Raccoon Invasion

I just googled this phrase. I was sort of shocked by all the responses. Under the radar, it seems the raccoon population is rising to alarming levels and becoming a nuisance and a potential health hazard.

I became aware of this recently as my niece who lives in Birmingham, Al had a family of the varmints move in and wreak havac having a litter in her attic.

I, living in Georgia, offered the annecdotal evidence to the sheer number of new carcasses I see on my commute every day.

Well, I just went outside to feed the cats, 4 rescue animals, and who was there at the dinner table on my back porch? A big well fed raccoon! I was sort of unnerved knowing I could face home damage and a large bill trying to get him out of my attic should he decide to take up permanent residence!

They have no natural preditors to keep the numbers in check.
What do you do when a native species gets so overpopulated that they invade even urban environs?
Don't feed them. That's a given. But, seriously who you gonna call?

I plan to put out a dish of ammonia on my porch in hopes he/she doesn't come back and feed the cats inside from now on.

Anybody have any experiences with the explosion of raccoons running rampant?

Thought breeds reality and here you post it.
Little buggers are ticking me off to no end...and are just one ripped bag away from me rat poisoning a nice pack of hot dogs on a platter.

I've had several run-ins with racoons over the years. They are a nuisance going into the trash at night and knocking over the garbage cans. I have a "have-a-heart" trap I set out baited with left overs from the fridge that I'll set out by the garbage cans. Works everytime!

Then I'll bring them miles away to a secluded wooded area and let them go free. Win win situation for me and the racoon.

Another animal thats a nuisance in recent years is the dear. They totally wreek havoc on my vegetable garden.

reply to post by PaperbackWriter


You guys aren't going to like what I had been doing for 9 years...
I was feeding the raccoons living in the woods behind our house.
My husband and I would watch them from a window in our house.
A mama raccoon ,followed by her babies,would show up at dusk.
We stopped feeding them this past summer.They were getting to
the point where they were waiting for us at the food bowls.

reply to post by PaperbackWriter


I understand your situation raccoons can be very destructive !! But on the other side off things it's the humans that have encroached on the wildlife in urban areas , we keep clearing fields and forests to build condos and town houses !! Putting out ammonia or poison is dangerous for the neighbours pets who might come by and also feed on the poison , if the raccoons are nesting in your attic or the neighbours attic they will probably die up there after their poisoned and stink your house up pretty good !! I had 2 raccoons as pets for 5 years and they are amazing animals , super smart and affectionate ! I slowly got them used to the wild but they always came back to visit with there kits some years !! Another person posted the hav- a heart traps and release them far away , I think that is the best option !

I don't like coons. They are friendly enough but if you grab for something on the ground and they are cornered they will attack your hand. I don't like rabies shots particularly so I will shoot them if they don't listen to my concerns and keep returning. Most of them never return after I talk to them, they are very intelligent and understand me. The last two that were here I threatened by telling them they weren't welcome and the price of coon pelts is way up. They never returned.

Rabies is a big concern with coons and possums. When the population is large it is the most likely time for rabies to pass through the population. If they keep showing up, or try to set up residence, then I would strongly recommend judiciously eliminating them. You don’t want to walk out one day and see a rabid coon lunging at you.

If you see any coon or possum that is outside during the broad daylight, or otherwise walking and/or acting funny.
GET THE GUN AND SHOOT IT ON THE SPOT!!!!!!!! POST HASTE!!!!!!!

If you have pet cats, or dogs, then I would eliminate them on first sight. They are a big threat to the health of your pets.

I had a couple possums that tried to set up residence under the house. I just finished eliminating the second one last night.

Aim for the head. If you aim for the heart and lungs, they will probably have time to run under the house before they fall over dead. It may be hard to retrieve them, and you won’t like the smell if you can’t. If you destroy their heart, they will have 10 to 20 seconds of controlled movement left before they pass out. If you are concerned about them going back under the house before they die. Take and block off their hole or entrance point when you catch them outside. That way they can’t run back under the house after being mortally wounded.

Originally posted by BigBossWorm
Then I'll bring them miles away to a secluded wooded area and let them go free. Win win situation for me and the racoon.

A word to the wise here. After you trap them and before you haul them off to be released, use bright orange marker paint and put a big spot on the nap of their neck.

A Freeze dried hippie friend down the road tried the catch and release act for a little bit. He hauled them off, and a few days later, a few more coons would show up and start terrorizing things again. He repeated this about three or four times. He finally started to get the drift and marked them with orange spray paint. A couple days later after hauling them several miles away, he found orange spotted coons walking around his back yard.

If you are releasing them in more than one area, use different color paint for each drop zone. That way you know from which area they are coming back from.

reply to post by Mr Tranny


Thanks for the advice. I actually trapped one two weeks ago and released it about 15 miles away. Wasn't a big racoon, but nonetheless, I woke up to find the garbage knocked over this morning.

Wether or not its the same one, this one is getting some paint on its neck this time.