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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 7:53:41 PM | I'm determined to win but I'm losing ground. We've happily co-existed for years and - other than swearing under my breath at their repeated rummaging through my garbage pails - I've kind of enjoyed their family drama as it played out over my garden fence.
It all started with a split in the back patio screen and guerilla raccoons sneaking into the kitchen to raid the dog's food bowl. The dog and I routed them out each time, with me looking a little less like the composed Margo you've come to know, as I waved a broom, shrieked at the little beggars and chased them out of the kitchen and through the back garden.
We seemed to settle into a routine for a while, neither side giving up and occasional wins on one side or the other. Let's just say, sometimes they cleaned out the dog bowl and sometimes they were sorry they'd tried.
Of late though, they've stepped up the offensive and I have to daw the line. My fence top is lined with planters and flower pots and through previous summers the raccoons have managed to navigate the fence without incident. I think they are affronted at my chasing them out of the kitchen, so they are retaliating in the garden. The level of their spite has caught me off guard. Each night they sit on the back fence flinging selected flower pots and planters onto the ground. It seems like they are deliberately taking aim at the flowers and patio lights in the garden below. If they don't fling the planter, they dig up flowers out of it and toss them on the ground. I set them back up, replant what needs it and the next day they're flung down again. In the garden itself, they've spotted the most recent additions and without fail, each night they dig them up. They don't harm them, just dig them up and leave them beside the hole. I plant them again the next morning. Rinse. Repeat. They've broken several of the terra cotta planters and I guess I'll have to concede that at least and replace them with plastic planters.
My flowers are getting more and more bedraggled and so am I.
So, my question is, has anyone ever waged a war with raccoons and won? Any ideas on how I could persuade them to leave the planters alone? Or the plants in the ground?
Do I give up on a garden this year and hope to turn things around next? | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 7:54:28 PM | It never used to be scary at home. Peace and tranquility were the hallmarks of our happy little nest. Small quarrels were ended with warm hugs and kind eyes. Respect abounded for each other, for our home and for the furry little neighbours whose life cycle we were lucky enough to be witness to outside our kitchen window.
I wish I'd known what would happen. Somehow I'd have managed to corral that joy and blissfulness and cram it into some container. Just stuff it full to overflowing and maybe even scoop up a little in my pockets. To uncork even a minute amount would would be to escape the life of living in home caught in the middle of a war zone, to walk a klick in the socks of a lucky man. The kind I used to be.
You see, the raccoons, thwarted in their effort to move their territory forward, have begun a series of border skirmishes. Let me be the first to say that war is hell.
After years of nervous but peaceful co-existence unmarked by any but the tiniest bit of aggressive actions between ourselves and the raccoons, the unexpected raid that marked the beginning of the offensive was unexpected. The strategy was brilliant and well-executed. It started with the rations. Ingenious! Only the quick reaction of my sweetie and ol' faithful prevented catastrophe. Although the massive offensive attack was not without some success, wiping out three days worth of dry rations, the lack of complete success was likely critical in stopping their imperialist march right at the start.
But Phase Two began: a series of lighning strikes, waiting for opportunity before dashing across the border into our territory. Ever vigilant, both girl and dog are always quick to defend, and the success rate of the rodents has declined significantly.
For a couple of days, then, nothing happened. But you could see them out there. Watching. Sizing things up. Much the same way some murder of crows must have stared down Hitchcock at some point.
Then began Phase Three: nightly bombing missions. The carnage is sickening, especially against the warming effect of the early morning sun that slowly reveals the horror from the shadows. Things are looking bleak at the moment.
Peaceful evenings are, without warning, interrupted by the pounding of stocking-ed feet and untrimmed claws skittering into duty, followed by yelling, barking, snarling, bangs and crashes I can't identify.
And when they leave the room.......well, it's different for those left behind. Every time I see them leave to fight the battles, I wonder if I'll ever...if I'll ever.....ever............I'm sorry. I can't finish that last sentence. It's just too....scary.
