Help....

[Zoigal]

Raccoons are digging in the front flower beds almost every night. Apparently for worms and
grubs. Any ideas how to keep them out. Don't want to trap the rascals because when released
in the canyons, they come right back. Can't feed them because that will attract more. Am i just
going to have to live with the rascals? Thanks...z

[amerikat]

1. Personally I like raccoons but they can reek havoc

they are just about everywhere. I haven't had any problem with them in my yard. BUt I did find this website that has info including dealing with them in the garden.

http://raccoon-x.com/raccoonsolutions.htm#garden

many years ago I went camping in West Virginia........hung my pack between two trees to keep the raccoons from raiding it.....I woke up to find a raccoon siting on my pack......he had undone every buckle(and not by chewing) and ate all the food I had left.......I had a half eaten pop tart for breakfast......good luck

[Zoigal]

2. Thanks, amerikat

The site you recommended gave me some ideas. I like the little imps, too. And realize that
we are encroaching on their territory. Hopefully, they will deplete the worm and grub supply
and move on. They are intelligent and can often out wit us. Right now, am spraying around the
beds with male urine (my husband had a good laugh when i ask him to save his), and sprinkled
the area with red pepper flakes. Am waiting to see how it works. Apparently coyote urine
works even better, but how can one get THAT stuff? :) thanks, again. z

[Richard Steele]

3. The red pepper worked for me last year.

I love the local raccoons, and have gotten to know a few of them
well enough that they'll eat the cat food on my front porch while
I'm standing 2 feet away. But I didn't appreciate them digging up
my newly transplanted veggies. (I don't what they were digging after,
but they were digging DEEP and OFTEN)

I got a $3 bottle of fine-ground cayenne pepper at the grocery store
and dusted down my plants and their containers with it. Nothing got
dug up again.

[ThomWV]

4. Shoot them.

Its the only effective way I've found to get rid of them.

[Lisa0825]

5. :-(

They're just doing what they were born to do. It's not their fault. :(

[ThomWV]

6. Yeah, I know

You're right, its not pleasant and they are only doing what is sort of natural but if something is to be done about them that's about the only thing that works. Of course you could humanely trap them and take them so far away they could not or would not come back - its easily possible to do, but they'll probably just be others that come in to take their place and besides, with $4.00 gas just how far away are you going to take them (granted 10 miles should be more than far enough). Poisons just won't do in any populated area, metal traps are just plain immoral, and the honest truth is you can not just have them running around the house. A full grown coon can be a dangerous animal to both your pets and yourself, they are anything but the cuddly little things of saturday morning cartoon lore - they are the single largest carrier of rabies in the US (skunk and fox run next in line) too and that alone would be reason enough for me to get them out of there. Shooting them is the fastest, surest, and most painless way I know of to do it. Its not the most pleasant to be sure. I dislike killing any animal that I do not intend to eat but for me this would be like swatting a fly or slapping a mosquito, just doing away with a potentially dangerous and certainly destructive and annoying animal.

[hippywife]

12. So like shooting them

keeps more from coming in? Bah! I'll take a nice sturdy fence and other non-lethal methods and let the critters keep their lives.

[ThomWV]

13. I have never seen a dead coon climb a fence, but lots of live ones do

Your fence will be two things at one time, ineffective and expensive, but its your choice. And yes, to answer your question - one well placed bullet does indeed stop them from coming in, that fact is absolutely undeniable; dead raccoons are unable to penetrate fences.

[hippywife]

14. Living in the rural area we do

we have lots of critters, raccoons, armadillos, rabbits, skunks, moles. We have two dogs who freely roam the property and a good sturdy fence, with a few strands of barbed wire, mostly to keep the dogs out. We aren't troubled by critters in our garden at all.

If things changed and push came to shove, running a solar powered hot wire around the perimeter would be the option of choice here. A fine deterrent with lethal force.

[bvar22]

7. A good Porch Dog would solve your problem.

Cheers.

[Quantess]

8. No, a big raccoon could kick most dogs' asses.

Unless you have 3 rottweilers, I would keep the dogs away and discourage them from messing with raccoons.
And make sure the dogs are current with rabies shots, in case they get in a fight with a raccoon.

[bvar22]

10. delete

wierd double post. :shrug:

[bvar22]

11. A good Porch Dog doesn't have to fight the raccoon,

and a smart one won't.
He/she only has to raise enough hell to discourage the coon from leisurely destroying the garden, or at least wake you so that you can take care of the problem.

All pets with even the slightest exposue to outside should be vaccinated for Rabies.

[Zoigal]

9. Sprinkled the area with red pepper flakes and sprayed the border edges with

Male Human Urine (yes, you read right):):) and it seems to be working. Read the urine
tip on another site.
Coyote urine is supposed to work even better, but all the local suppliers
are currently out. :) Agree with everyone about raccoons and dogs...good way to get your dog
hurt. Thanks for all the ideas...wish everyone a great gardening season....z