Death to all Raccoons

[OldBroad44]

3rd day without food being left outside and even my breakfast buddy didn't show up this morning
...

Interesting how satisfying it is to share company and a morning ritual with a wild animal.
In one era I went down to the back deck in the morning and sat down cross legged about a foot away from a very large gopher snake sunning herself on the back deck. She and I had become acquainted earlier when the front path to my mailbox was her morning sunning spot. I would always give a gentle greeting and go far around, and she quickly learned my greeting and cane to realize I was a polite critter and wouldn't do anything rude and objectionable such as stepping on her and she stayed in the path. After she moved to the deck I started sitting with her while drinking my morning cup of coffee. She was about five feet long, two inches wide, and very beautiful. I had a yard and garden full of gophers, so she was very welcome. I think she liked me sitting with her. At least, she never left while I was sitting with her. She probably realized my presence meant she was safe from predators while sunning. I think she was a she because two baby gopher snakes showed up in due course.

 

[Lazyfaire]

Good to have good snakes on your property. Keeps the vermin populations in check. But man! When they scoot through your legs unannounced....... !

 

[Tarawa86]

If you have to give one of them the coup de grace, tell it: "This is for Tarawa86's can of Pringles at Nehalem Bay"

 

[rjmt]

I tell you, these raccoons are persistent creatures
I shot over the head of one, but it stood up after the first shot and I put one through its ear - still came back the next day
I shot at it when it was running away and broke it's back leg - came back limping on just 3 legs
so last night I had to put 3 in it's chest - down for good this time
but when I inspected the body, for sure it had a fresh wound in it's ear and hind leg, as well as 3 in the chest

then another one shows up today - got a body shot as it was running away, it rolled then got up and ran and disappeared into the blackberries
keep my 10/22 with red dot with me all the time now

 

[Lazyfaire]

I tell you, these raccoons are persistent creatures
I shot over the head of one, but it stood up after the first shot and I put one through its ear - still came back the next day
I shot at it when it was running away and broke it's back leg - came back limping on just 3 legs
so last night I had to put 3 in it's chest - down for good this time
but when I inspected the body, for sure it had a fresh wound in it's ear and hind leg, as well as 3 in the chest

then another one shows up today - got a body shot as it was running away, it rolled then got up and ran and disappeared into the blackberries
keep my 10/22 with red dot with me all the time now

View attachment 1233610

Sounds like they have a bounty on you instead of the other way around!

 

[rjmt]

Sounds like they have a bounty on you instead of the other way around!

I live in their territory, but when they kill one of my geese, our relationship is over

 

[Alexx1401]

I live in their territory, but when they kill one of my geese, our relationship is over

As you are finding out they are tough critters. Keep hammering them and any that live will learn to hunt elsewhere and leave your birds alone.

 

[rjmt]

As you are finding out they are tough critters. Keep hammering them and any that live will learn to hunt elsewhere and leave your birds alone.

.22LR is powerfull enough to take down a raccoon, but it surprised me the hole in it's leg that broke the bone did not bleed much
a clear .22 entry wound, but no massive blood loss
and it didn't even slow the creature down - he was back the next day on only 3 legs

 

[Alexx1401]

.22LR is powerfull enough to take down a raccoon, but it surprised me the hole in it's leg that broke the bone did not bleed much
a clear .22 entry wound, but no massive blood loss
and it didn't even slow the creature down - he was back the next day on only 3 legs

They are survivors alright. They do learn though too. Keep after them and those that live will decide to hunt someplace else no matter how much tasty stuff they smell at your place. Wild (Ferrel) cats are like that too. Can survive missing a limb, an eye, both, and still keep going.

 

[rjmt]

and before someone says it, YES, I'm gona have to learn to lead running raccoons
I'm used to shooting at stationary targets and our raccoons are not stationary, except when climbing the fence
with their small front legs and big back, they sort of hop as they run, head and chest do not stay on a level plane

 

[Andy54Hawken]

When shooting raccoons with a .22LR...

You need a bullet that both penetrates and expands.
A lot of hollow point .22LR brands / bullets won't penetrate deeply enough and the solids often don't expand enough.

If you can find 'em....CCI 's Small Game Bullet in .22LR has worked well for me in the past.
Andy

 

[rjmt]

When shooting raccoons with a .22LR...

You need a bullet that both penetrates and expands.
A lot of hollow point .22LR brands / bullets won't penetrate deeply enough and the solids often don't expand enough.

If you can find 'em....CCI 's Small Game Bullet in .22LR has worked well for me in the past.
Andy

using Armscor 36 gn hollow points
they're advertise these as varmint loads

 

[DirectDrive]

I tell you, these raccoons are persistent creatures
I shot over the head of one, but it stood up after the first shot and I put one through its ear - still came back the next day
I shot at it when it was running away and broke it's back leg - came back limping on just 3 legs
so last night I had to put 3 in it's chest - down for good this time
but when I inspected the body, for sure it had a fresh wound in it's ear and hind leg, as well as 3 in the chest

then another one shows up today - got a body shot as it was running away, it rolled then got up and ran and disappeared into the blackberries
keep my 10/22 with red dot with me all the time now

View attachment 1233610

Don't fall asleep out there.
Them 'coons will tie you up like Gulliver.