Won the war? God, lady! NOBODY wins a war. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:00:17 PM | | This isn't nearly as creative as the wonderful stories about raccoons but you could try live animal traps and relocating them, or you could get a garden kitty, or you could get a motion activated barking dog noise to scare them away. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:01:46 PM | | Or set out a bowl of kibble or all your table scraps mixed together for them then they won't wander into the house. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:07:13 PM | hot sauce.....lots of hot sauce.......and they are proubly connecting your fresh scent on the planters with food...you scent is on the dog bowl and garbage cans
put lots of hot sauce on the planters and on the plants the dig up...the hotter the better. coons are mighty smart.....you might have to revert to trapping them.......most likely, if its been a couple of years.........you have several generations visiting you.........the more critters......the more damage.
oh.......while they look cute and timid.......dont believe it....they can get mean real quick........and a full grown coon can maim or kill ever a rather large dog. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:07:28 PM | | OP, check with your local garden centre - there's a product you can get that is supposed to keep animals out of gardens. It's name escapes me at the moment, but a garden centre should know. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:11:25 PM | I know this is a serious topic for you but i can't help but say it. It's the first thing that came to mind since we Canadians are known as peacekeepers.
Have you considered petitioning our government to arbitrate peace talks between the raccoons and yourself. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:11:49 PM | They're like bad relatives.
If they know they can get a free meal, they'll never leave.
If you do something to encourage them to leave, they get mad. Go figure.
The only way a friend of mine got rid of his squatting 6-member raccoon family was to shoot the big male and the rest wandered off. Otherwise, they'd sit in the walnut tree and snarl, hiss and growl while dropping green walnuts down on you if you dared to walk down the driveway.
They'd come up to the kitchen slider while we were eating to see what they might be having later in the garbage. No real fear of humans. Strange bunch. Yep...Like bad relatives. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:14:50 PM | Both posts are very funny. We had some raccoon wars when I was still married. We had a small opening from outside to the inside of the garage for our cats so they could get in and out of some shelter if we weren't home. Their food was in the house but we did keep out garbage cans in the garage.
This worked well until one summer. The first day, we found our garbage can open, teeth marks in the cover (the whole thing was Rubbermaid plastic) and a couple scraps of paper on the floor. We cleaned it up. This discovery happened a few times over the week. Each time, more and more paper and garbage would be found on the floor of the garage even though we'd clean it up every morning. We finally got tired of that so my husband stretched a bungie cord from handle to handle over the lid.
That must have really ticked off that raccoon because the next morning we found the cord bitten through, the cover off the can, the whole can emptied and strewn across the whole garage and to add insult to injury, it has pissed in the cover of the can!!
My husband was mad and I probably didn't help any because I was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down my cheeks.
He then went out and rented a have-a-heart trap and put it at the cat hole entrance. That began ANOTHER battle to the war! After the first night, we found the trap on its side. This happened a couple of times and we finally figured out that the raccoon had gotten trapped each time but would roll the trap so the door would open.
So, my husband put a long metal pipe across the top so the trap could not be rolled over on it's side. In the middle of the night, I heard the trap so I went out to see what had happened. We had caught something all right, a skunk! I didn't want to leave it in there to get agitated and spray and I didn't want to wake my husband because it was really late and he had work the next day. I obviously didn't want to use my hands to let him out. I got a broom handle but I couldn't roll the trap because of the pipe. I kept talking very gently to the skunk while I maneuvered the trap until I was able to open the trap door. It was interesting because the skunk calmly waited until I got the door opened and he slowly stepped out and walked away. But, I sure was pretty nervous.
We eventually did catch about 3 raccoons and dropped them off in the state forest about 5 miles away.
He also did battle with squirrels eating the bird food but that's another story. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:21:00 PM | We learned to coexist...they'd just come in the pet door, sometimes nap in the easy chair.
Really. My mom kept "tame" ones as pets, and the "wild" ones hung out too.
We kept them out of the fridge by wrapping it with bungee cords and put heavy objects on the toilets to keep them out of there...
The raccoons were never vengeful. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:42:23 PM | String up some electric wire on your fence.
I have an electric fence around my garden because the horses will lean over it and eat my tomatoes. Sometimes they just push the fence over. The electric wire stops them cold.  | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:49:57 PM | Go get some moth balls and grind them up and put them in your flower pots/garden. Not only do raccoons hate the smell but cats and other animals as well.
Ground up cayenne pepper works really well too. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 9:29:33 PM | Contact your local county/provincial extension agency, and/or the master gardener society for help. Raccoons are very fierce and will tear to shreds any cats and small dogs so I wouldn't recommend that method. If you are at your wits' end, you can get a trap called Have-A-Hart. They are safe and used to trap and relocate raccoons. If that doesn't appeal to you, there are sprays that Home Depot sells, that supposedly deter nuisance wildlife.
