I caught this guy living in my attic...

[homer13j]

What should I do with him?



I'm thinking a nice one-way trip out to the county line.

[demotivater]

That's a young one, good possibility there's more. But yeah, coon skin hat or county line, your pick.

[homer13j]

Yeah, I think his girlfriend is still up there. I'll open another can of tuna and reset the trap.

Meanwhile our little friend pictured above is now happily tipping over garbage cans in Sheffield Township. I'm told the garbage is tastier in the suburbs, anyway.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Depends on how far away the county line is. Go for a good long distance with a substantial river between you and the release site. Twenty to thirty miles and a large river seems to do.

[homer13j]

Depends on how far away the county line is. Go for a good long distance with a substantial river between you and the release site. Twenty to thirty miles and a large river seems to do.

It's about 15 miles worth of crowded suburbia between my house and the release site. No rivers to cross, but there are two freeways, an international airport, and dozens of high-traffic main roads so I should be good, right?

[JuggaloBrotha]

We catch coons out here on our farm all the time, it's a one way trip to the 30 gallon barrel filled with water for them, then they're tossed out back in the woods to rot after that.

[demotivater]

Do you guys agree it looks young? I'm thinking 2-3 years. Maybe the old guys around me just have a real good diet.

[zaza]

Homer's picture took ages to display, but from the text alone I guessed it was going to be a picture of Dubya.

[wossname]

Fire it into the sun.

[kregg]

Sit on his back and go "YEEE HAAAAAW!!"

[homer13j]

We catch coons out here on our farm all the time, it's a one way trip to the 30 gallon barrel filled with water for them, then they're tossed out back in the woods to rot after that.

When I mentioned to a friend that I had a raccoon problem he said "I have just the thing for that" and handed me a .22 revolver.

Since I'm not the type to hunt or kill anything non-human I bought the trap instead.

[MartinLiss]

I have a Haveaheart trap similar to yours and since we have a large garden with a koi fish pond, we attract racoons, etc. In my area it's actually illegal to relocate the racoons more than 1 mile from where they are trapped. When I first found that out I pointed out that a racoon would probably find it's way back from so short a distance and so I asked if there were any alternatives. I was told that I should get a big tub of water and dump the cage with the racoon in it! I couldn't do that so every once in a while I break the law and relocate them in an undeveloped area about 7 miles from my house.

[Merrion]

I once relocated a harvest mouse. In England that is second only to attempting to overthrow the government in terms of illegality. But I wore a hoody, so I got away with it.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Don't ask, don't tell.

A freeway should be as good as a river. Both are barriers to migration. Also, the distance should do.

There is an old, and probably false, story about back when we relocated problem bears out of Idaho into Montana. At one point, one of the conservation officers was hauling a bear trap with a nuisance bear across the divide to Montana when he met a Montana conservation officer hauling a nuisance bear in the other direction.

[EntityX]

I'm glad to hear that we have some members that are considerate of life in all its forms. I try to limit my killing to ants and flys and such.

About a week ago I saw something in my driveway that looked curious. It turned out to be the remains of a jack rabbit. One or more coyotes had caught it I'm guessing and decided to have their meal on my driveway.

[Valleysboy1978]

There was a rather large hare in the road of my estate yesterday. He wasn't moving for nobody!
The good people of Wales did not run him over though and waited patiently until he moved.

[I_Love_My_Vans]

I was driving down a county lane at night about 30 seconds from a built up housing estate, a little rabbit ran out into the road and was startled by the lights, not wanting to squish the little bugger and having no time to brake I positioned the car to the tyres weren't going to run him over...

Unfortunately this 'little' rabbit was just tall enough to receive a blow to the head courtesy of my bumper, perhaps I should have aimed for him and put him out of his misery.

[JuggaloBrotha]

Unfortunately this 'little' rabbit was just tall enough to receive a blow to the head courtesy of my bumper, perhaps I should have aimed for him and put him out of his misery.

I think the bumper put him out of his misery faster than you think.

[EntityX]

I bike to the nearest market regularly. It's 6 miles out and 6 miles back. One time I saw a jack rabbit crossing Highway 86. He ended up going right under the trailer of a tractor trailer rig. The semi was going around 60 mph. He didn't touch anything on the truck. The rabbit was moving at close to top speed which I think is around 40 mph for a jack rabbit.

[homer13j]

In my area it's actually illegal to relocate the racoons more than 1 mile from where they are trapped. When I first found that out I pointed out that a racoon would probably find it's way back from so short a distance and so I asked if there were any alternatives. I was told that I should get a big tub of water and dump the cage with the racoon in it!

