Just how long will half a raccoon live?...question answered.

[boattail]

Two and a half months ago I ran over a raccoon that had already been smashed across the back legs and back. He was dragging himself across the road about 1/4 mile from my house. I hit him with my pickup one night and made a big enough thump that I figured he was dead as I could not stop to check and it was late at night. Two weeks later I am seeing strange drag marks in my flower bed and driveway. I set up a game camera and caught super coon walking on his two front legs dragging his backside like a cape. His entire back end was flat like a rug. For weeks we saw his drag marks as he traveled in at least a 1/2 mile area. He was able to climb stairs and get on my porch and we would hear him late at night flopping down the steps. I was never presented with the opportunity to dispatch him. I did see him in person a few times late at night and he had a racetrack around my property with his drag marks.

Last night the wife smelled something rotten under the porch and today I found super coon dead under the porch. He lived at least 2.5 months on two legs. I figure he must have finally got an infection as one would have thought his bowels would have stopped flowing with a cape for half his body. Incredible creatures they are and tough as anything out there.

Living in the rural county I get coons, skunks, fox, bobcat, mountain lion, coyote, and other critters coming through to check the cat food bowls for scraps. Two nights ago an owl killed a skunk in my pasture. Neighbors are constantly killing the coons but more keep coming in.

I did my usual disposal routine of digging a hole and placing the critter in the hole then building a fire on top of it and letting it all burn before covering it up. I'm running out of places to bury animals...lost track of how many I have planted.

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[Xaevian]

That will be my new nightmare...I hate raccoons with prejudice since they tore thru my roof, siding, and crawlspace back when I lived in WA. Nasty creatures.

 

[Certaindeaf]

2.5 months is hereby officially known as a half raccoon life.
It has been spoken.
The caped flapper compels you!

 

[Flopsweat]

2.5 months is hereby officially known as a half raccoon life.
It has been spoken.
The caped flapper compels you!

"Ain't see you nor your'n in nigh on a halfcoon now."

 

[kmk1012]

These are strong animals. When I used to live in the city we had one tangle with our dog and I grabbed my lead filled fish beater (still in new condition after years on the boat, never needed it but that's a different sob story, lol) and separated them. It climbed a tree in our back yard, I swung it as hard as I could (I'm a big guy too) and solidly connected. I figured it would have killed it, but the thing only turned and hissed at me. Somehow it held on to the tree trunk and never seemed phased. These animals are a lot tougher than one might think.

 

[Labradorian]

I live trapped a coon a few years back that smelled so bad that I couldn't skin it. Not sure what was wrong with it but I didn't investigate it either.

 

[Flopsweat]

I live trapped a coon a few years back that smelled so bad that I couldn't skin it. Not sure what was wrong with it but I didn't investigate it either.

Their poop is pretty nasty too, and they'll deposit it about anywhere with a little cover.

 

[boattail]

Their poop is pretty nasty too, and they'll deposit it about anywhere with a little cover.

I have a Caterpillar covered up out back and every time I uncover it there is a pile of poop on the floor board....ticks me off to no end.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Their poop is pretty nasty too, and they'll deposit it about anywhere with a little cover.

Poop infested with brain eating nematodes is why biden is no longer allowed..
lost my train of thought

 

[Flopsweat]

Poop infested with brain eating nematodes is why biden is no longer allowed..
lost my train of thought

That explains it, he's not batbubblegum crazy, he's raccoon bubblegum crazy!

 

[partsed]

This message… courtesy of Rocket Raccoon….

 

[LDmax]

That was one metal motherbubblegumer

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Two and a half months ago I ran over a raccoon that had already been smashed across the back legs and back. He was dragging himself across the road about 1/4 mile from my house. I hit him with my pickup one night and made a big enough thump that I figured he was dead as I could not stop to check and it was late at night. Two weeks later I am seeing strange drag marks in my flower bed and driveway. I set up a game camera and caught super coon walking on his two front legs dragging his backside like a cape. His entire back end was flat like a rug. For weeks we saw his drag marks as he traveled in at least a 1/2 mile area. He was able to climb stairs and get on my porch and we would hear him late at night flopping down the steps. I was never presented with the opportunity to dispatch him. I did see him in person a few times late at night and he had a racetrack around my property with his drag marks.

Last night the wife smelled something rotten under the porch and today I found super coon dead under the porch. He lived at least 2.5 months on two legs. I figure he must have finally got an infection as one would have thought his bowels would have stopped flowing with a cape for half his body. Incredible creatures they are and tough as anything out there.

Living in the rural county I get coons, skunks, fox, bobcat, mountain lion, coyote, and other critters coming through to check the cat food bowls for scraps. Two nights ago an owl killed a skunk in my pasture. Neighbors are constantly killing the coons but more keep coming in.

I did my usual disposal routine of digging a hole and placing the critter in the hole then building a fire on top of it and letting it all burn before covering it up. I'm running out of places to bury animals...lost track of how many I have planted.

When I lived in Missouri I ran a trap line every winter. I dispatched the coons I caught with a .22 rifle. Sometimes it took several shots to the head to kill one.

I heard an old time trapper tell about a guy who shot a coon, removed it from the trap, threw it in the bottom of his aluminum boat, and headed off to the next set. A half mile down the lake the coon wakes up and is not happy. The trapper panics, grabs his pistol, and shoots the bottom of his boat full of holes trying to kill the angry raccoon.