Or if you have some outdoor speakers, locate on the web, recordings of whatever is the raccoons natural enemy, and play it back. Sometimes it's the simplest things that do it. Or get your water hose, and start spraying them with cold water. One last thing, please be aware that raccoons carry a parasite that can be transferred to humans, through the raccoons colonic surprises. This particular parasite can really damage a human and has killed very young children through some very nasty methods. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 9:48:45 PM | Wow, thanks all for great suggestions and funny raccoon war stories.
you could try live animal traps and relocating them, or you could get a garden kitty, or you could get a motion activated barking dog noise to scare them away.
Toronto is overrun with raccoons. It’s a family of five or six raccoons who “own” my and the neighbour’s backyards. (Each raccoon family has territory staked out throughout the neighbourhood and whew, do they get into some vicious sounding fights at night if another raccoon crosses the border). I’m not all that keen to go through the hassle of catching and moving half a dozen of them, but it’s a good last resort.
I’m not sure my neighbours would appreciate the motion activated dog barking tape, lol. (Our back gardens are about 20x30 – we’re pretty cozy). I need a stealth weapon.
A garden kitty? Like a real live cat? Now wouldn’t that just fry the dog. He’s still ticked we got pet rats (and THEY get some of his dog treats) and these freakin’ raccoons are eating HIS dog food. He might demand to be relocated!
put lots of hot sauce on the planters and on the plants the dig up...the hotter the better. coons are mighty smart.....you might have to revert to trapping them.......most likely, if its been a couple of years.........you have several generations visiting you.........the more critters......the more damage.
I’ll try the hot sauce, thanks. And check at my local garden store to see if they have a raccoon product as Mom2Beagle suggested. The moth balls from Sidewinder seems doable and low tech too.
oh.......while they look cute and timid.......dont believe it....they can get mean real quick........and a full grown coon can maim or kill ever a rather large dog.
These guys aren’t timid at all. They are so accustomed to living near humans that they will not move unless they see a weapon in your hands (a broom). I’m surprised they run when the dog chases them, he’s 6 lbs soaking wet, and one my great concern is if they accidentally got cornered by him, he’s toast. (It’s one of the reasons I’m so quick to give him back-up).
Have you considered petitioning our government to arbitrate peace talks between the raccoons and yourself.
If Mel was still Mayor, I’m sure he’d be willing to call out the National Guard on my behalf, lol.
They're like bad relatives.
Aren’t they just! I’m hoping they’ll get bored with me.
I probably didn't help any because I was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down my cheeks.
Yanno, that seems to be a common reaction around here to my garden woes. LOL My sweetie has suggested terra cotta coloured barbed wire so it will blend in nicely with the planters.
String up some electric wire on your fence.
hmmm… wondering how much voltage would knock ‘em off my fence without killing them.
Contact your local county/provincial extension agency, and/or the master gardener society for help.
I've heard the city has some kind of problem critter program, but I'm not sure what problems qualify. I'd have called them but they are on strike right now (city workers, not the raccoons). | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 10:06:50 PM | | Raccoon tastes like a cross between roast beef and turkey when BBQed and will litterly fall off the bone. I hope that helps anwer your question on how to handle your problem with them. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/13/2009 11:17:07 PM | Well I am not sugesting you try this but this is what I had to finally resort to.
I don't have racoons just wood chucks, mink, deer, wolves, every insect know to man and many more etc..
I went out into my garden that I had planted at the entrance to a tamark bog it was great spot but the wood chucks loved it also these varmits can take rows of your garden out overnight without a problem . They would come while I was in the garden so I tried to yell, squirt them with the hose none of this worked so we finally had to shoot one we left the dead carcass hanging on the fence post for all their fandamily to sniff they moved. We also did this with mink it worked for them also.
Racoons are so cute but yea they are mischievous little ........
I would try the moth balls and the pepper spray if that doesn't work get some live traps and take them out and drop them miles away. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/14/2009 3:20:02 AM | I havent really delt with raccons but I just gotta say...have you ever seen an albino one? all white? with beady red eyes? yea....freaky lol. So cute but very crafty. I went camping on an island where there are tons of raccoons, it was really dark out (obviously) and like 6 came into our little camping spot. My little brother was so scared he started crying...that shouldnt be funny but it was. They sounded like a herd of elephants coming through the bush. And that noise they make....im getting chills lol. Im never camping on that island agian lol. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/14/2009 5:51:40 AM |
It all started with a split in the back patio screen and guerilla raccoons sneaking into the kitchen to raid the dog's food bowl.
they sell a mesh at the hardware store made to keep dog and cats from clawing at the screen...you can nail or tack or glue or bolt or staple (any from of fasteneing) to the door. its already cut to standard door sizes and is decorative. | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/14/2009 5:53:03 AM |
It never used to be scary at home. Peace and tranquility were the hallmarks of our happy little nest. Small quarrels were ended with warm hugs and kind eyes. Respect abounded for each other, for our home and for the furry little neighbours whose life cycle we were lucky enough to be witness to outside our kitchen window.
