Caught my first leghold trapped Racoon.

[Oldcountryboy]

Once again the racoons have been devestating my garden and poultry. I go through this toward the end of every summer. A sow coon with hungry kittens find my garden and tear everything up. Then they find the delicious tasting chickens. They soon find out they can tunnel their way under the fence and the kill begins till either I run out of chickens or I find a way to kill them first. Then once again I vowel that I will take up fur trapping and gonna kill every one of them this coming winter.

Well I'm getting closer to that reality of trapping. Last year I bought several leghold traps with the intention of getting rid of every coon in my 3 county area. But I never got to go out and set one trap all last winter. But this coming winter I hope to be a different story ending. I've been reading up on trapping and I should have plenty of time to trap this coming winter. So hopefully next summer I can relax and enjoy my own garden instead of cursing away.

Oh, forgot to mention. This morning I awoke to a young male coon in the leghold trap I had put out last night. The other night I heard a comotion in the hen house and went out and possibly shot his sister(a young one too). Now if I can just find the mommy to them. I have a feeling she's the expert chicken theif. I had a crippled hen inside a rabbit hutch. Something managed to unlock the door and kill and eat the crippled chicken.

[Big Dave]

Mine got eaten by Squirrels.

[Ed Norman]

One morning I saw something hanging in a snare in the back field. I couldn't tell what. I asked DW. She couldn't tell. We guessed all sorts of things. Finally went to look and it was a big coon with zero tail. Healed over clean. No chickens or produce for him.

[quietstar]

We all have our private values and opinions. Although I bought an assortment of quality leghold traps from a country hardware store close out, I like to have the options that my big Hav A Heart trap provides, especally when I find my neighbors cat looking back at me. A few cold water wash downs before release and they rarely trespass again.

If really hard times visit me when a fat young coon could be supper, and all bets are off...Glen

[Oldcountryboy]

As far as I'm concerned the neighbors cat is just as much a nusiance as a racoon. 3 "S" routine for the cats.

[billooo2]

I have good luck with live trapping them.......and then using either a .22 or a 32.

[Oldcountryboy]

Originally Posted by billooo2

I have good luck with live trapping them.......and then using either a .22 or a 32.

Yep, thats what I done. Gave the little critter a case of lead poisoning. Well I noticed this morning no more of my corn has been knocked over, my tomatoes haven't been eaten on, and I still have 3 chickens left and nothing in my trap. So maybe I've taught them a lesson.

[TedH71]

My dad said his country cousins ate coon. Said they were tasty but a bit greasy. Have you had coon meat? I want to try it...

[quietstar]

RH, I understand your fed up, P O attitude and might be the same in your position. My neighbor is a good guy and has tried to do more than his part in cleaning up and rebuilding our common boundry fences. It's not his fault that his sweet wife has a soft spot for saving stray cats. I've made a serious business about learning to live trap, filed the trigger sear down fine and believe it's more effective and reliable than my best efforts with leg hold. After trying hard to respect good neighbors and their cats, my S&W Mod 41 through the wire, ends the problem of protecting my critters...Glen

[Gercarson]

Originally Posted by Oldcountryboy

Yep, thats what I done. Gave the little critter a case of lead poisoning. Well I noticed this morning no more of my corn has been knocked over, my tomatoes haven't been eaten on, and I still have 3 chickens left and nothing in my trap. So maybe I've taught them a lesson.

"They" will always fill a void left by a dominate critter - look for it!

[olivehill]

The raccoons have been terrible this year. We've lost more poultry to them than to anything before -- ever. At one point this summer we were shooting 3-5 a night! No sooner than we could dispose of one another would be right there breaking in. We finally resorted to bolting the door shut with four 2 inch long bolts every single night. And then about five nights into that they ripped the bolts right out of the side of the coop and ate all my turkey poults and guinea keets. So much for Thanksgiving dinner.

We're down to just three chickens total now and I've got them in a separate coop from our main one. Just a small makeshift thing at the other side of the property. I'm not moving them back to the other yard until we can get some electric fence put up around it or something... or maybe never. We lost over half our meat chickens out of that coop and yard -- we started with 100 -- before giving up and butchering them a couple weeks early to cut our losses. After the meat chickens was when they busted in through the bolted door and stole my turkeys and guineas. I've not been a happy camper with the coons this year.

Even my dogs have had more run-ins with them this year than in the past. They've killed 5 or 6 just this summer out here in our front yard. And big ones too.

At a friend's house they chewed through the side of a thick plastic 5-gallon pail to get to some cat food for heaven's sake! The price of pelts needs to come back up or something has got to give. The population from all indications I can see is out of control.

[Old Swampgirl]

I've killed them cleaned them & cooked them & ate them when I was hungry. Now, I just trap them in a live trap, then kill them. If you parboil the coon with lots of seasonings & some bay leaves, then bake it low & long, the meat is pretty good. I always baked some sweet potatoes to go with it. Last nite I caught a possom in a live trap & shot it this morning with my new Henry US Survival 22 rifle. Not eating possom tonight ...but it's nice to know that we won't go hungry in need be.

