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!@#$*% Raccoons!

timebider

timebider

Some like 'em hot!
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I have a tiny garden, being a suburban gal, but nevertheless I'm proud of it. Haven't had any problems with critters, thanks largely to the dogs - until yesterday, when the raccoons discovered the corn patch. They trashed it, tearing down stalks for no apparent reason and leaving gnawed cobs still attached to the plants. The most fool-proof remedy I've found online is erecting an electric fence, which is not an option for me (though it could provide some cheap entertainment :dgrin:).

Anyone have any ideas about how to deter them from taking the rest of my crop tonight? I am not above resorting to underhanded tricks that may involve espionage and ambush. I have about 20 good ears left, if they're allowed to ripen. Grrrr!
 
Im not an expert but I think you have to trap them or they will keep coming back. There territorial so you have to set them free far away from where you caught them.
 
Unfortunately, that's not really an option either. There are woods behind the house and they'll most likely just keep coming. I may have to go Caddyshack on their furry little behinds.
 
Try spraying the corn with bug spray? It tastes vile and in small doses is relatively harmless and should wear off in a few days.
 
I've been told that ammonia keeps them away, though that was for garbage cans, not gardens. Our unwelcome, repeat visitor met with a .22... I wanted the brazen disease-carrying thief permanently off our porch and away from the dogs!
 
I've made a couple threads about coons here on the forum in the past. I've eliminated them in the past and eventually more take their place and have to dispatch of them too.

Now, I don't think I would do it because of the part of the country I'm located in. The state of California has always allowed for the killing of nuisance raccoons outside of hunting if they were destroying property or killing livestock.

Last couple of years there have been several cases here that gives me pause. Several have been charged with felony animal cruelty charges for protecting livestock and pets from varmints (raccoons) regardless. Even while they were in the process of killing other animals. Anyone on the coast here or in Southern California need to be very careful when protecting your own property or you may face losing your freedom.

I have live traps and can move them far away but technically that is also against the law.

I hate them with a passion. Not only do they kill chickens, turkeys, ducks, rabbits and destroy crops, they don't even really eat the animals. They just rip them to shreds and leave carcasses everywhere.
 
Thanks, Rich! What a great idea! Just ordered one. :D

For last night, I tried something I read as a last-ditch effort: wrap each ear of corn in a plastic bag. I think the rationale is supposed to be that they can't smell it, because coons are certainly smart and dexterous enough to pull the bags off if they wanted to. But it actually worked! They didn't mess with it at all.

I took the bags off this morning and will have to go do it again soon. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime - that sprinkler should arrive soon and I think it may actually be worth staying up to watch it in action. :dgrin:
 
timebider said:
Thanks, Rich! What a great idea! Just ordered one. :D

For last night, I tried something I read as a last-ditch effort: wrap each ear of corn in a plastic bag. I think the rationale is supposed to be that they can't smell it, because coons are certainly smart and dexterous enough to pull the bags off if they wanted to. But it actually worked! They didn't mess with it at all. We had ALL the peaches for ourselves this year. Next year we will have a few more trees bearing fruit, so I bought two more of these units just to have them.

I took the bags off this morning and will have to go do it again soon. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime - that sprinkler should arrive soon and I think it may actually be worth staying up to watch it in action. :dgrin:
Click to expand...

Hope it works for you. Last year we didn't get ANY peaches off of the one tree we had then. Between the deer, raccoons and possums, we didn't have a chance. One day the peaches were there, then the next they were ALL gone. Obviously the smell of ripe peaches drew the varmints in from everywhere.

I really liked the idea of the water sprinkler thing. No real drawbacks. When it triggers, the tree gets watered. Between the hissing sound of the sprinkler and getting hit by a stream of water, I think most animals would high tail it when that happens. :rofl: If you put on the decals, it actually looks like the head of some fearsome creature as well...
 
lauraleellbp said:
Anyone ever tried wolf or cougar urine?

I know that's supposed to help keep beaver away from dams, though IDK about raccoons. :shrug01:
Click to expand...

Not trying be be strange, but try HUMAN URINE. Have the family donate urine samples in plastic cups and pour it around the perimeter of your garden.

My uncle swears by it to keep all kinds of unwanted wildlife away.
 
SamanthaJane13 said:
Not trying be be strange, but try HUMAN URINE. Have the family donate urine samples in plastic cups and pour it around the perimeter of your garden.

My uncle swears by it to keep all kinds of unwanted wildlife away.
Click to expand...

Donate? I drink one coffee and I could protect 4 acres, lol.
 
I use live traps and catfood/tuna fish and I'll get one every time. I call animal control and they come out, pick it up, and relocate them.
 
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