I wish I'd known what would happen. Somehow I'd have managed to corral that joy and blissfulness and cram it into some container. Just stuff it full to overflowing and maybe even scoop up a little in my pockets. To uncork even a minute amount would would be to escape the life of living in home caught in the middle of a war zone, to walk a klick in the socks of a lucky man. The kind I used to be.
You see, the raccoons, thwarted in their effort to move their territory forward, have begun a series of border skirmishes. Let me be the first to say that war is hell.
After years of nervous but peaceful co-existence unmarked by any but the tiniest bit of aggressive actions between ourselves and the raccoons, the unexpected raid that marked the beginning of the offensive was unexpected. The strategy was brilliant and well-executed. It started with the rations. Ingenious! Only the quick reaction of my sweetie and ol' faithful prevented catastrophe. Although the massive offensive attack was not without some success, wiping out three days worth of dry rations, the lack of complete success was likely critical in stopping their imperialist march right at the start.
But Phase Two began: a series of lighning strikes, waiting for opportunity before dashing across the border into our territory. Ever vigilant, both girl and dog are always quick to defend, and the success rate of the rodents has declined significantly.
For a couple of days, then, nothing happened. But you could see them out there. Watching. Sizing things up. Much the same way some murder of crows must have stared down Hitchcock at some point.
Then began Phase Three: nightly bombing missions. The carnage is sickening, especially against the warming effect of the early morning sun that slowly reveals the horror from the shadows. Things are looking bleak at the moment.
Peaceful evenings are, without warning, interrupted by the pounding of stocking-ed feet and untrimmed claws skittering into duty, followed by yelling, barking, snarling, bangs and crashes I can't identify.
And when they leave the room.......well, it's different for those left behind. Every time I see them leave to fight the battles, I wonder if I'll ever...if I'll ever.....ever............I'm sorry. I can't finish that last sentence. It's just too....scary.
Won the war? God, lady! NOBODY wins a war.
War... only the dead have seen the end of war.
I saw them just then, cresting the north perimeter trench like an angry ocean wave of fur and beady-eyed, mask-wearing faces. Jenkins screamed for flares, but the watch tower was already overrun, and we relied on tracers to light up that hellish night. Where one round connected, three more would come up from the black to fill his place.
The screams began at the northeast corner and travelled their way up the line. In the trenches we were all made equal. At first, in the dark, men frenzied and blasted shot after shot point blank into the bellies of the chittering tidal wave. The report of fur-muffled rifles ebbed and ceased as ammunition ran dry, and they took to bayonets and combat knives; when these dulled or shattered, or stuck fast in the carcass of a fallen foe, they reduced themselves to the level of the invaders, biting and clawing with the fury of the rabid raccoon horde.
The next morning, those of us who survived, filled in the trenches on top of those who were not so blessed. Their remains were unfit for decent burial, mixed in and blended as they were with the guts of the raccoon horde. And we, we blessed living, would go on to see even greater horrors... | |
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| Losing ground to SPITEFUL Raccoons
Posted: 7/14/2009 7:03:48 AM | Use Have-a-Heart traps (or hire someone with the traps)... keeping in mind that when caught they must be taken quite far away in order for them to relocate.
I know it's frustrating, but you're personifying the critters. Only humans are spiteful. These friends of yours are just saavy.
Good luck. | |
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| Urban Warfare
Posted: 7/14/2009 7:49:13 AM | Secure the Perimeter: Partially imbed finishing nails into the top rail of your fence and then fill the gaps with ample amounts of petroleum jelly or baby powder.
Landmines: Plenty of mousetraps - set and strategically place them upside down around the garden, and then cover over with a light layer of soil.
Booby Traps: Install motion activated lights and sprinklers.
Artillery: Harass repeatedly with water balloons and firecrackers.
Chemical Weapons: Keep a long range squirt gun full of ammonia handy.
Snipers: Paintball guns are extremely effective.
Black Ops: Seed the neighbours' properties with pet food. | |
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| Urban Warfare
Posted: 7/14/2009 8:50:15 AM | Artful Codger, brother-in-arms and worthy warrior, welcome. Your quick guide to general assault is very informative and a solid basis for founding a ground attack.
However, such strategy has achieved results far short of the goal.
Please allow me to update the situation.
