Keeping in standards for naming the garden pests.
On my deck after sunset. I've got a lot of small plants and seedlings
out. Opened slider to yell at him and all he did was move to the side.
Went in to get firecrackers and he was off deck by then but I still
popped off a couple. Ratcoon is too big for my Hav-a-hart.

Frank wrote:
Keeping in standards for naming the garden pests.
On my deck after sunset. I've got a lot of small plants and seedlings
out. Opened slider to yell at him and all he did was move to the
side. Went in to get firecrackers and he was off deck by then but I
still popped off a couple. Ratcoon is too big for my Hav-a-hart.

I stepped out last night to put my battery tender on the motorcycle
under cover in case of dew . Heard a small ruckus over by the seed feeder ,
shined Mr Flashlight over there , saw two huge yellow eyes staring back at
me from about 3 feet up the nearest tree . I tried to get closer to get a
good look , but he/she/it went up the tree to where I couldn't see it . I
figger it musta been a raccoon though , from the pictures I looked up on the
interwebs .
He might have to be dealt with ... I think he was probably eating some of
the cracked corn that's in the current bag of wild bird seed .
--
Snag

On 5/21/2014 2:04 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Frank wrote:
Keeping in standards for naming the garden pests.
On my deck after sunset. I've got a lot of small plants and seedlings
out. Opened slider to yell at him and all he did was move to the
side. Went in to get firecrackers and he was off deck by then but I
still popped off a couple. Ratcoon is too big for my Hav-a-hart.

I stepped out last night to put my battery tender on the motorcycle
under cover in case of dew . Heard a small ruckus over by the seed feeder ,
shined Mr Flashlight over there , saw two huge yellow eyes staring back at
me from about 3 feet up the nearest tree . I tried to get closer to get a
good look , but he/she/it went up the tree to where I couldn't see it . I
figger it musta been a raccoon though , from the pictures I looked up on the
interwebs .
He might have to be dealt with ... I think he was probably eating some of
the cracked corn that's in the current bag of wild bird seed .


I've posted this one several times befo

http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/thief.pdf

That was a couple of years ago but I also caught one last spring.

I had one that eluded me one summer as trap would be tripped but no
critter. Then I saw it one night tripping the trap but too big for the
doors to close.

Deer hunting in a federal refuge, I heard footsteps, did not think it a
deer, shined my flashlight and saw those yellow eyes. As light became
clearer, I saw the raccoon and it climbed the tree next to me and
crawled in a hole in the trunk higher than my platform stand. I've got
pictures but they are kind of fuzzy, but here's them/there eyes:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2vxg...8#.U3z0lCjw8ng

On 22/05/2014 4:47 AM, Frank wrote:

I've got
pictures but they are kind of fuzzy, but here's them/there eyes:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2vxg...8#.U3z0lCjw8ng


:-)) I love it!

Frank wrote:
Keeping in standards for naming the garden pests.
On my deck after sunset. I've got a lot of small plants and seedlings
out. Opened slider to yell at him and all he did was move to the side.
Went in to get firecrackers and he was off deck by then but I still
popped off a couple. Ratcoon is too big for my Hav-a-hart.

we've tried to trap them here too with a large
live-trap, but rarely do they get caught. they
are certainly the most active and varied critter
raiding all sorts of things. i've seen them
climb up the poles in the back to check the few
very small nest boxes for eggs/chicks. not an
easy climb as the poles are 7-8ft.

they are usually the culprits when the killdeer
eggs get raided. a few nights ago they found the
nest out front with 4 eggs in it. all gone now.
about every other year the killdeer put their
nest inside the fenced garden and in there they
have a much better chance of surviving.


songbird

In article ,
says...
Frank wrote:
Keeping in standards for naming the garden pests.
On my deck after sunset. I've got a lot of small plants and seedlings
out. Opened slider to yell at him and all he did was move to the side.
Went in to get firecrackers and he was off deck by then but I still
popped off a couple. Ratcoon is too big for my Hav-a-hart.

we've tried to trap them here too with a large
live-trap, but rarely do they get caught. they
are certainly the most active and varied critter
raiding all sorts of things. i've seen them
climb up the poles in the back to check the few
very small nest boxes for eggs/chicks. not an
easy climb as the poles are 7-8ft.

they are usually the culprits when the killdeer
eggs get raided. a few nights ago they found the
nest out front with 4 eggs in it. all gone now.
about every other year the killdeer put their
nest inside the fenced garden and in there they
have a much better chance of surviving.


songbird


I catch raccoons and skunks whenever I forget to close a trap for the night.

