw a pair of raccoons in our yard back in 2003 or 2004. I was telling a few people in the office I know about the raccoons while at school and the main Janitor overheard us and told me "they may look cute but they have some very sharp spur-like claws on their wrist and they'll use them if they feel threaten and want to put up a fight."

The last thing we want is a headline on our local newspaper that says "Teen attacked and ripped to shreds by Raccoons." :shakehead