Coon toddler

[Ridgewalker]

I was walking the dogs last night and on our way back down our street two baby coons were at the top of the hill. The dogs checked them over but did no harm.

This morning the dogs found one of them hiding (sleeping?) under the stairs below our deck. It seems healthy enough and I suspect Mom has set him free but wanted to get comments from you guys.

I am seeing tons of baby squirrels so I know it tis the season...anyone else seeing babies running around?

 

[MotorSeven]

How big is he? They usually stay with mom until they are teenagers...not toddlers (Football sized not softball).

 

[Ridgewalker]

How big is he? They usually stay with mom until they are teenagers...not toddlers (Football sized not softball).

It is softball sized... I thought when I saw them last night that all were a little young to be own their own. The didn't know enough to run away from our dogs, one just stood and sniffed at them and the other charged at them until he ran out of gas.

EDIT: I've been doing some reading and it's normal for them to be exploring during daylight hours while Mom rests. I am leaving him alone for now but will keep an eye on him to see what happens. The less human contact the better...

 

[rswyan]

I was walking the dogs last night and on our way back down our street two baby coons were at the top of the hill. The dogs checked them over but did no harm.

This morning the dogs found one of them hiding (sleeping?) under the stairs below our deck. It seems healthy enough and I suspect Mom has set him free but wanted to get comments from you guys.

They are nasty pests .... they carry a variety of diseases - rabies, distemper for starters - and raccoon roundworm (up to 70% prevalence in the North American coon population) - which is potentially lethal (and easily transmissible) to humans:

Baylisascaris procyonis

Nasty stuff.

I am seeing tons of baby squirrels so I know it tis the season...anyone else seeing babies running around?

There's a mother coon that has recently taken up residence in our polebarn up in the overhang - she has four babies ....

It's on my list of things to do.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Living in the country is becoming quite a distraction...

My home office window is always up in the AM, it's quite cool and I like hearing
the birds at the feeder.

I just heard rustling in the woods below the house that sounded bigger than a squirrel and looked out to see a coyote running for his life with a doe hot on his tail. Crazy!

 

[MotorSeven]

I have a camera w/mic at the front of my building. Heard a bunch of low "woooping" going on through the speaker one night....whooop...whooop...whooop. So I grabbed the "somethings after the chickens gun" and walked out front. Turn the tactical light on and what do I see? A bobcat walking calmly down the middle of the road with 6 or 7 'coons walking in a line behind him..."whooping":confused2: All I could do was stand there and stare with a dumbfounded look on my face.

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with me own eyes:laughing:

 

[Phils]

I have a camera w/mic at the front of my building. Heard a bunch of low "woooping" going on through the speaker one night....whooop...whooop...whooop. So I grabbed the "somethings after the chickens gun" and walked out front. Turn the tactical light on and what do I see? A bobcat walking calmly down the middle of the road with 6 or 7 'coons walking in a line behind him..."whooping":confused2: All I could do was stand there and stare with a dumbfounded look on my face.

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with me own eyes:laughing:

A couple of years ago I was looking out the window at a flock of wild turkeys (normal... a few times every day) but a bobcat was with them, just milling around like they were. After awhile they all filed off into the woods. At least my DW witnessed it too.

Phil

 

[boggen]

I was walking the dogs last night and on our way back down our street two baby coons were at the top of the hill. The dogs checked them over but did no harm.

This morning the dogs found one of them hiding (sleeping?) under the stairs below our deck. It seems healthy enough and I suspect Mom has set him free but wanted to get comments from you guys.

I am seeing tons of baby squirrels so I know it tis the season...anyone else seeing babies running around?

i am not a fan of racoons. seen way to many fights happen between them and dogs. coons can be extremely aggressive, and can get into many things. the worst for me, is when they take up a home in a shed. and then once i get rid of them. cleaning up all the pea and poo left behind... (gggrrr)

i have gotten smart, and i will place a good size shop vac outside the shed, then run 1.5" to 2" sch 40 pipe, to were i will be working, and instead of gluing the pipe up, i will use fittings, and then place duct tape over the fittings. and then if need be, buy some extra hose at a large hardware store for extending shop vacs hose length.

above does a couple things, first, shop vacs do not have a good micro filter or like on them, and if they do, they get clogged up quickly. by placing shop vac out side of shed, all the nasty smell goes right out of the shed vs back into my face.

second, normally were the coons end up making home, is high and troublesome to get to, and no real room for a shop vac or other to be placed. using some pipe, allows me to more easily reach the areas easier and safer and more so less hassles to deal with.

third, it is easier to go down and dump a shop vac container into a garbage bag, than it is to use good thick rubber gloves, and a small garden / flower bed shovel, to try and physically grab and scoop all the coon waste into a garbage bag near you, were there really is hardly any room for yourself to move.

======================
live traps can work fairly good with coons, though i might advise calling around to local animal shelters or zoos or like, and see if there is some place nearby you can release the coons or some place to take the babies in.

ya i live in the middle of no were, and see coons, possums, coyote, deer, hawks, snakes, rabbits, mice, rats. something every day and it is all neat and cool. but if you are not carefully, some things can become a nuisance. and things need to be dealt with. before things get out of hand.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

I enjoy watching raccoons, obstreperous little rascals. Also, they will run off your barn cats.

Read once that bears are actually descendants of raccoons. But, they will designate an area where they poop, and are a health hazard as noted above.

 

[creekbend]

The following website is quite informative in regards to raccoons. Raccoon Information

 

[polo1665]

Obstreperous

That's the word of the day, right there.

I don't usually have to look up words for their meaning, but I sure as heck had to look that one up. :laughing:

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Yup, we had an officer on our squad that was going to law school. He radioed in to the dispatcher that he was bringing in an "obstreperous detainee".:laughing: No one on duty that night knew what it meant.

 

[kf4uda]

Raccoon topped 40 lbs on Tv the other night..they wanted it mounted for a memory??Said it slept with them when young. I have to put LP2 grease on my birdfeeder pole to keep them from robbing birdseed nightly. I can catch them quickly with the livetrap and some canned catfood..But it is worrysome to load the trap and carry them off..I hesitate to shoot them, plus then have to bury the body..

I had some raiding my sweet corn one year. I was able to trap one of them in a live trap using marshmallows. I called one of the TWRA officers. He came and got it, relocated it to a wildlife management area and brought my trap back.

 

[MotorSeven]

Obstreperous

That's the word of the day, right there.

I don't usually have to look up words for their meaning, but I sure as heck had to look that one up. :laughing:

Not only had I never heard that term.....I still can't pronounce it, so it will NOT be the word of the day....ever:laughing: