Racoons

[DMA1983]

Does anybody shoot raccoons with out dogs? if so how do you find them during the day?

[Big Lew]

I used to find them often when I was a youngster, if you're meaning out in the bush rather than near in towns etc. If there's snow it's just a matter of tracking them of course, but otherwise check around the base of big old rotting stumps. If there's hollows or holes big enough for a large house cat, there could be raccoons living there. Use a flashlight, not your hand, to check it out. A raccoon will grab that hand with it's paws and then shred it with their very sharp teeth. Be aware that skunks also might live there. If it's a fox or coyote den they won't likely be under the stump itself, but down along the underside of a big root. When those stumps die the tiny fibers break off on the underside of the sprawling roots, releasing dirt which creates perfect tunnels. Both fox and coyotes use these highways to make several escape routes far from the stump itself. Also check out any old hollows in standing trees, especially cottonwood or alder. Often they're a bit hollow from the bottom up even though the coon might have it's nest part way up. If so. smoke them out.

[houndogger]

Smoke them out of dens.

[Brew]

Call them using a foxpro game call. I have even called them in with a rabbit in distress call before. Best place to look are around ponds

[steveo]

Bring lots of bullets they are a lot tougher than they look. If racoons were the size of wolves humans would be extinct. I would try the salt water beach at low tide in the morning, good luck.

[burger]

not sure if it was legal but after stealing 3 trout from our cooler and hiding in the cedar trees my buddy just took a spotlight and a .22 and started wacking them at 3 in the morning and I can attest to them being one of the toughest animals for their size


Should I tell him?? Nah cant be bothered!!

[SingleShot]

not sure if it was legal but after stealing 3 trout from our cooler and hiding in the cedar trees my buddy just took a spotlight and a .22 and started wacking them at 3 in the morning and I can attest to them being one of the toughest animals for their size

The post I have quoted is a complete FAIL !

You need to put reposition your head inside a set of regs.

As for your "buddy", he should have lost his privilege to possess, own, carry, buy, sell or even consider picking up a firearm for 5 years.

You and your buddy give ethical hunters a bad name. Absolutely pathetic.

[steveo]

Just look at his user name, just kidding.

[Big Lew]

I shot a huge male coon in a hollow alder once during the winter when I was a teen with the idea of making a coon skin hat. Big mistake...not only was the tail far too big, the fur was too long and thick as well, unless I was Paul Bunyon's son.
As for smoking them out, it works if they're inside a tree or under a stump, but if they're in an old fox or coyote den, you need 2-3 people surrounding the den 15-20 feet away watching for them popping out of an escape tunnel. It works best if the den is on a hillside so the smoke rises up through the tunnels.

[pro 111]

Come to the Queen Charlottes man , I will show you where hundreds live. Could have the time of your life if you like coon huntin. Bring yourself a big ass spotlight that seems to be the trend around here these days. Game wardens don't care. All they do up here is hunt and fish.

[Kudu]

Come to the Queen Charlottes man , I will show you where hundreds live. Could have the time of your life if you like coon huntin. Bring yourself a big ass spotlight that seems to be the trend around here these days. Game wardens don't care. All they do up here is hunt and fish.


Careful what you say - there is a bunch of people here who wear their halos so tight, it causes them to bleed all over threads like yours....

Drilling coons and yotes over a light is good fun, we do it all the time when we visit friends a little way south of the old 49th parallel!

[steveo]

It does sound like fun and if it could be done safely at night I would be all over it but at night how do you safely shoot a coon out of a tree and know your back drop. To the OP, even if you don't have a coon hound but a good bush dog that will chase critters on sight try bringing it with you because if you come across one and the dog takes after it most coons will be up the first tree. I have also bailed out of the truck after one ran across the road and chased on foot and usually if they feel they are being pursued they will go up the first tree. The few I have seen out and about are early morning and evening.

[pro 111]

Ya but we live in a different world out here . lol Gods country no one to bother you . LOL.

[DMA1983]

Thanks for the help guys. I live on the island and should have posted on that forum, but Im sure your advice will be very helpful here to

[Hunt-4-Life]

What do you do with a raccoon?

[bccanadian]

What do you do with a raccoon?

Make Davy Crockett hats.

