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Racoons in sweet corn - how to NOT

What are some ways to keep racoons out of my ripening sweet corn? I don't have enough plants to share beyond the ears they have already destroyed!@!

Reply to
hrhofmann
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Hav-a-hart trap. Make sure it is big enough for racoons. This was a small one I caught years ago:

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Reply to
Frank

Nearly impossible even with a fence because racoons are excellent climbers... you'll have to erect a turkey wire fence and electrify it. I no longer grow corn, takes too much space and local corn from farm stands is so much better than home grown. I didn't have racoons but the crows ravaged my corn. Corn is in that tall growth:

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Haying:
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Reply to
Brooklyn1

Mothballs? Tonite I have a flashing light and on-off with the flashes radio.

Reply to
hrhofmann

I don't have corn, but I sure as hell have raccoon and it is making my life hell! The bastard is so bold that when OP in household saw him in side yard, he actually STARTED TO APPROACH, like "what's for dinner" !!!

Until I closed up the cat door, he would come in at night, mess up the cat's water dish, eat his food, and for all I know, take a nap.

One night I came into the kitchen late and thus

Reply to
Higgs Boson

(hit Send by mistake)

HUGE creature rushed by, brushing against my legs -- fortunately no injury -- and rushed out the back door! So much for leaving the door open to computer room when working late!

OP says another time he SAW raccoon dragging the plastic cat food container TO THE CAT DOOR but unable to get it past. Huge claw marks on containers. (Gotta say he's not dumb... figuring that out!)

Our city's animal shelter used to send someone out to capture varmints, but will not do so since many years. Also used to lend humane cages, but stopped doing that as well. Buying humane cages is very expensive!

Wish I still had my son's old .22!

(Thanks for allowing me to vent...

HB

Reply to
Higgs Boson

I've had them up on the deck at night and even opening the door and yelling at them the last time they refused to leave. I went back and got firecrackers to toss at them and that did it.

Another time I squirted them with wasp and hornet spray.

Both time, they did not come back.

I would not have a cat door. Neighbor that did found one in the kitchen one day.

Like I said, Hav-a-hart trap. Get the biggest one. Catch and release or kill depending on local laws.

Reply to
Frank

The only thing that has worked for me is an electrified fence.

Reply to
Not

Hey, that brings something to mind! Somebody told me that**** spraying X around the doorstep*** would deter them. It wasn't either of the above; would anybody know? It's worth a try.

I'm in bed when it tries to come in later at night so I can't spray it. Besides, I would be scared to death -- the CLAWS on those critters! So maybe anointing the doorstep would send a message

Aw, I bet you miss them cute lil' critters!

I've always had indoor-outdoor cats. Would not keep a critter penned up inside 24/7. During raccoon attacks, I have to block up cat door and let cat use my BR window.

Ever PRICED one of those things!!! Not in my budget; I wish!

HB

Reply to
Higgs Boson

Tractor Supply has a pair - 32x12x10 and 24x7x7 for $25.

Our "Game Wardens" here say if you catch a "game animal" you must release it at the place you caught it without harming it. Animal Control can not pick it up. More worthless bureaucrats..

Reply to
Mr.E

Make one. Frame with wood then chicken wire. On one end, you make a sliding door that will drop to close trap. Trigger at other end with bait to drop door. Sure even someone with your talents could do this.

Reply to
Frank

Local laws vary.

I made a trap once as I described to HB but caught a skunk. Did not know what to do and called fish and game people and they said a skunk was not a game animal and offered no help.

Turns out skunks don't spray when confined so we opened the trap and let it go.

Here in DE you can trap and kill but not release elsewhere but I did not know this at the time and caught a squirrel that I released in local park. I had pulled into the parking area of a county police substation and a cop pulled in and I told him I had brought in a prisoner to release which I did in front of the cop. He said nothing.

Reply to
Frank

The raccoon will claw right through the chicken wire. takes heavyweight wire mesh to hold a large coon.

Reply to
Mr.E

Fence with charger, or a *tall* fence with loose, floppy wire at the top and bottom.

Planting corn by the square foot method in 4' blocks, you can make a temporary, movable fence 4' panels made with 8' lengths of 2x2 that have chicken wire stapled to them. Let about 18'' of chicken wire extend past the ends of the 2x2s.

Set some small stakes at the corners of the corn block, tie the panels together with the loose wire curving out. Roll the panels up and store them out of the weather when not in use.

This method (with sufficient numbers of panels) can also protect peach trees from 4-footed varmints.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

Yeah, it's a real worthless pursuit, telling people they have to follow the laws he was hired to enforce. Such nerve!

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

Wild animals have territories. When you trap and move a wild animal, you are moving it into an area it does not know, where it has no shelter, where it doesn't know where food can be found, and where other animals will attack it to drive it out of their territory. It is almost always a sentence of a slower, more painful death.

Game laws will usually permit homeowners to kill game animals that are posing a nuisance on their property. Some areas might require the homeowner to notify the warden or natural resources people prior to doing so (usually to prevent the homeowner from being cited for violating a game law, if anyone witnesses and complains). It's best to check your local laws to find out how you can legally and most effectively deal with nuisance animals.

The other reality is: nature abhors a vacuum. You can kill or relocate all the wild critters you want, but you're just freeing up space for more. At the very least, the annual crop of young 'uns in your area will simply not have to go away to find/claim their own territory.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

Oh well I did not think the F?G people passed the laws they enforce. The worthless bureaucrats we elect are the passers of laws and huge volumes of gas to accompany them.

Reply to
Mr.E

Probably and I neglected to mention that I had to have a large nail slide down and lock the door as first time I used it, bait was gone and trap empty. Figured that it clawed open the door.

Coons can make quite a racket transporting them and makes you nervous to have them in the trunk.

Last one I caught, I was going to drown and filled a larger plastic garbage can full of water to have it collapse at the last moment so I figured God wanted it to live and released it in the park.

I like to hunt and have taken a lot of game but don't like to kill just for the sake of it. If relocated animal cannot survive, that's not my problem. To piss off some here, I say same for our illegal aliens ;)

Reply to
Frank

around the doorstep*** would deter them. It wasn't either of the above; w ould anybody know? It's worth a try.

or kill depending on local laws.

Thanks. I went there, but with shipping & tax it comes out to a lot more. There seems to be NOTHING in my budget. Amazon has one for $42 with free sh ipping, but they don't give dimensions (not very smart), so would hesitate to order. I posted on their "community" form; maybe somebody will know.

it at the place you caught it without harming it. Animal Control can not p ick it up. More worthless bureaucrats..

I THINK the local regs (LA area) are that if you hire a pro, they have to e uthanize or release. What kind of sense does option #2 make??!!! What's th e use of catch & release????

If I caught the raccoon, I would drive him up into the hills & release.

This is getting to be a royal pain!

mmm...maybe my neighbors would go in to the cage price...

REMINDER: ANYBODY KNOW OF SOMETHING TO SPRAY ON PORCH STEPS?

TIA

HB

Reply to
Higgs Boson

I see the new Hav-a-hart mentions large animal and new traps have only one entry. Mine is old model, 2nd largest, with two doors and will hold a ground hog but not a large raccoon. The trap is big enough but if part of the animal sticks out at either end it can escape.

Raccoon is not a game animal but who knows in the land of the fruits and the nuts.

Reply to
Frank

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