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I have a Racoon problem, I live in a no shooting area but my neighbors on all side have little dogs and sid They want me to shoot if I can, but as soon as I do the police will show up. I know if it is attacking a pet or person I'm allowed to shoot, that beein said I have tried trapping but got my cat instead he is still peoed at me lol so is there a pellet gun that is quiet and powerful enough to put them down oh and priced under 200.00
 
'Coons are tough animals and I don't think there are too many airguns that would have the power to kill them, unless it was one of those specialized, larger caliber high pressure models.

I think I would consider a crossbow if they are legal to shoot in your area.
 
Ya thats what I thought. I have a Marlin 1894 44mag loaded with Hornaday critical defense 44spl im sure if i corner one he will get aggressive then maybe it will be okay to shoot.
 
im sure if i corner one he will get aggressive then maybe it will be okay to shoot.
I doubt that would give you an 'okay' to shoot.

Just playing 'Devil's Advocate' but if I were the LEO called out to your 'shooting' I would ask why you cornered it and didn't just use a water hose, or back off and thrown something at it (from a safe distance) to scare it off - as I was citing you for the illegal discharge.
 
Because there home is under my storage my neighbors all have small dogs two of the Racoons are 3/4 the size of my Ausstrailian Shephard so they have to go one way or another if I could trap them I would take them to the river and let them go thats what I would like to do
 
Because there home is under my storage my neighbors all have small dogs two of the Racoons are 3/4 the size of my Ausstrailian Shephard so they have to go one way or another if I could trap them I would take them to the river and let them go thats what I would like to do
That's your best bet actually
 
You better be careful. 'Coons are very aggressive and vicious - especially when trapped.

You might want to seek out assistance from someone with experience.

Also releasing them only perpetuates the problem. You say you want to shoot them but then want to trap and let them go ?
 
Once in the trap, .22 rifle and CB caps in the head. In a rifle length barrel, the .22 CB cap makes no more noise than the average pellet gun.

I will also take running shots with CB caps at coons. Even if not lethal, it gives them the idea not to come back to your area again.

Do no trap and release; trap and shoot, then black plastic bag.

Once trapped and released, they won't go into a trap again. And unless the distance is great, coons have a way of making it back to their clan territory.

Use peanut butter for bait, cats don't like it but coons do. Or live worms in an open can or anything else that won't attract the cat.
 
Once in the trap, .22 rifle and CB caps in the head.
Ditto this!

You don't want to deal with a live coon.

If you really feel you want to take the trapped coon to the river attach a line to the trap (before trapping the coon) and drop the trap (coon inside) into the river.

You can guess the rest.
 
Basic information. What makes your place attractive for raccoons? Please don't say you leave bowls of cat food out for Sylvester. Those are coon magnets.

Also, try to eliminate any place where coons like to nest or overnight. Like specific trees. Thinning out trees they like can discourage nesting. They like trees with fairly dense foliage. Like juniper or cedar. If you thin the branches on a favorite tree, they may abandon it as a nest. Arborists call it wind sailing or something like that; thinning out the branches reduces the cover that the coons prefer.

You may not like dogs but keeping one on your property is a real good way to discourage raccoons from stopping by. Dogs hate raccoons and vice versa.

Funny story, a former neighbor of mine had two huskies penned up in his back yard. There were mature trees in there. The coons would get inside this area when the dogs weren't looking (dog food left out in bowls). Once in a while, the dogs would catch on and tree a coon in the enclosure. I'd know when this happened because the dogs went nuts and I could hear them. When their owner wasn't home (he was a sheriff's deputy), I'd go out with a .22 rifle and drop the coon out of the tree down to the dogs. They'd really go nuts when they got aholt of the shot raccoon. They'd tear it every which way, completely bloody their bibs. The deputy would come home later, see the carnage, and say, "Oh, good doggies, you got yourself a raccoon."
 
Look at the Hatsan 25 cal.
Was talking with a buddy in PA yesterday. He's been using his to kill squirrels and coons in his yard. Said it sent pellets right through Cedar fence boards (5/8").
He did a study on all the weights of pellets and MV. Said the coated ones from some German company delivered the most energy.
I'll get the model of Hatsan, weight and make of the pellets and repost.
Edit to add: never killed anything with My Gamo (Panther Cat?) In 22 cal, but with the Teflon coated pellets, its supersonic and will go through 14ga aluminum sheet.
 
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Pellet guns are also illegal in a lot of towns...