'peanut butter bait for skunks, raccoons, groundhogs, squirrels, and sometimes
roaming cats.

On 5/25/2014 11:37 PM, phorbin wrote:
In article ,
says...
Frank wrote:
Keeping in standards for naming the garden pests.
On my deck after sunset. I've got a lot of small plants and seedlings
out. Opened slider to yell at him and all he did was move to the side.
Went in to get firecrackers and he was off deck by then but I still
popped off a couple. Ratcoon is too big for my Hav-a-hart.

we've tried to trap them here too with a large
live-trap, but rarely do they get caught. they
are certainly the most active and varied critter
raiding all sorts of things. i've seen them
climb up the poles in the back to check the few
very small nest boxes for eggs/chicks. not an
easy climb as the poles are 7-8ft.

they are usually the culprits when the killdeer
eggs get raided. a few nights ago they found the
nest out front with 4 eggs in it. all gone now.
about every other year the killdeer put their
nest inside the fenced garden and in there they
have a much better chance of surviving.


songbird


I catch raccoons and skunks whenever I forget to close a trap for the night.

'peanut butter bait for skunks, raccoons, groundhogs, squirrels, and sometimes
roaming cats.


When I bought my Hav-a-hart several years ago I got the trap big enough
for a ground hog but there was a bigger one that could catch raccoons.
I've caught the smaller ones many times but as I pointed out if animal
is too big trap will not close. Peanut butter does catch everything.
Never got a cat but I once did get a bird.

My first ground hog trap was home made. It is easy to do just framing
in a wooden box with chicken wire with a sliding door at one end and
trigger inside the box. I got stymied when I caught a skunk because I
had a latch that could only be released by getting right next to the trap.

phorbin wrote:
....
I catch raccoons and skunks whenever I forget to close
a trap for the night.

'peanut butter bait for skunks, raccoons, groundhogs,
squirrels, and sometimes roaming cats.

we've used peanut butter many times and caught only
possums. i think the resident raccoon knows how the
trap works and avoids it. it is large enough to
catch one if they go in, but they don't. it's been
sitting there for weeks. as this one is fairly mild
mannered so far i'm hoping to not ever capture it as
then it will likely be replaced by one that is more
of a pain in the ass.


songbird

In article , says...


When I bought my Hav-a-hart several years ago I got the trap big enough
for a ground hog but there was a bigger one that could catch raccoons.
I've caught the smaller ones many times but as I pointed out if animal
is too big trap will not close. Peanut butter does catch everything.
Never got a cat but I once did get a bird.

We have a one door trap and a two door.

The one door trap has a spring loaded gate, which is very reliable.

The two door trap depends on gravity, is OK and large enough to contain a
raccoon but is not as reliable because some raccoons understand stretching,
reaching, grabbing and leaving their butt out the door. -- I had to tip one
raccoon into the cage before it dragged itself out.

You had to be there.

On 5/29/2014 1:58 PM, phorbin wrote:
In article , says...


When I bought my Hav-a-hart several years ago I got the trap big enough
for a ground hog but there was a bigger one that could catch raccoons.
I've caught the smaller ones many times but as I pointed out if animal
is too big trap will not close. Peanut butter does catch everything.
Never got a cat but I once did get a bird.

We have a one door trap and a two door.

The one door trap has a spring loaded gate, which is very reliable.

The two door trap depends on gravity, is OK and large enough to contain a
raccoon but is not as reliable because some raccoons understand stretching,
reaching, grabbing and leaving their butt out the door. -- I had to tip one
raccoon into the cage before it dragged itself out.

