I just caught my third racoon, red-handed, this morning. The fellow had no
business in my garden. These critters have even mowed down the tops
of the okra plants. My grandson got to see a racoon for the first time.
We took a leisurely drive to the Smoky Mtns not far away, and now
this bandit has had his last free lunch at my expense. Perhaps he'll
enjoy the new scenery.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/cwpflanze...tos.yahoo.com/

On Sun, 22 Jun 2003 21:42:15 GMT, "Charles P"
wrote:

I just caught my third racoon, red-handed, this morning. The fellow had no
business in my garden. These critters have even mowed down the tops
of the okra plants. My grandson got to see a racoon for the first time.
We took a leisurely drive to the Smoky Mtns not far away, and now
this bandit has had his last free lunch at my expense. Perhaps he'll
enjoy the new scenery.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/cwpflanze...tos.yahoo.com/

Congratulations, they can be extremely large. My okra plants rotted
in the record-smashing rain this year, but I think I'll try again and
buy a packet tomorrow (7.2 inches so far for June alone). High temp
today (and for the past 2 months straight) was 61°F, but rest of week
is in mid-upper 80s. Either the seeds rotted, or the slug tidal wave
went through the seedlings. I shoulda grown cranberries.

Dan

in article ,
Charles P at wrote on 6/22/03 2:42 PM:

I just caught my third racoon, red-handed, this morning. The fellow had no
business in my garden. These critters have even mowed down the tops
of the okra plants. My grandson got to see a racoon for the first time.
We took a leisurely drive to the Smoky Mtns not far away, and now
this bandit has had his last free lunch at my expense. Perhaps he'll
enjoy the new scenery.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/cwpflanze...=ph&.order=&.v
iew=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/


If you want to be helpful to some of your neighbors, turn some of the nice
fuzzy creatures into fly tying materials. Moles make ver realistic flies.
Australian opossum makes nice translucent flies. I don't know if our
domestic variety is as good. There is always use for nice feathers.

Bill

Charles,
What did you use for bait in your trap? I have had little luck.
Roz

wrote in message
news:FjHJa.100240$hd6.61530@fed1read05...

Charles,
What did you use for bait in your trap? I have had little luck.

I used a big piece of cantalope. The coon ate it all up while it was in the
trap.

On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 00:50:38 +0000, Charles P wrote:

wrote in message
news:FjHJa.100240$hd6.61530@fed1read05...

Charles,
What did you use for bait in your trap? I have had little luck.

I used a big piece of cantalope. The coon ate it all up while it was in the
trap.

A bowl a dry cat food works well, raccoons love cat food.

Hi guys
When I caught my last racoon last summer, and took a drive out to the state
park to let him go, he actually turned and sort of waved at me! My fiance just
said "see you later dude" and he sort of ambled off, in no particular hurry.

I used just a can of tuna (I ate most of it prior to setting the Havahart
trap--don't want to hurt them, they just want food too).

anyways, within a day, there was my 'coon!

they are so cute, I wish they didn't see it fit to waste my garden and eat the
dogfood and **** off the dogs all the time (and the trash collector--he told me
just to use my .22! they have been screwing around with him for like 30 years,
with stuff just launched across the road and things).

anyways, the havaheart trap works like a dream, and a little tuna as bait and
you're golden!

later
john

"JohnDKestell" wrote in message

Hi guys
When I caught my last racoon last summer,

Your last racoon? What was your total for the year?
I've just caught coon #4 this morning.
He's going for a ride to the other side of
the Tennessee River. He's not coming back
unless he jumps into somebodys car.

anyways, within a day, there was my 'coon!

are you sure?

they are so cute,

Yes, they are. I've heard they make good pets if
you can find a baby coon.

I wish they didn't see it fit to waste my garden

me too!

Another solution. Wire up a cheap proximity detector to a ghetto blaster
turned up full volume. Insert CD from the North Bay punk rock band, NO
DELAY. You may get similar results with Britney Spears or Barry Manilow.
Watch coons turn tail, cringe and head for the next county with their tails
tucked between their legs and a look of disgust and horror on their ugly
faces.

Farmer John

Do not be too optimistic. I took one very large racoon to the local dump
about 10 miles distant. The SOB was back within a week. Going to a garbage
dump is like winning the big lottery for a racoon. I swear the dump
attendant had a hat business on the side. Beware, some coons have GPS and
radar. Perhaps your racoons aren't that smart.

Farmer John

Charles P wrote:
"JohnDKestell" wrote in message


Hi guys
When I caught my last racoon last summer,


Your last racoon? What was your total for the year?
I've just caught coon #4 this morning.
He's going for a ride to the other side of
the Tennessee River. He's not coming back
unless he jumps into somebodys car.

Coons are very good swimmers.


Yes, they are. I've heard they make good pets if
you can find a baby coon.

I wish they didn't see it fit to waste my garden

me too!



Yup, I had one when I was in my early teens. Great pet. He'd go
everywhere with me and just sit on my shoulder on his leash until he got
too big. When full grown he was around 45 or 50 pounds. I kept him in a
cage at night and kept it closed with a hasp and dog leash catch until
that little sucker figured out how to get that off. He didn't go
anywhere just out romping around the yard.

I wasn't very nice and used to give him saltine crackers. Coons wash
everything that they eat 'cause they have no siliva glands. Well, he'd
take the cracker to his hugh water container to wash it and naturally it
fell apart. He'd start to chatter and smack at the water. It was pretty
funny. Of course I always had some of his biskets or something as a back
up for him. :-)

He didn't like my Dad for some reason though and bit him entirely
through his arm, thankfully going inbetween the bones. My father said
that he took him out and let him go but my guess is that he only let him
go long enough to get a good aim on him. :-(

--
Steve

On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 16:00:54 -0400, "Fudge" wrote:


Beware, some coons have GPS and
radar. Perhaps your racoons aren't that smart.

Yea, sometimes it's like trying to release a bird. Short of putting
it on another continent, the bird will home back to it's original spot
and bother you alll overrrr again. Release a mammal less than 10
miles away from original locale and you'll be sure they'll run back as
fast as possible.

Dan

"Charles P" wrote in message
news:Sy_Ja.19246$0v4.1567246@bgtnsc04-
I've just caught coon #4 this morning.
He's going for a ride to the other side of
the Tennessee River. He's not coming back
unless he jumps into somebodys car.

Until the people you dump him on catch him and dump him on your side of the
river.

Why do people just "be nice to the animal" and dump it on someone else?

Bob

"dstvns" wrote in message

On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 16:00:54 -0400, "Fudge" wrote:

Beware, some coons have GPS and
radar. Perhaps your racoons aren't that smart.

I don't get it. How can they navigate? I've been lost
more than once in the woods and had to laboriously
figure things out with topo maps and a compass,
and I consider myself a hell of a lot smarter than
a racoon, and with an education. The coon never even
made it to kindergarten.

Yea, sometimes it's like trying to release a bird. Short of putting
it on another continent, the bird will home back to it's original spot
and bother you alll overrrr again.

OK. Well, a bird has, well, a bird's eye view of the world
available.

Release a mammal less than 10
miles away from original locale and you'll be sure they'll run back as
fast as possible.

Beats me how they can do that, but I'm releasing my coons 15
miles away and across the river.




Dan

Release a mammal less than 10
miles away from original locale and you'll be sure they'll run back as
fast as possible.

I don't know about that. I've been releasing my squirrels about 6 miles away.
The first 30 or so I sprayed a white patch on their rump to verify none were
returning. Never found a white tail so I stopped spraying.