Raccoons

[Buckmeister]

My 12 year old son asked this question recently, "I wonder if you can trap Raccoons?". What he is really asking is the legalities behind trapping them. Since I'm not up to speed on the subject I was wondering if some of you can shed light on the situation. We live in 3-26 and for the species there is no closed season and no bag limit, but that is all I know. But they are showing up around the house lately and I think my son would like to get a coon skin hat. :-D

[hunter1947]

The regs say that unregistered trapper meaning a person like yourself can not take a Raccoon more then 400 meteors of the capture site.

Only a registered trapper can take the coon further then 400 meteors of the capture site.

This would mean that if you did capture a coon you would have to put it under with chloroform or shoot it and if you shoot it in a no shooting zone you would have to use a pellet gun under 500 feet sec and I don't think a pellet gun under 500 feet a sec would be good enough to to do the job.

The only thing I can suggest is you get a hold of a trapper and ask him if he could give you a raccoon that he has caught and put under..

[hunter1947]

Its easy to trap raccoons you just get a live cage trap get one big enough to hold a raccoon.

You can get these cages at most places that sell feed for animals ,like buckerfields.

What I do is put small tin of cat food in the back of the cage this usually works for me.

Don't be surprised if you find a house cat in the cage one morning..

[Pete]

Raccoon are very nasty creatures. To top it off we treat their scat like nuclear waste. Google raccoon round worm and see what you get. You may want to disinfect your screen when you are finished. On the coast you can move them a short distance, here in the interior they are an alien introduced species, there is no moving them at all. I caught my first Raccoon here in 1978 and since then their numbers have increased to a point that they are a real nuisance. My permit states very clearly that Raccoons will be put down. No relocation. Relocating a Raccoon has its issues. Here they are a totally urban animal especially in the winter. Running it out into the bush to let it go is not very humain nor is letting it go 10 km away. All you are doing is giving the problem to someone else as well you have now made a trap smart coon. Make sure that you check with the Regs and the CO regarding trapping, dispatch and or relocation in your area.

[Spokerider]

Always wondered about the relocation thing when trapping raccoon. What is the official rationale for relocating no further than 400m, if that is the official distance?

[boxhitch]

But they are showing up around the house As you don't ahve a trappers license, you wold have to follow the legal hunting methods listed in the regulations, pg 16.
If the critter is obviously causing property damage, and as the regulations don't cover that, best to call the CO Service for clarification.
Live traps are available to homeowners but they don't come with answers to the legality of use. One of those grey areas.

[leadpillproductions]

they love dog food . easy to trap caught one with a fishing net but thats another story lol

[wolverine]

Why not do what the bunny huggers at UVIC are doing? Capture and sterilze the buggers. Can you beleive that? Have we really raised such a society of pussies? Coons are a pain in the ass. Trap and shoot. Problem solved.

[boxhitch]

caught one with a fishing net but thats another story lolSounds like some redneck entertainment lol

[shotgunjohn]

If you don't want to catch a bunch of cats use an egg for bait instead of cat food. As for the coonskin hat you might want to wait till winter so the hide is prime.

[Buckmeister]

Well, we live out in the boonies as it is. We are surrounded by crown on all sides and the nearest neighbour is over a km away. If I shot it from the bedroom window no one would know and no one close by would care, just so you know I wouldn't do that anyways. But the property is large enough that I could trap one, take it the 400 meters away, release and shoot it, as long as that is all legal.

[Moose Guide]

Why not do what the bunny huggers at UVIC are doing? Capture and sterilze the buggers. Can you beleive that? Have we really raised such a society of pussies? Coons are a pain in the ass. Trap and shoot. Problem solved.


well said!!!

[Moose Guide]

Well, we live out in the boonies as it is. We are surrounded by crown on all sides and the nearest neighbour is over a km away. If I shot it from the bedroom window no one would know and no one close by would care, just so you know I wouldn't do that anyways. But the property is large enough that I could trap one, take it the 400 meters away, release and shoot it, as long as that is all legal.

just shoot it in the trap!!!

[hunter1947]

There are many ways of getting what you want just don't post anything about it on the forum ,you know what I am thinking :wink:..

[BlacktailStalker]

Always wondered about the relocation thing when trapping raccoon. What is the official rationale for relocating no further than 400m, if that is the official distance?

Falls in to the whole transporting of wildlife thing... otherwards we'd have lynx, bobcat, mulies, whitetails on the Island :lol:

Buckmeister I would shoot it in the trap, that is perfectly legal. Ever see a coon run ? They can go !
Sometimes those traps have a tendency to walk and fall into a pond or a garbage can of water... 400 yards isnt enough for a release, they find their way back.

[quicksilver]

My son built a trap out of wood with a drop door, he cought the neighbor`s cat 5 times before he cought his first racoon. we just let it go and it hasn`t come back yet. we`ll wait till winter to try again because the fur is much better for the hat he wants. Cheers

[Surrey Boy]

Why not do what the bunny huggers at UVIC are doing? Capture and sterilze the buggers. Can you beleive that? Have we really raised such a society of pussies? Coons are a pain in the ass. Trap and shoot. Problem solved.

Yeah, we have. It's getting worse, with the SPCA and Humane Society having input in our public education systems, and our educators being recruited from the effeminate gutless halls of left-wing academia.