Efforts by the UNSC (United Neighbours Security Council) have netted zero gain. Strong words are no mightier than a dull knife and high-falutin' fancy talk with dire warnings are greeted with ingenuine contriteness in the board room and fierce manuevering on the battlefield. Sanctions and embargoes have had no effect; they never do. Raccoonitarian shipments of medical and food supplies are intercepted by the ring-leaders and never make it to the intended recipients.
Continuing to fight a losing battle using the same strategies is certain to only further fuel the loss. Which is why we have decided to act alone, foregoing the UN initiative and taking matters into our own hands.
First, we have closed the border, believing that recruits from raccoon-training facilities from Hamilton and Montreal have been pouring across our lengthy, unprotected border. Unmanned reconnaisance paper airplanes patrol the area.
Meanwhile, leaflets are dropped daily, explaining the benefits of dropping their arms and allowing us to rebuild their world.
It is said that a war is never won in the air. I submit that a war has never been won in the air - yet. The entire air force has been mobilized and the formations of paper airplanes, densely packed with conches, block the sun. From sunrise to sunset, the battles rage. The shelling is intense. The wreckage of downed craft litter the ground like giant, surreal discarded toys.
Today, there has been no sign of the critters. They are clever. They do not take defeat lightly and adapt quickly. They will be back. It is deadly short-sighted to fail to give one's opponent the respect they deserve.
We will not make that mistake.
The next move might well be mustard gas. It's just so difficult eating enough of that yellow stuff to provide sufficient gas.
From the front lines,
DBB | |
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| Urban Warfare
Posted: 7/14/2009 8:52:15 AM | When dearly departed dog Lucy ruled the domain, raccoons were not a problem. She made short work of any that dared challenge her. Same with woodchucks and to both of our regret, skunks.
But I've had to resort to other defenses since Lucy moved on to the spirit world. Once when I was gone for an extended period, they ravaged the house, opening cupboards and even the fridge freezer to get at anything resembling food. Plates were tossed off shelves and broken. I resolved that by making the house impenetrable, but then Junior the cat came into my life, so his cat door makes the current challenge more complicated.
At the moment I seem to be winning. The opening foray of this latest territory dispute took quite a while to resolve, though. It started when I came home after a six day absence to discover the cat feeder empty and knocked over and six chocolate wrappers laying on the floor below the counter where I had my stash of chocolates. That night I watched through a crack in the door as he came in, carefully selected a single chocolate that he unwrapped and ate, then moved on to the cat food.
I got a live trap and set it next to the cat food with a piece of chicken for bait. Come night I watched him start with his chocolate appetizer, then go straight to the trap. But rather than enter it, he reached carefully through the mesh side, snagged the chicken, and threw it out the entrance. So I blocked off the sides of the trap but kept waking up to a sprung trap, sans bait, but no coon. Somehow he was getting at the bait and holding the trap door open to make good his escape.
I decided to escalate the terms of engagement, set the cat door to only allow entrance but not exit, and went to bed with my gun handy. I woke to a commotion in the kitchen, and crept out to discover Rocky holding the cat door open with one paw while he threw selected pieces of trash from the upturned can outside. The moment he saw me he ducked out the way he came in.
With a 9 day trip imminent, I tried one last thing. I taped a brick to the trap door the night before my departure, but that night he stayed away. I declared a temporary truce, sealed the house, and left an opened economy sized bag of catfood on the porch to feed Rocky and Junior both while I was gone.
I returned to a hungry cat and an empty food bag, and Rocky inside both the house AND the trap! I had realized after I left that I had neglected to spring the trap, but with the house closed didn't worry too much about it. Rocky was still full of vim and vinegar, so he couldn't have been in the trap long. My best guess is that he had enjoyed the free feast as long as it lasted, then shortly before my return pried open the screen door to get to the cat door, and finally been foiled by my modified trap.
Respecting his creative skills, I spared his life and released him miles from home. But as I feared, he apparently had invited at least one friend to join in the banquet while I was gone, and a new raccoon soon ventured into the house who had different markings. He was not Rocky's caliber, though. The first night I set the live trap on the porch I got him.
All has been calm of late, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the next skirmish. At least I'm battle tested with several tools in my arsenel. Pics available upon request,
Dave | |
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| Urban Warfare
Posted: 7/14/2009 10:20:34 AM | | Get some old rags about a dozen of em. Soak in straight ammonia, then hang them up in areas were the little coons hang out not inside your home but near by the entrence..Not too close to your pets food or water dishes but near by same with plants..This works for several weeks they come back do it again..The Santa Barbara Animal Police told me this and it works very well.. | |
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