You had to be there.


I'm very careful with critters around here as rabies is endemic.
I don't want to be bitten or scratched by them.

My trap's the old cage with two doors which have to fall and lock by
gravity. Caught a raccoon last year and thought I might drown it.
I had an old plastic garbage can that I started to fill it with water
and did discover that tilting trap could open it. Having nearly filled
the can, it squished over and dumped the water. Figured the Lord did
not want me to drown him so I released him in the park.

On 5/24/2014 9:49 AM, songbird wrote:
Frank wrote:
Keeping in standards for naming the garden pests.
On my deck after sunset. I've got a lot of small plants and seedlings
out. Opened slider to yell at him and all he did was move to the side.
Went in to get firecrackers and he was off deck by then but I still
popped off a couple. Ratcoon is too big for my Hav-a-hart.

we've tried to trap them here too with a large
live-trap, but rarely do they get caught. they
are certainly the most active and varied critter
raiding all sorts of things. i've seen them
climb up the poles in the back to check the few
very small nest boxes for eggs/chicks. not an
easy climb as the poles are 7-8ft.

they are usually the culprits when the killdeer
eggs get raided. a few nights ago they found the
nest out front with 4 eggs in it. all gone now.
about every other year the killdeer put their
nest inside the fenced garden and in there they
have a much better chance of surviving.


songbird

When I was a young boy, think ten or twelve years old, my family were
well known for being coon hunters. All of us had at least one coon dog,
mine was a "black and tan" name Lady. She was quick to find the trail
and get on it quickly and, generally, was the first to sound "found."

We only hunted in the fall/winter as the raccoons were nice and fat.
Skins sold for a nice bit of money at that time and we ate the raccoon.
They have several glands in their bodies that can spoil your meal so we
were careful to get them out. I never really cared for the meat as it
had a sweet taste to me.

I quit night hunting when I got out of the Navy in 1960 except for when
the coons raided my corn patch or the hen house. Between raccoons and
opossums the dog and I stayed pretty busy. It was a lot of fun and sort
of scary for a little kid though.

Thanks for stirring up old memories.

George

On 5/31/2014 8:27 PM, phorbin wrote:
In article , says...

I'm very careful with critters around here as rabies is endemic.
I don't want to be bitten or scratched by them.

My trap's the old cage with two doors which have to fall and lock by
gravity. Caught a raccoon last year and thought I might drown it.
I had an old plastic garbage can that I started to fill it with water
and did discover that tilting trap could open it. Having nearly filled
the can, it squished over and dumped the water. Figured the Lord did
not want me to drown him so I released him in the park.

I hear you. -- I don't kill anything when there's an alternative.

The flood plains/park system on the other side of the river receives my
deportees. They are far enough away from traffic and sheltered enough to have a
chance.

FWIW and for interest sake, Ontario has a bait vaccination program for
raccoons, foxes and skunks which appears to have worked very well.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/STDPROD_099025.html



Have not heard of any recent cases of rabies but assume it is still around.

I recall a bait program of vaccination taking place in France many years
ago. Guess it works.

Laws vary on trapping animals. Here it is legal to trap them and kill
them but not release them elsewhere. I've never heard of the law enforced.

I usually only kill wildlife I intend to eat. Just finishing off last
falls venison.

In article , says...

I'm very careful with critters around here as rabies is endemic.
I don't want to be bitten or scratched by them.

My trap's the old cage with two doors which have to fall and lock by
gravity. Caught a raccoon last year and thought I might drown it.
I had an old plastic garbage can that I started to fill it with water
and did discover that tilting trap could open it. Having nearly filled
the can, it squished over and dumped the water. Figured the Lord did
not want me to drown him so I released him in the park.

I hear you. -- I don't kill anything when there's an alternative.

The flood plains/park system on the other side of the river receives my
deportees. They are far enough away from traffic and sheltered enough to have a
chance.

FWIW and for interest sake, Ontario has a bait vaccination program for
raccoons, foxes and skunks which appears to have worked very well.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/STDPROD_099025.html