Kill them 'coons???

[Mike]

I was camping last weekend at a state campground.

At night, our camp was raided by a gang of eight BIG raccoons.

They came back three times. The first two times I chased them off with a flashlight and yelling, but the third time I had to get out of my tent and chase them with a big stick.

They tossed around everything that wasn't nailed down and they dragged my cooler into the forest. Oh man, did they ever get frustrated by my igloo cooler that refused to open for them.

Ya ya, I know I coulda shoulda put the cooler in the car, but the car was full and I would have had to re-arrange things.

After they left my campsite, these masked marauders went from camp to camp causing trouble just like a gang of teenage thugs on Saturday night. I would here the banging and clanking of the racoons, then the campers yelling at them. And it went on all night as these bandits terrorized the campgrounds.

Now, I like racoons. We used to have them as pets. They are fun and cute, but they are troublesome when they want to be and too many racoons is BIG trouble.

So I was wondering - do public campgrounds control small mammals like racoons, oppossum, skunks, etc? Should they? At what point do raccoons become so obnoxious that parks should start to control them through trapping, etc?

[ppine]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

In the West they are not as common and probably not as big. I like having them around the campsite at night.

My grandmother used to live near the beach in Seattle. On summer nights she would leave the door to her living room open and wild racoons would walk in her house over to her chair and take pieces of apple. I don't recommend it, but it was fun at the time.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

I don't think the ones here in CO, do any control. That is a learned behavior that is a result of negligent campers. I have only had one instance of raccoons visiting my campsite, and it was at a campground as well.

[F5Moab]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

No control in any of the BLM campgrounds in the Moab area. Then again, raccoons are not plentiful in the desert; neither are oppossums and thankfully, skunks. We do have them, but they primarily stay near the city areas. (Moab actually has a large skunk problem which is noted when you breath at night. But it is getting better.)

We do have lots of Coyotes especially in the non-River campgrounds, and snakes and the occasional lion. Coyotes are enough of a problem to eat small dogs at times in campgrounds. State has a $50.00 bounty on a set of ears.

Should they be controlled? NO! If people put their coolers in the vehicle and remove all evidence of food, they will not be a bother.

[Mike]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

Well, I am thinking that they move problem bears and they put bounties on coyotes, so why not capture and move problem racoons? Folks in other parts of the country have a hard time imagining how abundant raccons are in the midwest. We have lots of them and they are as big as a mid-size dog easily getting to 20 lbs and some can get up to around 40 lbs. You get eight big racoons in your camp and they can really be noisy and destructive. They have hands and have good dexterity so they can get into things other animals cannot.

[F5Moab]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

They move bears because bears can and have killed people, bounties on Coyotes are not because of people attacks or even due to attacks on dogs, they have bounties because of cattle/sheep grazing and they are a nuisance. And those bounties are from the state government, not any of the Feds. (In UT, the state could care less about your dog being coyote dinner.)

Believe me, I know how raccoons I used to live in MI, on 10 acres in Addison Twp. I watched a couple of them one night on my back deck, picking dog food out of a bowl with one hand, and placing it in their mouth. Very interesting, but from that night on, I remembered to bring in the food, and they never came back.

Came home from work one sunny afternoon and walked out the back deck with a drink and there was a Raccoon staggering like a bad drunk, giving me the evil eye, and drooling like crazy, and no matter how much I yelled it kept coming. At approx. 10 feet I pull my SIG 9mm and put it out of its misery. I thought it had Rabies, MI DNR verified it had Distemper.

But the thing is, unless they are sick they come around for food and that is our fault. Take away their food and eventually they won't come back; they'll find a new source for food somewhere else.

That's the same reason bears come into camps and I could say that is the same reason Coyotes come into camps, but they also come into camps for dogs or late at night chasing down small rodents (kangaroo rats), rabbits or even Kitt Foxes.
Amazing how many people will tie up their dog at the campsite and leave for a while, or go inside their fifth wheel and watch TV. Then they come out and find a leash but no fido.