[pro 111]

Leave it there for the eagles.

[pro 111]

The post I have quoted is a complete FAIL !

You need to put reposition your head inside a set of regs.

As for your "buddy", he should have lost his privilege to possess, own, carry, buy, sell or even consider picking up a firearm for 5 years.

You and your buddy give ethical hunters a bad name. Absolutely pathetic.All you do gooders should get a life. Nothin better than lettin a kid blast a coon out of a tree in the dark . Pitlamping deer and big game I totally agree with you but a coon with a 22 . Who gives a shit.

[Ambush]

Get one of the five gallon, collapsible Moultrie timed feeders [ Canadian Tire, $75] and fill it with corn. Hang it with a thin cable, from a limb several feet from the tree's trunk. Set the feeder for an hour after sunrise and put a cam on it. Keep the feed sparse enough that it's first come, first served.

Some crab shells and fish may help as an initial attractant.

When you have a few coming regularly, get there an hour earlier and wait. Use the biggest, cheapest broad heads you can get and hopefully pin him to a tree.

Obviously pick a spot that has raccoon sign and keep the feeder out of bear reach.

[Kudu]

It does sound like fun and if it could be done safely at night I would be all over it but at night how do you safely shoot a coon out of a tree and know your back drop. .

Here's the thing - ever since I can remember, we have shot animals at night - My grandfather (who made his living with his rifle in Mozambique, Rhodesia and Nyasaland and later baught a farm with profits from the Ivory) shot crocs on our farm at night with a flashlight using his 375 H&H - (crocs that were eating the staff) they hid in daylight hours so shooting them was near impossible.

I cannot even count the amount of springbok and Impala (hundreds) I personally shot at night for the "Oos Kaap Vleis Fondiesie" for export to Europe, all done with million candlewatt spot lights - suppressor's and head shots - around 3 am in the morning in the Karoo.

Predator management was/is a huge thing - jackals and lynx caused massive losses to sheep farmers incomes - a single predator could wipe out 50 or more animals in a night, shooting under red / green spot lights was the norm

What most the people whom have never shot night simply don't know or understand - night shooting is exactly the same as night diving (scuba) - you simply cannot see very much - so you don't get distracted by the peripheral's - your focus is so intense through the scope that you really have to be a shit shot to miss.

Is it ethical - where I come from - yes!

Why? Because when culling as we did - the animals were not traumatized to hell by being chased round and round.

The farmers insisted on culling in the dark for the welfare of the rest of the herds.

Icy cold - winter mornings in the Karoo kept the meat in pristine condition and there was zero adrenalin in the butchered carcasses - meat and not horns were what we were shooting for at the end of the day.

[finngun]

same here..in finland it was legal to hunt any hour of the day...winter night hunting ..full moon,,foxes rabbits etc..very fine experience..total silence..i miss that:cry:

[Mr. Dean]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/DSC7547_eweb.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/DSC3814_Mr_Dean_web_copy.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/DSC3876_Mr_Dean_web.jpg

They are NASTY little *******s!
This guy was in a safe spot and put a full on attack on my dog, ripping at its throat with its hind legs while holding on to the dogs head with its teeth. FREAKY CRAZY ORDEAL!

It CHARGED out of the scrubs to a rodent distress, in under a minute of turning it on.

[Sofa King]

Bring lots of bullets they are a lot tougher than they look. If racoons were the size of wolves humans would be extinct. I would try the salt water beach at low tide in the morning, good luck.

???
we have grizz, lions, tigers, etc, etc, etc, and we aren't extinct.
only thing I'd be worried about if they were wolf-sized is just how much more them bandits could make off with.

[hunter fisher]

All you do gooders should get a life. Nothin better than lettin a kid blast a coon out of a tree in the dark . Pitlamping deer and big game I totally agree with you but a coon with a 22 . Who gives a shit.


x2 agreed buddy

[Mr. Dean]

All you do gooders should get a life. Nothin better than lettin a kid blast a coon out of a tree in the dark . Pitlamping deer and big game I totally agree with you but a coon with a 22 . Who gives a shit.

Law enforcement and perhaps those that can see an 'accident' waiting to happen. Or those that may feel that reinforcement of 'bad' behaviors, lead to the escalation of other/more bad behaviour.