 

[RogerJ]

I had a raccoon on my front porch years ago blocking my exit. I lowered the upper pane on the storm door and shot it between the eyes from a distance of about 4" with a .22LR and it didn't even blink. The more times I shot it in the head the angrier it got. I finally stopped after about 7 or 8 rounds and, fearing an attack, left out the back door. Upon my return a few hours later it was gone. Do these creatures have a brain somewhere else?

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Raccoon's are tough indeed.
If you look on the 'net and talk to hunters , you will hear of many who use a .22LR to kill them.
I have done so as well....but in my experience , while a .22LR will work there are better choices.

Raccoons have a thick skull...and a layer of fat , they are built much like a bear...just on a smaller scale.
That area between the eyes is small and sloping , which can make for difficult shot and with some .22LR bullet designs , the bullet can glance or "skip" off.

Now I am not saying that one needs a .375H&H rifle to hunt raccoons....but if you use a .22LR I would suggest CCI's "Small Game Bullet"....or something without the classic lead round nose bullet.

.22 Magnum works well...
As does .38 Special , especially with 148 grain Lead Semi Wadcutter bullets.
20 gauge with #6 or #4 shot will do the trick...
.32 , .36 , .45 , .54 lead round ball from a rifle ....and the popular .36 and .44 cap and ball revolvers work dandy too.
Andy

 

[BroncoFan]

Raccoons are tough. One took a full blast of #4 buck from my shotgun from not a long distance (after killing a couple of chickens). He hung from a tree and hissed at me until a second blast a little closer ended the confrontation.

 

[Xaevian]

Now I am not saying that one needs a .375H&H rifle to hunt raccoons.

But that would be pretty awesome!

.54 lead round ball from a rifle

Also awesome!

I hate them. Use ,45-70, just to be sure!

And go all Supernatural when you're sure they are dead: salt, gas, and a match. They ain't coming back!

 

[WestCoastEOD]

When people decry the oppressive capitalistic expectations of self-sufficiency, perhaps we should point them to this little survivor/fighter story. They believe exclusively in a Darwinian explanation for life, yet are oblivious to how long they would survive if all of life actually followed that exact model. They prey for a Bernie Sandtopia because 5 minutes without uber eats and ther medical weed and they would tap out.

After 3 bizarre incidents putting .22 cal to the face or chest of racoons at close range (2 of which had them on their hind legs, arms spread and hissing in defiance) I have upgraded to 12ga. No more freakish death flails followed by a run to the brush where follow up shots were shrugged off and bodies never discovered!

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Raccoon's are tough indeed.
If you look on the 'net and talk to hunters , you will hear of many who use a .22LR to kill them.
I have done so as well....but in my experience , while a .22LR will work there are better choices.

Raccoons have a thick skull...and a layer of fat , they are built much like a bear...just on a smaller scale.
That area between the eyes is small and sloping , which can make for difficult shot and with some .22LR bullet designs , the bullet can glance or "skip" off.

Now I am not saying that one needs a .375H&H rifle to hunt raccoons....but if you use a .22LR I would suggest CCI's "Small Game Bullet"....or something without the classic lead round nose bullet.

.22 Magnum works well...
As does .38 Special , especially with 148 grain Lead Semi Wadcutter bullets.
20 gauge with #6 or #4 shot will do the trick...
.32 , .36 , .45 , .54 lead round ball from a rifle ....and the popular .36 and .44 cap and ball revolvers work dandy too.
Andy

Back when I was trapping in the Ozarks the smallest, scrawniest coon hide was worth $25, and I saw some that went for $125. At 6 to 8 coons a night we were talking serious money (a gallon of gas was 80¢). I was taught to trap by an old timer named Peewee Hensley. He insisted we always approach our trap sets with a loaded rifle across our knees (we ran our trap lines out of boats around a huge lake). He didn't appreciate thieves and ran more than one out of the county himself.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Two and a half months ago I ran over a raccoon that had already been smashed across the back legs and back. He was dragging himself across the road about 1/4 mile from my house. I hit him with my pickup one night and made a big enough thump that I figured he was dead as I could not stop to check and it was late at night. Two weeks later I am seeing strange drag marks in my flower bed and driveway. I set up a game camera and caught super coon walking on his two front legs dragging his backside like a cape. His entire back end was flat like a rug. For weeks we saw his drag marks as he traveled in at least a 1/2 mile area. He was able to climb stairs and get on my porch and we would hear him late at night flopping down the steps. I was never presented with the opportunity to dispatch him. I did see him in person a few times late at night and he had a racetrack around my property with his drag marks.

Last night the wife smelled something rotten under the porch and today I found super coon dead under the porch. He lived at least 2.5 months on two legs. I figure he must have finally got an infection as one would have thought his bowels would have stopped flowing with a cape for half his body. Incredible creatures they are and tough as anything out there.

Living in the rural county I get coons, skunks, fox, bobcat, mountain lion, coyote, and other critters coming through to check the cat food bowls for scraps. Two nights ago an owl killed a skunk in my pasture. Neighbors are constantly killing the coons but more keep coming in.

I did my usual disposal routine of digging a hole and placing the critter in the hole then building a fire on top of it and letting it all burn before covering it up. I'm running out of places to bury animals...lost track of how many I have planted.

A shorter version of the question might be, "What's the half-life of a raccoon?"