Raccoon story

[backahead]

The other night a raccoon tore up my garbage. I put cinder blocks on top of the garbage. Racoon flipped the blocks and had another feast. I put bungee cords on the garbage cans. No problem that night.

Next night, raccoon broke into my hot dog truck and tore it up. 6hrs to clean and fix the damage. I decided to borrow my buddy's 22, camp out and kill it. I drove over to get the gun, I was inside his house for 10min. Got back into my van and there was a fugging raccoon in there eating my rolls! (I left the windows down)

I opened all the doors and tried to scare it out. 30min of flashlights, blowhorns and banging with no luck. Had to call the police (this guy was nuts, he went in there and got it out).

So I gave up the camping and killing idea and bought two haveaheart traps. I set and baited them according to the directions. This morning...bait was gone, truck was torn up again and no raccoon in the traps.

I baited the traps again tonight and I just checked. The bait is still there but both traps are closed, no coons inside. Are they just teasing me??

Any advice is welcome.

[billf]

I live in the middle of nowhere on a 160 acre farm. My neighbor had a coon problem but we didn't and still don't. I have three dogs and one really doesn't like other animals in her yard. I worry about her getting hurt but so far so good. She did get loose once and went hauling butt behind the back fields, to the other side of the woods. I drove out there and found her playing with baby coons. Boy did she stink lol

Good luck. Hope they don't totally destroy your business.

[backahead]

I live in the middle of nowhere on a 160 acre farm. My neighbor had a coon problem but we didn't and still don't. I have three dogs and one really doesn't like other animals in her yard. I worry about her getting hurt but so far so good. She did get loose once and went hauling butt behind the back fields, to the other side of the woods. I drove out there and found her playing with baby coons. Boy did she stink lol

Good luck. Hope they don't totally destroy your business.

Me too! Last year I started getting mice in the truck so I spray it with peppermint oil once a week. Which worked, no mice in there since. But then they started to come in my house, so I got two cats. No mice in the house. I can't get a dog too.

[backahead]

Well I caught one. I put the trap inside the van and drove to a state park. Just before the park entrance, I look back and I'm staring at rocky raccoon's untrapped face. He somehow got out of the trap. Luckily I was going slow to make the turn because I just threw the van into park and jumped out. Heart rate was about 2000 bpm. My phone was in the van so I opened the doors and waited. He was nice enough to leave pretty quick. Whew.

http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j406/backahead/Raccoon.jpg

[mrbowling300]

this was in the Detroit Free Press (http://www.google.com/imgres?q=free+press+raccoon+picture&num=10&hl=en&safe=strict&biw=1517&bih=705&tbm=isch&tbnid=ycmR3CjzZR0U-M:&imgrefurl=http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2012/06/oil_soap_used_to_free_stuck_ba.html&docid=Hg7cZV3J2TpHmM&imgurl=http://media.mlive.com/news/detroit_impact/photo/11224848-large.jpg&w=380&h=303&ei=doHwT8ruNOjM6wGpwpidBg&zoom=1)

[TheSheibs]

Sounds like the springs on the door for the trap are a little weak and not strong enough to keep the door of the trap shut. mrbowling300~ that picture made me laugh. It was a funny picture.
Good luck with the coon problem.

[backahead]

@Shiebs: Yep, one of the springs was caught. I assume the coon did it. Anyhow just caught a possum. I'm off to release him at the state park too. He went after the same bait so I assume he will tear up my truck if given the chance. I'm wearing a football helmet (signed) and leather gloves. A can of bee spray and a baseball bat just in case, lol. I don't expect a problem, but that's when they happen. Phone is in my pocket.

[backahead]

Well that sucked. His mouth was caught and twisted in the metal grating. It would've been more humane if I shot him. He couldn't release when I opened the trap. Had to turn it over and pull his bottom jaw to free him. It was ugly, a bloody mess. No way he's going to eat before he starves. Whoever called these damn things "haveaheart" is a liar. Scared me to death with the coon and surely killed this possum.