This is one of many critters that frequent my house. Today, this raccon was peering in my window searching to find a warmer place than the frigid temps he has to endure outdoors, or hoping to have one of my cats for his next meal. I am uncertain if most racoons are afraid of humans, but as soon as I aimed my camera at him he obviously is not camera-shy. Hopefully this drooling coon will not be back in the summer to tear apart my screen as he did last year.

What a good close up. Lets hope he or she does not find a way in.

You can almost hear her thinking, "Hey, don't 'cha know how cold it is out here?"

I was away on business for 2 months. When I came home, I found a raccoon had moved into my chimney. In order to evict him, I opened the flu part way, and put a baking pan full of amonia in the hearth. Then I covered the fireplace front with a piece of plywood. When I came back from food shopping, I saw an indignent 'coon up on the roof.
...... He left me a parting present tho. I found that my living room rug was alive with fleas.

What a wonderful picture. He's so cute!

They are cute but also destructive. In Indiana, and other places I am sure, the population of the critters has multiplied as a result of less people trapping them with the pelt prices so low. This last spring and summer I "relocated" 12 of them! Hope that I am not as lucky this year.

I also had one of those critters move into my chimney & had a litter there. All sorts of little squealing noises coming from the chimney at the bottom. We 'relocated' the babies to the park & put a chimney cap on. I saw the poor mother staring at me later on from my deck, but that was the last I saw of her.

S/He has a boo-boo on his/her nose.

Clamdigger, I hope you then capped the chimney to prevent further "invasions" so you don't have to go through this again.

TO, the relocated babies probably died of starvation or predation without their mother. Who knows what the mother thought, going through pregnancy and birth, then having her babies taken from her?

If folks don't do the work needed to keep them out, or have the patience to let them stay till they're ready to move out on their own--and then cap the chimney--it might be more humane to have them euthanized.

Why do we "ooh" and "ahh" over "cute, beautiful" wildlife, slap our houses in the middle of their habitat, then get indignant because they (who were here tens of thousands of years before we were) "invade" our homes?

I suspect that raccoon populations are up more because we so drastically altered their habitat and eliminated their natural predators, than a decrease in trapping.

Does anybody know whether the present owners of the Smith Fisheries property also own the right of way of the road that passes by there to go to the Montreal Falls? I have seen the fence that they erected and thought we were lucky that we can still get to the falls without having to walk farther than we do now.I just hope that no one vandalizes the Smith site now that the new owners have spent a lot of money fixing it up for their own use.

Yooper,

While your position is probably an unpopular one in the UP, I agree with you. I live in a fast developing area of Texas and we're having severe "problems" with our deer population. According to a report commissioned by the Texas Natural Resources Commission, the problem is not an increase in the deer population, but a decrease in their natural habitat that is forcing them into urban areas to search for food and shelter.

I agree that the action taken by TO OH to separate those baby racoons from their mother was inhumane. It's a perfect example of the narccistic belief that animals exist for our comfort, convenience, and at our discretion.

John W. Don't let yourself get caught eating a chicken sandwich.

Raccoons may be cute but they should be discourged from hanging around ones property for two reasons. First, they have a very high incedense of rabies and second, their skat contains a very deadly bacteria.

Relocating raccoons is usually just giving someone else the same problems you have had with them.

Yooper,
How right you are!!!!

well, i don't believe i shall get rid of any rodent control devices around my home. no matter where you live, every where was the animal's land, before man set up housekeeping. native americans came close to harmony with almost everything. most didn't live by just bread alone either. so eat, drink and be happy whether it be with the animals or without. MOST OF ALL,enjoy the photos of yooper land.

Yooper is right. All these people move out into the country and then complain about the wildlife. They were here first long before we were and have as much right to the land and forests if not moreso then we do. We have the same problem with deer here in Missouri. The farmers complain about the herd but won't let hunters on their land to thin the herds down. We don't see deer in bunchs here we see them in herds. Have some does that give birth to twins and triplets all the time.

Earlier this week I learnt about polar bear diving,which will be taking place this weekend, and today I've learnt about raccoons in chimneys!! A cute raccoon has had it's photo on Pasty Cam, so is there any chance of a shot of the diving "polar bears"?

I often feed racoons. Two helpings usually. They seem to prefer 6 shot, but 7 1/2 will work in a pinch.

Jean, Devon, England:
If you click on the link below, it will take you to last years "Polar Bears" pictures and comments! Enjoy!
http://www.pasty.com/discuss/messages/994/1029.html

If the babies had been moved outside the chimney, but close enough so the momma would see them, she would have moved them away,they often do if their nest is disturbed. Thats if they didnt freeze before mom came home from her rounds. I've lost alot of plants to the deer at my place, but I dont mind-small price for admission to a good show. I like to watch them. Nice to have some wildlife around. Rather have the critters than concrete and steel. I've lost much more to the two legged animals than to the four legged.

Thanks Mary - I enjoyed viewing the polar bears in action and reading the comments!!!

froggy, excellent point about moving the babies where the mom has a chance of finding them. Thanks.

Yooper...you ROCK! LOVE your attitude, and your intelligence!

To Lyn,
Racoons don't eat cats. I have lived with both very close at hand for the past 40 years. We have 4 ferral cats that followed the racoons around when the cats were mere kittens. We eventually trapped the cats, took them to the local vet and had them spayed and neutered and they are now our adopted outside cats. They refuse to be tamed but that's OK with me. The coons are still around too but we don't make it too inviting for them to make this their deli stop.

The racoons are in my yard, and I'm in theirs. That's fine with me. I don't want him in my little house, and I stay out of his. My big city friend has racoons in her neighborhood, too, nowhere near the wilderness. The racoons don't want your cats, but they would sure enjoy your catfood. Had one rip open a screen door on a warm summer evening for a 'coon family Kit-n-kaboodle feast. Major mess! Recommend keeping pet food in a tightly sealed plastic container. The critters will open a regular bin.

I am appalled by the many expressions here reflecting a lack of respect for all living things. Raccoons, like all creatures, are to be respected as part of the created order of which we all are a part. We have impinged upon their territory, as we have on many other creatures entitled to their existence. We must find ways to make peace with them, and respect their right to life. Shooting/killing them is barbaric and inhumane. Hopefully the next generation will learn to respect and honor all living things and inflict no pain or suffering on any animal.

GK is correct regarding the transfer of the problem. We have a similar problem with armadillos in Florida. It is illegal to relocate them without the permission of the property owner of the land where they are being moved to because they are not native to Fla. If you move them to federal or state owned land and get caught, you get thrown in jail and fined. They are incredibly destructive creatures to lawns and gardens. The DNR/Fish and Wildlife folks will tell you to shoot them as they are difficult to trap because they don't take bait. If you do manage to find someone who will take them, trapping them consists of taking long lengths of 2x6's formed into a "V" with the trap at the small end on one of their trails, herding them into the trap. They don't see well and go along trails that they have established by smell along the edges of your house, fence lines, and gardens. And they always have four babies at a time in the spring, multipling the problem. The best way to get rid of them is by taking away the grubs, mole crickets, and other assorted goodies that live in your lawn with pesticides. As you can see, I don't have a problem with them at all, ha, but then I choose to live in the country. However, I have friends living in subdivisions with problems because most of the subs in Central Fla are old orange groves. My two Labs help keep them off my property too by running them off, thus discouraging them from coming back. Unfortunately, the armadillos merely move to my neighbors property. As you can see they are just plain difficult to get rid of.

Coon feeder! Feed them the old lead pill! Way to go! They're put here for our use, subject to us, and at our discretion.

Along with the occasional racoon and skunk visiting us, we have a couple of big fat possums living in the barn with the barn cats. They come right up to the back door looking for food from the dogs dish.