So it's illegal to inconvenience a raccoon by moving it more than one mile away, but it's perfectly fine to kill it by drowning? Gotta love California...

I would argue that my former "roommate" is better off where he is. I left him in a nature preserve, but there's plenty of suburban developments nearby if he's one of those city 'coons that can't fend for himself and depends on human garbage to get by.

Probably fewer well-armed people out there who would use him for target practice as well.

And yeah, he's a young one. Most city 'coons don't live very long, anyway.

[MartinLiss]

So it's illegal to inconvenience a raccoon by moving it more than one mile away, but it's perfectly fine to kill it by drowning? Gotta love California...

I would argue that my former "roommate" is better off where he is. I left him in a nature preserve, but there's plenty of suburban developments nearby if he's one of those city 'coons that can't fend for himself and depends on human garbage to get by.

Probably fewer well-armed people out there who would use him for target practice as well.

And yeah, he's a young one. Most city 'coons don't live very long, anyway.

It's a local law but have you heard anyone say recently that California is sane?

[Shaggy Hiker]

I suspect the reason may have to do with disease transmission. I don't deal with land based animals that much, but transporting fish between drainages out here would send fisheries folks into orbit. There are a few diseases that are isolated to drainages, but once they are there, they are NEVER gone. I can think of a few similar types of diseases for ungulates. In fact, it's the justification for killing any bison that move out of Yellowstone Park in the winter. However, I know of nothing in particular that is associated with coons. In California, my first suspicion would be that they could spread some kind of fruit killing fungus, but that's nothing more than a wild guess.

[NeedSomeAnswers]

What should I do with him?

You should kindly explain to him that you are not a free establishment and that you will be requiring rent in advance if he wishes to stay in your attic any longer !

If he requires food as well as board then of course that would be extra.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Dude, NEVER negotiate with a raccoon. Even if he agrees to pay, you do NOT want what he is offering.

[NeedSomeAnswers]

Dude, NEVER negotiate with a raccoon.

You mean they are not like in the Cartoon 'The Raccoons' - http://www.gilsinan.com/raccoons/

[MartinLiss]

I suspect the reason may have to do with disease transmission. I don't deal with land based animals that much, but transporting fish between drainages out here would send fisheries folks into orbit. There are a few diseases that are isolated to drainages, but once they are there, they are NEVER gone. I can think of a few similar types of diseases for ungulates. In fact, it's the justification for killing any bison that move out of Yellowstone Park in the winter. However, I know of nothing in particular that is associated with coons. In California, my first suspicion would be that they could spread some kind of fruit killing fungus, but that's nothing more than a wild guess.

I was told that the distance limit was so that the racoons could find their way back to their nest which is not what I want to happen.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Yeah. If THAT's the reason, it's a hoot!!

By the way, don't invite a raccoon to dinner.

I had ordered a pizza in an enclosed restaraunt down in FL, when a coon jumped up into the chair across from me. He began pulling the silverware off the table (he may have just been trying to put the napkin in his lap, but he got everything else, as well), so I tried swatting him with the centerpiece. He grabbed onto the centerpiece, and we had a tug-of-war across the table. Those scrawny Everglades coons are tough as nails, which is probably a result of their miserable existence among all those billions of flying predators (and a few large reptilian predators, too).

The funny thing about this was that nobody at any of the other tables took even the slightest notice as I fought a raccoon with the centerpiece. Eventually, the coon figured there wasn't any food on the table (I should have given him the crushed pepper), and departed. Oddly, he didn't go to another table where there was food, he simply left. Maybe I was in his seat?

[MartinLiss]

We also have a chicken run and coop in our garden and we needed to enclose it with welded wire because racoons are quite strong and normal "chicken wire" would be no obstacle to them.

[homer13j]

Oddly, he didn't go to another table where there was food, he simply left. Maybe I was in his seat?

He knew you were a tourist. They can always tell.

[Shaggy Hiker]

That may be it. Either that or he overheard my order and just figured that nobody could finish that amount.

[homer13j]

lolz...

How NOT to remove a raccoon

[abhijit]

For the past three weeks I have been trying to catch a tiny mouse. I laid glue traps and some other traps all over the apartment. So far no luck.

Any case, the lease is up and I shall be the one moving out of the apartment.

[homer13j]

I bait mouse traps with peanut butter. Works every time.

[abhijit]

I bait mouse traps with peanut butter. Works every time.

I have peanut butter with maple syrup on top. This one just doesn't seem to be hungry.