[pnbrock]

dont make the mistake of not measuring the length of garbage can to trap length,wives dont see thr humer in a guy on sunday morning trying to push the coon under with a stick.i mean so i heard.

[shaner338]

I would just shoot it in the trap.
Cat food or fish will get you house cats everytime.
Use marshmallows in the trap and you won't get cats.
A drop or two of anise oil will help bring them in too.

[Surrey Boy]

I just called Otter Coop. They have live holding traps for anyone who wants them. Coon skin hats all round now! I'll lease any of you trapping rights to my backyard for a six pack of Hefeweizen.

[Pete]

Save your money and stay away from Havahart Traps. We don't call them Havajunks without a reason. Stick to Safeguard, Tomahawk, lil Giant or Duke

[houndogger]

Save your money and stay away from Havahart Traps. We don't call them Havajunks without a reason. Stick to Safeguard, Tomahawk, lil Giant or Duke
10/4 on the havaharts....Junk is a nice way of putting it!

[Buckmeister]

I'm am currently on a trip in the eastern States. Right now I am in D.C. and I just spent the last 4 days in New York City. Took a walk through Central Park in the evening and when I was half ways round the big resevior there we saw a raccoon beside the path. We saw fireflys there too which was pretty cool, never thought I would ever get to see one.

[hunter1947]

I only saw firefly's once in my life time and that was over in Port Angeles when we over there racing.

It was one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon6.gif..

[wolverine]

dont make the mistake of not measuring the length of garbage can to trap length,wives dont see thr humer in a guy on sunday morning trying to push the coon under with a stick.i mean so i heard.

Okay, I have to admit that made me laugh... but I gotta tell you, drowning critters... naw, that's just not right man. A .22 short will do the trick quickly, quietly and humanely.

[RiverOtter]

Drowning is a perfectly humane way of dispatching a critter...

[Surrey Boy]

Drowning is a perfectly humane way of dispatching a critter...

That's what I do to all my fish. Bonking is something I've had bad experiences with.

[Buckmeister]

Now there is at least 5 of the little bandits!!!
A mom and 4 kits showed up at our backdoor last night. My wife looks out the window and says, "Awwww, they look soooo cute......Awwwww, and they look soooo hungry". For a few seconds there I thought I was going to be ordered to put some cat food out for the "poor" little critters.
I must admit they are fun to watch...and they can climb trees like there's no tomorrow. I don't think my wife needs to worry, there is a creek nearby that is full of crayfish and other small fish, so these coons have a good food source handy. I kinda doubt my wife will allow us to trap them now. Funny, they don't seem interested in our compost.

[knighthunter]

Having moved here from the prairie's, they are nothing but over grown rats.

[mtnmanmike]

good for training hound dog puppies once you get them trapped

[hunter1947]

Drowning is a perfectly humane way of dispatching a critter...


I was told at a trappers meeting a few years back that drowning an animal is in humane..

[Bear Chaser]

Drowning works fast and is relatively clean; no blood & no feces. Who cares if it's inhumane or not? Racoons do carry diseases not least of which is occasionally rabies. Why take a chance with getting their blood on anything?

[coglark]

I have momma and three little ones in my back yard...i cant shoot them, naybors are treehuggers ... what about rat poison? is it humane for the rat, but not the coon?

[buck nash]

I have momma and three little ones in my back yard...i cant shoot them, naybors are treehuggers ... what about rat poison? is it humane for the rat, but not the coon?

Makes for a long agonizing death. Very inhumane imo but if its good enough for rats.....

Drowning is pretty quick though and lots beaver and muskrat traps are designed to pull the animals underwater and hold them there. These are considered more humane than legholds or snares and so on.

Another thing to worry about with poison is secondary poisoning. Neighbours pets and scavenger birds like eagles can eat the poisoned flesh and become poisoned themselves. Plus if a coon is poisoned you may not find the carcass which may end up rotting in your attic.:? What is that awful smell?

[coglark]

kids got a paintball gun... gonna paint them up.. hopefully scare them off

[buck nash]

kids got a paintball gun... gonna paint them up.. hopefully scare them off

Yeah that'd work. I used a sligshot with marbles to get a pair out of my tree and they never came back. At another house,I caught one on my porch and spanked him with a broom. He also never returned.

[coglark]

slingshot..another good idea:-D

[ghost]

Had a coon in my backyardabout 10 feet up a tree ,shovel to the head quick drive up the mountain ,no more coon.

[Roughneck Country]

Its easy to trap raccoons you just get a live cage trap get one big enough to hold a raccoon.

You can get these cages at most places that sell feed for animals ,like buckerfields.

What I do is put small tin of cat food in the back of the cage this usually works for me.

Don't be surprised if you find a house cat in the cage one morning..

X2 - They love cat food but you do get the odd stray cat as well.

[hunter1947]

X2 - They love cat food but you do get the odd stray cat as well.


I have caged many of house cats in my cage I just open up the door and they walk out by ,by.

The raccoon is still around the area and sooner or latter you will have him in your cage :wink:..

[OutWest]

Yeah that'd work. I used a sligshot with marbles to get a pair out of my tree and they never came back. At another house,I caught one on my porch and spanked him with a broom. He also never returned.

Used a hockey stick to give him a little spanking and it worked as well. Been problem free since then!