I have had coyotes hang around fifty to sixty feet away from my campsite at times at dusk, trying to entice my dog to come join them. Good thing is my dog hates Coyotes, and she is tied up. Lucky for them, it is illegal to shoot them from inside an organized campground.

But all these animals are normal in the area, just like Racoons are in your areas. I will admit, if I was there and they were bugging me, I would not hesitate to contact the state office that oversees the campgrounds and complain. Racoons are noted to carry rabies, and distemper.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

Paintball markers can be effective - fastest raccoon I ever saw was the masked bandit that raided my garbage can late one night - I popped him with a paintball - that black, grey and pink raccoon lit out PDQ, and didn't come back. ;-)

Pepper spray could work too - just be mindful of the 'area effect' and wind direction!

[SmokeEater2]

Re: Kill them 'coons???




They can be a real problem and some of them have become experts at opening coolers and food boxes. I lost my entire supply of Little Debbie's to one a few years ago. He opened a latched food box to get them and left the wrappers laying all over the camp site. :mad:

[tplife]

Re: Kill them 'coons???



Go green, be a good steward of the environment. Raccoons have more to offer as a renewable resource than just their beautiful fur - they're "Good Eats"!Cooked slowly in a Crock Pot, this makes a very good meal.

Secret: Cut gamey taste by using Whole Cloves.

Secret: Cut gamey taste by using Whole Cloves.


Minutes to Prepare: 45
Minutes to Cook: 360
Number of Servings: 8




Ingredients

• 1 Large Raccoon
  1 Large Vidalia Onion
  2 Stalks of Celery
  1 Large Green Bell Pepper
  4 Bay Leaves
  1 Can Low Fat/Low Sodium French Onion Soup
  1 Can Low Fat/ Low Sodium Cream of Mushroom Soup
  Salt and Pepper to taste
  Water

Tips

Great with turnips, turnip greens, black eyed peas, baked sweet potatoes and hot cornbread to complete the meal.



Directions

Preparation:
Raccoon can be purchased already dressed. If you have a fresh one, be sure to have someone with experience help you remove the glands and the skin.

1. Dress the raccoon.
2. Thoroughly wash it under cold running water.
3. Cut into quarters.
4. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Stick whole clove in the meat about an inch apart.
6. Slice the onions into quarters.
7. Finely chop up celery and bell pepper.

Cooking Method:

1. Place raccoon in the crock pot.
2. Crumble up the bay leaves and sprinkle over the meat.
3. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper add to pot.
4. Mix onion soup, mushroom soup and water together and pour into the pot.
5. Turn the crock pot on high for 30 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to low.
7. Cook for 6 - 8 hours or overnight.

Roasting:
You can bake it at 325 Degrees F for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until tender and meat starts to fall off the bone.

Serve with cabbage, cabbage casserole, baked sweet potatoes and hot cornbread to complete the meal.

Serving Size: Makes 6-8 Servings

[frank6160]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

You go TP. I've never tried coon but have heard it can be tasty when properly prepared. At the local state park i frequent they will walk right into camp next to you with campfire blazing.

[F5Moab]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

I've actually had raccoon when I lived in TN and it was pretty good. Still prefer a nice big juicy t-bone steak.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

I hate racoons; they are a nuisance and carry rabies. I helped capture a rabid coon one night - that cured me of the "cute" factor.

[renodesertfox]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

TP, it would be nice of you to copy your recipe and place it in the Food Section of the forum! Sounds yummy will have to try it if I ever get a chance to kill a raccoon! Thanks!

[terasec]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

As a hunter am all for hunting/trapping for different reasons,
In a campground setting, don't think it woulld be practicle to trap and relocate them,
Better off just educating the public to minimize the nuisance factor
If there are reports/signs of a rabid coon, they generally will try to trap/kill the rabid coon, but don't think any campground has a program to relocate healthy raccoons

[Moss]

Re: Kill them 'coons???

Thank your politicians and animals rights groups for the racoon's population. Shortened seasons, limited methods and adding hoops to jump through to trap small game for fur have severely decreased the numbers of trapper in America. :cool: