What's your thoughts on this raccoon?

This raccoon lives under our deck. I've seen it yesterday and today in the late afternoon (still daylight).

I've heard they can be out scavaging during the day (not strictly nocternal).

It walked across our lawn in a straight line (I heard brain issues / rabies may have them walk crooked paths).

It looks OK other than the scrawny tail.

Any thoughts?

it is bad to have it living under our deck (which is low to the ground / I can only crawl under some areas).

 

The reason he stays is obvious..........you're feeding him peanuts. Why relocate when your food is provided. You may want to have animal control take care of him or do a live trap and relocate him to the countryside, and stop feeding him.

 

They are cute and smart little critters...but they are still critters. A racoon can tear you, a dog, or a cat up bad. Humane trap baited with peanuts and relocate to a marsh or woods.

Animal control doesn't always trap and release. Sometimes they euthanize.

Contact a local animal rescue or wildlife sanctuary about borrowing a trap. Otherwise they run about $35-50. Buy one and donate it afterwards if no one can help. Trap, spay/neuter, release programs will be happy to have it.

 

I had a couple that would come in and eat out cat food, ( found cat door) live trapped them and 10 mile trip to country and problem solved. Coons can and wukk bite.

 

We feed our cats on the front porch and used to have issues with 'coons and 'possums eating any leftover food during the night. Easy problem to solve - remove the food come dark

I would not encourage a 'coon or any other wild animal to live under a deck or anyplace close to the house! It might be cute while it's still young but sooner or later you'll be cussing it for the damage it caused.

 

Thanks for theinfo.

Don't put out the peanuts for them. Was doing that to get a picture of him (her?) And this area is right under a fairly large / well stocked bird feeder structure. We go through a fair number of 40 pound bags of sunflower seeds... I think about 1 bag a month, along with a suet holder, a nijer feeder, sometimes mealworms that i grow in the basement, a squirrell feeder that we put corn in, and a flat surface for peanuts... (interesting - with the support wires holding the flat surface, big crows that can't get in there to get the food - they swoop in and wack the tray and nuts fall on the ground : )

something like this:


The raccoons have been under the deck for years - yes, they are wild animals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-35-LSvTLI8

Haven't been a problem... just wondering if they typically undermine the structure - chew at the wood, etc. and that tail just doesn't look good. mange?

 

We often trap out a couple Raccoons each year, sometimes a Skunk as well.

And using a Hav-A-Hart Trap, we have been known to re-locate them a few dozen miles away on the other side of a river.

But to prevent the spread of Rabies, the State Rules DO NOT permit this relocation, and we're supposed to either release them on the spot . . . . or kill them by shooting or drowning and burn the remains (which may require a Burn Permit which could take a week to obtain).

Releasing them after taking the time to capture them would make about as much sense as what is happening down at the southern border.

In recognition of how intelligent these animals are, when you break up families and do the relocation less than 10 miles away, they'll find their way back within just hours! We've learned to deal with the whole household.

The best approach seems to be Not to leave any attractive smells or food outdoors .

 

even in Vt there's all those regs : (

I was thinking NJ was unique with all the rules.

Being we like the birds / feeder, the food won't be going away anytime soon : (

Kill? Most I'd use here in NJ in a residential area is a BB gun (.177 metal pellet pump up crossman actually). Even that, besides using a BB gun in a residential area, there's likely coon hunting season to abide by. And don't know if that's strong enough to do it humanely...

 

Yeah . . . . remember this is the place that Howard Dean came from . . . . and where that New Yorker Transplant Bernie Sanders helped to put the People's Republic of Vermont on the political map.

I'm so proud !

 

I don't know how feasible this might be, but, if possible, I might be inclined to lock him out of his home and let him figure out where to go. It's coming out during the day which works in your favor in this case so run him off and have some material ready to tack to the bottom of the joists until you have time to replace it with something more permanent. You'll just need to keep an eye open to make sure he doesn't sneak in on you while you're boarding it up.

 

Yeah, I have some fencing - 2 x 4 panels. I'm thinking I'll tack that up along the top edge of the fencing / the verticals of the deck and curve the fencing at the bottom outward so they can get out but can't get back in. I can picture it very pretty looking in my mind. Lets see if the actual looks anything like that : )

 

"the People's Republic of Vermont on the political map."

Don't you mean the "People's Republic of North Massachusetts?" The only state in hte union with a commie as a senator.