There are some monster coons in my parent's neighborhood. My brother lives about 100 yards from them and thought a bear had been in his backyard based on the scat pile one left...

IMG_20200927_162541184.jpg

I had to dispatch one while down at the family cabin and it took two shots from a .40 S&W with HPs to do it. Tough little bastages.
 
One of my brothers lives on the west side of Denver and his house backs up to a greenway. He had trouble for several years with raccoons, rabbits and rats invading his extensive garden next to the greenway. The rats and rabbits were easy to deal with but the raccoons were a challenge. He found out they have a large territory, when he trapped a few and released them in the hills a few miles away. Like you, he lived in an area where shooting a gun [including air guns] was prohibited.

He solved the problem by getting much bigger traps, staking the traps to the ground so the raccoons couldn't shake the bait out, and using fruit pinned to the ground with a bamboo skewer. Some of the raccoons acted embarrassed when trapped, and others were snarling and trying to bite him through the cage. He used a pole with a hook on the end to lift the cage after pulling the stakes, and driving up into the hills. After putting the cage on the ground, he shot them in the head with a .22lr and dumped the raccoon body for the coyotes.

I've trapped rabbits in our garden once in awhile, and let them loose in the nearby state forest for the coyotes to chase. One of the neighbors is poisoning them, which I avoided for fear a wandering pet would chow down on the bait.
 
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Raccoons that live up in a tree will defecate at the base before they climb up. It's called "Trenching".
Racoon feces can be a host to a very deadly disease that once ingested you have only three days to take the treatment.
Baylisascaris procyonis can spread from raccoons to other wildlife, dogs or humans.
Animals become infected by either rooting through raccoon feces containing the parasite eggs or eating an infected animal.
 
Because there home is under my storage my neighbors all have small dogs two of the Racoons are 3/4 the size of my Ausstrailian Shephard so they have to go one way or another if I could trap them I would take them to the river and let them go thats what I would like to do

Re-read this post. If they are nesting under your storage (? shed, building?), you've got to get them out of there, then skirt around the building so they cannot get back in. You might have to do some heroic work to keep them out; they can rip away plywood and dig like badgers when they want to. Getting them out? Maybe something like gopher gassers if you don't think you'd burn the building down. Or you might just wait for some time while they're out; they come and go.

You're Australian shepherd should be fired. I'm surprised the dog isn't enough to keep them from coming around. You might also try spraying around the storage building (?) with vinegar, they don't like that odor.

They can be a lingering problem and you might have to try and do several different things. You've got to be smarter than they are. They establish territories for their family/clan. Once established, it's theirs. If you eliminate the entire clan, your area will be free from them for quite some time. It takes a while for neighboring clans to discover empty territory. One year I killed over 30 raccoons; I didn't have a problem with them for many years after that.

If you really feel you want to take the trapped coon to the river, attach a line to the trap (before trapping the coon) and drop the trap (coon inside) into the river.

I've done this. You'd be surprised how long some of them can hold their breath. But do it in a water tank or steel barrel on your own property. Don't let the public see you do it, the animal welfare types will take pictures, call the sheriff, etc. Remember, these days 90% of people out walking around with their heads up their behind have a camera in their pocket - their cell phone. Lots of modern people don't understand that raccoons are to be treated just like rats and mice, and really aren't much like cartoon characters.
 
A little FYI from this website (Raccoons | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife). I found that second to last sentence important in regards to you trapping and releasing elsewhere.

Because legal status, trapping restrictions, and other information about raccoons change, contact your WDFW Regional Office for updates.

The raccoon is classified as both a furbearer and a game animal . A hunting or trapping license is required to hunt or trap raccoons during an open season. A property owner or the owner's immediate family, employee, or tenant may kill or trap a raccoon on that property if it is damaging crops or domestic animals. In such cases, no permit is necessary for the use of live (cage) traps. However, a special trapping permit is required for the use of all traps other than live traps (RCW 77.15.192, 77.15.194).

It is unlawful to release wildlife anywhere within the state, other than on the property where it was legally trapped, without a permit to do so (RCW 77.15.250). Except for bona fide public or private zoological parks, persons and entities are prohibited from importing raccoons into Washington State without a permit to do so.
 
Lots of modern people don't understand that raccoons are to be treated just like rats and mice, and really aren't much like cartoon characters.
Yep!

Nastiest creatures that ever 'got a gut strung through' !

I am surprised we don't hear about a lot more people getting bit or attacked by them considering how they will approach people at times, seemingly without fear - especially if people are feeding them and treating them like pets.
 

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