Dear appalled:

There's room for everyone. However, if I stuck my face in thier tree hole, I'd expect to get bit. If I move my family in their tree hole, I'd expect them not to be thrilled about it and do everything to move me back out. When I work 40-60 hours a week to provide for my family a home, and a coon comes and shreds my screen porch to get at the cake my wife has cooling you bettcha that coon is going to get his fill of lead.

Coon - stay in the forest where you belong.

Me - I'll respect your home, but you will respect mine as well...

Racoons DO eat cats! The monster of all racoons got into the area above our porch a couple years ago. I had been trying to live trap it, but our trap was way too small. We thought it was interesting until 3 of our cats went missing. The racoon killed them. Their partially eaten remains were found where the raccoon had dragged them into it's "lair/nest". Needless to say I resorted to violence. It's unbelievable how tough raccons are and if I EVER get close to one again and I'm unarmed, I'm going to run like CRAZY!

This guy is cute- but they are destructive. I've caught them in my garbage cans.

On a different note- does anyone know if the Lake Breeze Inn is still in business? I think it was/is in Eagle Harbor and we used to stay there every summer in the 60's. Beautiful place (old, too) built right on the rocks with Lake Superior crashing in your ears all night.

Sadly, yes, respect and common decency for non-humans is often unpopular here. Frankly, I expected to get blasted after my initial message. I'm pleased there are so many caring, respectful people here at pasty.cam. Thank you for posting. Peace.

"relocated = lead, perhaps?

May be if some people knew how destructive coons are they would think differenlly.They are also dirty and full of fleas.I used to grow a beautiful garden with some sweet corn planted.Just about the time I was to enjoy the fruits of my labor and pick some juicy corn on the cob for supper those cute little bandits would beat me to it. They wouldent eat the entire cob but would go from one cornstock to another pulling down the stalks and taking a bite of each one as they went along. The would ruin the whole corn patch in one night. I tried different methods to keep them out but to no avail. I live trapped quite a few of them and relocated them to their "HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS". I am not a coon cuddler. There are way too many coons around and when they interfere with my supper it makes me quite angry.

Lets see, rabbits usually have fleas, I know the farmer across the way has chickens in a coup thats full of lice. My neighbors outside cat probably carries fleas and I know it craps in my flower beds... so I better whack 'em all right away?

Froggy, I eat rabbits and chickens, and I guess you could whack the cat and maybe eat it

Froggy, that's free fertilizer. Don't knock it!

Coonie, In reality, I wouldnt have much problem with taking care of the cat, and they say they taste like chicken, so give us your address and I'll be happy to mail you the cat!

Froggy, Thanks but no thanks, Ill stick to my regular diet. By the way, be careful,coons eat frogs, you know, Its tops on their menu.

The best way to get em in a live trap is to put marshmallows in it,,,,,tis a sure was to trigger da door ta slam shut,,,,before they are "relocated",,,,,,or see some lead!

I hit a coon with my Saturn a couple summers ago. It was a foggy night and I just went over a hill along a country road. The coon was crossing the road that ran in-between two vast cornfields. At first, I thought the coon was a small - medium sized dog because it was so large! I could not swerve so I hit the animal almost dead on.

That coon caused my car alignment to go out, blew up my radiator, smashed my air conditioning unit, bent my frame, destroyed the front bumper, almost caused my air bags to go off, etc. In the end, the total damage to the vehicle was upwards of $1,500!

$1500! That's a lot of coon-skin caps!

I have read all the postings here, looking for information about what has killed 3 of my hens in the past 2 nights. I too love wildlife and appreciate living in the country. We have a barn which has the most elaborate tunnel system, dug by groundhogs. They have begun digging by the support beams, and I'm fearful that they are going to destroy it. I've begun live trapping them again and so far I've caught 3 in 3 days. I also have a litter of racoons in my hayloft. At first I thought it was "quaint". When I saw my first dead hen just laying there yesterday, I didn't think it was so neat anymore. I secured my hens last night and locked the door, set a live trap in the fenced in run. I was sure I would catch something last night. When I went out this morning, I found 2 more hens mutilated. The racoon simply ripped the heavy duty wire fence off the window and helped herself. I'm sure she was just trying to feed her family, but to all of you who are appalled that people would kill wildlife, let me say that you obviously have never seen what they can do. You can't reason with a racoon. You can't make a "deal" with groundhogs to only dig their dens in out of the way places. They do what they want or need to do to survive. And so will I. In 4 years I've never had one chicken killed until now. I'm on the war path. And I assure you I will be humane, but I will also win this battle!!!!!

where do Racoons and Possums nest when they live in Urban areas?

To DH
The racoons like fireplace chimneys, garages, attics and just about any other place they can break into. The possums dig dens under shrubbery and decks.

What a chub!

Where do they live??? Inside my house right now. Found an opening in the garage, up into the second story flooring, tore out the insulation, and laid a litter right in the second story floor. Trying everything to get them out.
No luck yet.

Chris, Colorado:
My husband use to get raccoons out from chimneys as part of his job, by doucing a rag with ammonia and the strong smell would send them scurrying up and out. He left the rag at the opening of the chimney for a few days to make sure they didnt come back then put one of those chimney screens on. They don't like the smell of ammonia.

I have had six beautiful little kittens disappear from my porch,also four middle size cats.all disappered.after seeimg a raccone on the porch,several times.did he eat my cats?

Genny is still wondering.if coons eat cats?

I have also had a very large coon visiting my cat's feed dish right after sunset. We had several cats that we had just had shots and two of the spayed, get missing right before this coons appearance. Now as of this morning, while on my way to get into my truck to go to work I found the only cat we had left dead in my front yard, with his feed bowl moved from the front porch to the middle of the front yard. Yes, I believe wholeheartedly that these murderous coons will kill cats. I'm gonna show them what murder feels like when I see another one around my place. He will not kill anymore cats again cause I'm gonna load him down with double-ought buck shot! And any others that come around as well!!!

I don't like racoons ever since one ate my baby rabbit! I just got her only for two weeks. Theres a racoon in my yard!

RACOONS KILLED MY KITTENS. Left one with no hopes of survival and another with no tail. These kittens were all in a pet carrier in our barn and door was locked. Last year a racoon left a kitten with 3 legs( that one survived). HOW DO I GET THE RACOONS out of the wall and TO LEAVE? WE HAVE TRIED TO RELOCATE THEM IN THE PAST, BUT IT'S NEVER WORKED. ANY POISONS THAT WILL WORK BUT NOT HARM MY OTHER CATS? I am tired of the racoons taking over the place!

I am sleeping with a gun by my bed tonight to protect my doggies. The racoon mother made a nest in my chimney and they are trying to get in thru the flue...digging like crazy. Tomorrow the animal rescue guys are coming to get them...if we all make it through the night!

ronda, St. Joe, Indiana and Sandi in Phoenix:
My hubby was an animal control officer. To get racoons out of chimneys and attics, he would douse a big rag with a a bottle of Bo-Peep ammonia (or any brand will do), placed it over the chimney or attic where they got in and once that smell premeates down that chimney and attic, momma and babies will get out of Dodge but make sure you're out of the way because they'll come out fast. They hate the smell. Hope this helps.

SDC
Many years ago I had a racoon in the overhang of my garage eves. I threw an ammonia soaked rag up there. The racoon threw it back at me.

I now use a livetrap and keep my chimneys capped.

We have a Momma racoon and her babies in our chimney. If we place ammonia at the base of the chimney, will Momma and her babies leave? Or should I call Animal Control to remove the racoons?

I've lost two chickens in two nights. Didn't know what was doing it after the first one but figured it out on the second. That darn thing ripped the netting out of the back window and dragged that rooster and hen right out the window. Last night I boarded up the window. When I checked this morning you could tell he tried to get in again but he must have gotten really mad because he knocked over flower pots and two garbage cans. I am going to have to catch this "tough guy" and dispose of him.