But for me, as a moderator, we have rules here too (shocking, I know; go figure).
And one of 'em is NO discussions that condone illegal activities.

So please (all involved), reel it in a tad. :smile:
It really doesn't do us ANY good....

[Big Lew]

Thanks, "Mr. Dean" I was hoping for your response. I'll never suggest that I've never broken or bent some rules, but what people have done in the past where and when populations were sparse and many basic safety rules ignored if they interfered with 'thrills and having fun' are not as accepted in today's environment. It's actually a little disturbing just how many on this site still subscribe to "the rules are for everyone else, not me" or "it's not a crime if you don't get caught."

[steveo]

I think my reference about racoons and wolves was to draw attention to the fact racoons are very tough and nasty for their size and if wolves had the same tenacity and disregard for human presence we would be in a lot of trouble. I once had a coon get caught in a marten trap, ripped the box the trap was in off the tree and drag it about 50 yards through thick bush until it got tangled. When I put a 22 long rifle right between his sunglasses it just sat there looking at me as if he was saying " is that the best you can do ". Later after skinning it out I found I missed the brain pan by about 3/4 of an inch and if you don't hit them there you will accomplish nothing. I have seen a multitude of critters way bigger than coons put down with 22s that were dispatched way quicker than a coon. When you start playing around with them you will soon realize what I mean.

[Big Lew]

I think my reference about racoons and wolves was to draw attention to the fact racoons are very tough and nasty for their size and if wolves had the same tenacity and disregard for human presence we would be in a lot of trouble. I once had a coon get caught in a marten trap, ripped the box the trap was in off the tree and drag it about 50 yards through thick bush until it got tangled. When I put a 22 long rifle right between his sunglasses it just sat there looking at me as if he was saying " is that the best you can do ". Later after skinning it out I found I missed the brain pan by about 3/4 of an inch and if you don't hit them there you will accomplish nothing. I have seen a multitude of critters way bigger than coons put down with 22s that were dispatched way quicker than a coon. When you start playing around with them you will soon realize what I mean.

You're absolutely right. Unless you hit them preciously in the sweet spot, they act as if nothing happened. They're also a very formidable foe for most average sized dogs. Like badgers, they have very loose hide and thick fur so even if a dog grabs them, they often miss the vitals. Meanwhile the coon will rip a dog up pretty bad with his claws and needle sharp teeth.

[Sofa King]

I think my reference about racoons and wolves was to draw attention to the fact racoons are very tough and nasty for their size and if wolves had the same tenacity and disregard for human presence we would be in a lot of trouble. I once had a coon get caught in a marten trap, ripped the box the trap was in off the tree and drag it about 50 yards through thick bush until it got tangled. When I put a 22 long rifle right between his sunglasses it just sat there looking at me as if he was saying " is that the best you can do ". Later after skinning it out I found I missed the brain pan by about 3/4 of an inch and if you don't hit them there you will accomplish nothing. I have seen a multitude of critters way bigger than coons put down with 22s that were dispatched way quicker than a coon. When you start playing around with them you will soon realize what I mean.

oh ya, they're tough little buggers.
they ganged up on and slaughtered a friends cat one night.

I was just meaning that if they were that much bigger, all the cards would change though also.
they wouldn't be able to retreat and hide like they are able to now.
they'd be hunted a ton more by everyone.
and a .22 can fail on plenty of animals, hell, one can bounce a high-powered bullet off many animals faces from a straight-on shot.
all the variables would change if raccoons were suddenly wolf-size.
their #'s would quickly be reduced and they'd fear humans almost overnight.
now if an ant was wolf-sized, that would scare me.
they'd be cutting our cars in half and walking away with our houses.

[Big Lew]

oh ya, they're tough little buggers.
they ganged up on and slaughtered a friends cat one night.

I was just meaning that if they were that much bigger, all the cards would change though also.
they wouldn't be able to retreat and hide like they are able to now.
they'd be hunted a ton more by everyone.
and a .22 can fail on plenty of animals, hell, one can bounce a high-powered bullet off many animals faces from a straight-on shot.
all the variables would change if raccoons were suddenly wolf-size.
their #'s would quickly be reduced and they'd fear humans almost overnight.
now if an ant was wolf-sized, that would scare me.
they'd be cutting our cars in half and walking away with our houses.