 

[Alexx1401]

using Armscor 36 gn hollow points
they're advertise these as varmint loads

Decades back some Co made a die to make the RNL into a SW with a file. Die was pricey enough I just made one at work. Pretty neat. Then CCI started making them and the die of course went away. IIRC the ammo that CCI made like this was for this use. Tough to kill small game. Racoons have a tough hide especially in winter when they get that heavy coat. In either case keep popping the damn critters. They will either die off or learn to leave your stuff the hell alone

 

[Jtp]

Don't fall asleep out there.
Them 'coons will tie you up like Gulliver.
View attachment 1233685

Thats right take it from me they'll get u they got thumbs

 

[OldBroad44]

I live in their territory, but when they kill one of my geese, our relationship is over

I always object to the "I live in their territory..." way of viewing things. For starters, I've been living in this home and neighborhood since 1993. That's 29 years. So with respect to the individual raccoons, deer, bear, lion, etc. I was here first. With respect to the cougars and bears collectively, there also werent weren't any here when I moved in. Our resident cougar has been here a while now but I preceeded her by at least a decade.

Second, if this were deep woods instead of patchy woods with lots of cleared land and agricultural fields, fruit trees, gardens, and poultry flocks there would be few of such animals here. We humans created a habitat that is much more productive than what was here before. The native Americans did too; they burned nearly the entire Willamette Valley every fall to create a more open land with much heavier populations of game animals. Then these other critters benefited and their numbers built up. If the land belongs by natural right to anyone it should be to the critters who laboriously enhanced the land and made it more productive. Which would give us and beavers a special claim. But there is no God-given right that espouses animal rights based upon whether the individual animal or a member if its group was here first. If there were, and it only required one cougar be here first, for example, no humans following that rule could have spread out of Africa into Europe and into North America. No species following such a rule where no other species do could have survived very long.

Finally, other critters do not eschew eating or trying to kill or eat other critters here or using the land based upon who was here earlier. There is no natural law saying that which they or we must follow. We humans must only abide by our human-constructed laws and rules. And in some cases in some areas we grant some critters special legal protection, as with nature preserves and hunting laws. And in most areas with most critters we dont.

 

[Alexx1401]

I always object to the "I live in their territory..." way of viewing things. For starters, I've been living in this home and neighborhood since 1993. That's 29 years. So with respect to the individual raccoons, deer, bear, lion, etc. I was here first. With respect to the cougars and bears collectively, there also werent weren't any here when I moved in. Our resident cougar has been here a while now but I preceeded her by at least a decade.

Second, if this were deep woods instead of patchy woods with lots of cleared land and agricultural fields, fruit trees, gardens, and poultry flocks there would be few of such animals here. We humans created a habitat that is much more productive than what was here before. The native Americans did too; they burned nearly the entire Willamette Valley every fall to create a more open land with much heavier populations of game animals. Then these other critters benefited and their numbers built up. If the land belongs by natural right to anyone it should be to the critters who laboriously enhanced the land and made it more productive. Which would give us and beavers a special claim. But there is no God-given right that espouses animal rights based upon whether the individual animal or a member if its group was here first. If there were, and it only required one cougar be here first, for example, no humans following that rule could have spread out of Africa into Europe and into North America. No species following such a rule where no other species do could have survived very long.

Finally, other critters do not eschew eating or trying to kill or eat other critters here or using the land based upon who was here earlier. There is no natural law saying that which they or we must follow. We humans must only abide by our human-constructed laws and rules. And in some cases in some areas we grant some critters special legal protection, as with nature preserves and hunting laws. And in most areas with most critters we dont.

YEP! I live on a VERY large property now. Wild dogs, Raccoons, birds of prey. LOVE all of it BUT, whats mine is still mine. I am VERY live and let live BUT, something comes after my dogs or chickens? Sorry, you die. The hens are already laying and we often get 4 eggs at a time now which is nice. Have motion alarms around their pen and so far the wild dogs are not even sniffing around. So they are allowed to live. Feed the rabbits to make for easy food for them and if they eat them, they will live next to me fine. Fist time one starts trying to dig under the fence to the chickens it will take the room temp challenge. I even put of water for them as soon as it got hot. Love watching the wild stuff but they are not eating my pets.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

using Armscor 36 gn hollow points
they're advertise these as varmint loads

My experiences with Armscor .22 Ammo hasn't been the greatest.
In general for my rifles...it worked fine for plinking and casual shooting...not so well for hunting.
As in not penetrating or expanding as advertised.

For me I have found that :
CCI Small game bullet ammo
CCI Mint Mag Hollow points
CCI Subsonic .22LR 40 grain hollow point ...thanks Tlock
Winchester .22LR 40 grain Hollow point
Winchester .22LR 36 grain Hollow point
All work well for small game

And Federal once had a 38 grain Hollow point .22LR ...that worked well...haven't seen 'em in long while however.
Andy

 

[Tlock]

I run cci sub sonic hollow points in my suppressed 10 22. They are consistent and very deadly

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I run cci sub sonic hollow points in my suppressed 10 22. They are consistent and very deadly

I like those too..forgot to mention those in my list above...thanks for the reminder...
Andy