[EDDIE BUCK]

Originally Posted by Old Swampgirl

I've killed them cleaned them & cooked them & ate them when I was hungry. Now, I just trap them in a live trap, then kill them. If you parboil the coon with lots of seasonings & some bay leaves, then bake it low & long, the meat is pretty good. I always baked some sweet potatoes to go with it. Last nite I caught a possom in a live trap & shot it this morning with my new Henry US Survival 22 rifle. Not eating possom tonight ...but it's nice to know that we won't go hungry in need be.

You don't hear that word much any more.Parboil that is.You hear a woman using that kinda language,you hearing somebody that can cook. Parboiled coon,then baked with some sweet taters some collardgreens and cornbread,you talking some goood eating.Yes mam you are. Eddie Buck

[Oldcountryboy]

Originally Posted by TedH71

My dad said his country cousins ate coon. Said they were tasty but a bit greasy. Have you had coon meat? I want to try it...

Yes I have. Once! It was very good eating till I found out what I was eating. My aunt had boiled up some coon meat, shredded it and put it in a big pan of dressing and then baked it. My cuz came over with a big plate of it and asked me if I wanted any of it. Said his Ma, made too much and was giving it too me. I grabbed a fork and started eating it and he started grinning. After I ate most of it, he asked me if I knew what kind of meat that was? I said "Chicken". He started grinning real big and said "Nope, it's coon meat". After he said that seemed every bite I took kept getting harder to swallow.

Originally Posted by olivehill

The raccoons have been terrible this year. We've lost more poultry to them than to anything before -- ever. At one point this summer we were shooting 3-5 a night! No sooner than we could dispose of one another would be right there breaking in. We finally resorted to bolting the door shut with four 2 inch long bolts every single night. And then about five nights into that they ripped the bolts right out of the side of the coop and ate all my turkey poults and guinea keets. So much for Thanksgiving dinner.

We're down to just three chickens total now and I've got them in a separate coop from our main one. Just a small makeshift thing at the other side of the property. I'm not moving them back to the other yard until we can get some electric fence put up around it or something... or maybe never. We lost over half our meat chickens out of that coop and yard -- we started with 100 -- before giving up and butchering them a couple weeks early to cut our losses. After the meat chickens was when they busted in through the bolted door and stole my turkeys and guineas. I've not been a happy camper with the coons this year.

Even my dogs have had more run-ins with them this year than in the past. They've killed 5 or 6 just this summer out here in our front yard. And big ones too.

At a friend's house they chewed through the side of a thick plastic 5-gallon pail to get to some cat food for heaven's sake! The price of pelts needs to come back up or something has got to give. The population from all indications I can see is out of control.

I definitely know how you feel. Every summer I go through the same thing with my poultry. Sometimes you just feel like giving up and say the heck with all this trying to be self sufficient stuff. And I know how thick the coons are getting. A couple of springs ago I was walking up the holler back behind my house looking for mushrooms (wasn't caring a gun) when I came upon 5 racoons sleeping in the top of one tree. Didn't walk but another 100 ft. futher when I came upon 3 more sleeping in another tree. When you start seeing that many right in the middle of the daytime, you know they are getting too thick. With the price of furs down so much, nobody hunts, traps, and kills them anymore. But I have a plan this coming winter when trapping season arrives. I'm gonna trap out as many critters as I can. I maynot get much money for the hides if I sell them to a fur buyer, but if I can make some kind of craft projects out of them I might be able to get more.

[EDDIE BUCK]

Those folks that used to eat coons,still like them.Just ask around at some country stores.The meat is worth more than the hide,those folks will pay you good money for the meat.Just leave one foot on or they won't buy them,unless they know you real well. eb

[beaglebiz]

we trap them in the have a heart trap, then kill with an arrowhead in the jugular. We dont want to damage the trap with shooting the critter
we have also had a very rough year with coons, and while they are still around, I think we have it licked.

[Bearfootfarm]

We dont want to damage the trap with shooting the critter

I normally carry them to the back of the farm. I straddle the trap and with a pistol in one hand, I open the door with the other. They have to exit directly under the muzzle

[megafatcat]

Swimming lessons.

[PulpFaction]

Originally Posted by TedH71

My dad said his country cousins ate coon. Said they were tasty but a bit greasy. Have you had coon meat? I want to try it...

Well it sounds as if these guys have been well fed, so why not try it! LOL My only 'concern' with something like a coon would be that it had been eating garbage...never tried them though, don't know what they taste like.

[Danaus29]

I shoot live trap coons from the side, through the big holes in the middle of the trap.

Got my 12th for the season this morning, trap was placed in the corn patch. Big male coon.