Duallie, Duallie, Duallie:biggrin:, I think you've been watching too many horror movies! Man, that would be scary if ants were wolf-sized.

[widger]

I always had tremendous success in Standley Park down by the lagoon across from the fire truck. I would just sit on the bench with a can opener and a tin of cat food and open that bad boy up. Within a few minutes I would have a few customers come sauntering out of the bush line and I would just pop them in the head with a sling shot and ball bearings. Just a word of caution, let them get close to you as you want to make sure it is a killing shot as you would be suprised how much noise they make when wounded, damn! If anyone asked me what I was doing I would just explain I worked for the City of Vancouver and was monitoring for rabies and they would just wander away. Do not perform above activity during the weekend as there are too many pedestrians to deal with. Best times are Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the spring and fall. Good luck and watch out you do not hit a skunk by accident, very smelly indeed.

[steveo]

Duallie lost me with the whole car eating ant thing but since I have never trapped an ant or shot one with a 22 I am in no position to argue differently, lol. I usually get a call from someone that knows I trap and insists I come to their house and catch a crazy racoon. After a quick conversation I find out during the night the little bandit came through the cat door, was discovered in the kids room eating junk food by one of the three cats which in turn got the two dogs involved and finally lite the whole household up. Sneaky little suckers aren't they.

[pro 111]

I always had tremendous success in Standley Park down by the lagoon across from the fire truck. I would just sit on the bench with a can opener and a tin of cat food and open that bad boy up. Within a few minutes I would have a few customers come sauntering out of the bush line and I would just pop them in the head with a sling shot and ball bearings. Just a word of caution, let them get close to you as you want to make sure it is a killing shot as you would be suprised how much noise they make when wounded, damn! If anyone asked me what I was doing I would just explain I worked for the City of Vancouver and was monitoring for rabies and they would just wander away. Do not perform above activity during the weekend as there are too many pedestrians to deal with. Best times are Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the spring and fall. Good luck and watch out you do not hit a skunk by accident, very smelly indeed.***** thats awesome.

[pro 111]

Thanks, "Mr. Dean" I was hoping for your response. I'll never suggest that I've never broken or bent some rules, but what people have done in the past where and when populations were sparse and many basic safety rules ignored if they interfered with 'thrills and having fun' are not as accepted in today's environment. It's actually a little disturbing just how many on this site still subscribe to "the rules are for everyone else, not me" or "it's not a crime if you don't get caught." Ya I bet your the same guy that would let the coon go for eating your game meat because it was dark outside . :mrgreen:

[DMA1983]

geez, I didn't think even a raccoon hunting thread would start a fight....

[steveo]

Hah hah after all this banter you probably forgot what question you asked. No worries, you got some good tips so now try harvesting one. You always learn something new when your in the bush and the way it's snowing some tracking might be in the makings.

[Mr. Dean]

IMO they're something like coyotes; They tend to roam their range.
I'll see 'em hanging around for a couple/few days and then they're gone. And a couple weeks later, they show up again.

A bait pile would probably keep them close for longer periods.

[walks with deer]

The gulf islands are infested go walk some beaches pick a spot and start a food source.

I personally would not pursue them enough seem to be a nuisance in my neighberhood.

[Drillbit]

Oh.....those things......is this one B&C?

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y414/Drillbit/Image-Version2_zps5737f5f5.jpg (http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/Drillbit/media/Image-Version2_zps5737f5f5.jpg.html)

[BCLogger]

All you do gooders should get a life. Nothin better than lettin a kid blast a coon out of a tree in the dark . Pitlamping deer and big game I totally agree with you but a coon with a 22 . Who gives a shit.

Just when I thought I've read the most unintelligent post...this comes up.

[pro 111]

Just when I thought I've read the most unintelligent post...this comes up. Sorry I am just a logger. lol.

[shotgunner]

As boy on Vancouver island I used to spot them sleeping on the limbs of large fir and oak trees. A .22 in the head ended there harassment of the local fruit and chicken farms.

[Chopper]

Ok ... its official ... BEST THREAD EVER ! Hahahaha