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raccoon damage
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 7:40 am
by DavidBarkey
I have been trying to get the electric fence wire around the top of the fence around our garden / bird area . I have wire and high voltage generator , but never doing this before and not planning it into doing the fence . It has taken a bitt to get the right stuff together . Needless to say the
coons got to the sweet corn before I got the "hot" wire finished . Now it is full on war . I am going to finish it today . Those
are going to get a real shock when trying to go over the fence tonight . This generator is rated for a mile of horse fence .
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 12:00 pm
by Eugen
Dave, I would like to see the footage if you're going to take video of the racoons trying to get over it.
Racoons are hard to stop, but a hot fence will for sure.
it really sucks when you work so hard to get some veggies growing and then the pests destroy it
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 7:00 pm
by JSinMO
I hope you zap everyone of them! I had my wife get a price on a fencer just as you described, 1 mile of horse fence. I haven’t got it yet. I didn’t end up with very good results from my corn patch this year. I got a few ears but the coons got the majority of it. I’m gonna look into some different approaches next year. Let us know how the electric works please.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 8:30 pm
by DavidBarkey
95% of the area is live with a"hot" wire . Still have to figure out the gates and stuff . There is enough juice in that line to lite a spark tester like this
Hope to here some squeals tonight.
need ideas on how to wire the gates .
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 8:39 pm
by Timj
Dave, did you run solid wire or the tape?
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:50 pm
by myerslawnandgarden
You guys must have some really hungry coons. I've never had a fence, just lay a 5 gal pail on it's side and put a radio in it when the corn gets close. Barn is full of coons and the corn is less than 50 yards from it. What to play on the radio? The sports talk show, most boring thing in the world, even puts the coons to sleep.
Bob
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 11:11 pm
by JSinMO
myerslawnandgarden wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:50 pm
You guys must have some really hungry coons. I've never had a fence, just lay a 5 gal pail on it's side and put a radio in it when the corn gets close. Barn is full of coons and the corn is less than 50 yards from it. What to play on the radio? The sports talk show, most boring thing in the world, even puts the coons to sleep.
Bob
Interesting idea. I might have to try that. I never had problems with raccoons before. I put a fence up to keep the deer away and that’s worked. They’ll walk around the unfenced area but haven’t tried to get in. This year the coons showed up and tore the corn up. Pulled the stocks down and shredded the husks to get at the ears. Pretty aggravating. If a radio in a bucket works, I’m in!
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 6:54 am
by DavidBarkey
Timj wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 8:39 pm
Dave, did you run solid wire or the tape?
Ran solid wire at the top and grounded the fence .
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 6:57 am
by DavidBarkey
myerslawnandgarden wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:50 pm
You guys must have some really hungry coons. I've never had a fence, just lay a 5 gal pail on it's side and put a radio in it when the corn gets close. Barn is full of coons and the corn is less than 50 yards from it. What to play on the radio? The sports talk show, most boring thing in the world, even puts the coons to sleep.
Bob
Our neighbour across the road has been doing the radio thing for years . I think they have got use to it and doesn't seam to work any more for them .
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:52 am
by Eugen
We don't have a big garden, but did notice something in the previous years as well as this year. We used to have a composting pile at the corner of the lot edging on the little forest area to the West. At least we thought it was a composting pile, but the racoon(s) were coming every evening to eat what food scraps we threw on the pile. Our garden wasn't bothered by any animals. At some point we didn't put scraps anymore on the pile, and guess what, the racoons and squirrels started to get to the garden and do damage. Not saying anyone should do that, but it seems if you feed them separately, they'll leave your garden alone.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 10:58 pm
by JSinMO
Eugen wrote: ↑Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:52 am
We don't have a big garden, but did notice something in the previous years as well as this year. We used to have a composting pile at the corner of the lot edging on the little forest area to the West. At least we thought it was a composting pile, but the racoon(s) were coming every evening to eat what food scraps we threw on the pile. Our garden wasn't bothered by any animals. At some point we didn't put scraps anymore on the pile, and guess what, the racoons and squirrels started to get to the garden and do damage. Not saying anyone should do that, but it seems if you feed them separately, they'll leave your garden alone.
But if they eat the food scraps you won’t have as much compost to put on the garden, which means you won’t grow as many vegetables, which means you’ll have less food scraps to put in the compost pile… sounds like a vicious cycle! I think those critters are trying to starve you out!
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 11:16 pm
by Eugen
True, that compost pile never amounted to much.
Seeing that as it was, last year I tried something else. Picked an area to bury all food scraps. So every evening I'd bury a little pail. Well, it was like we had the village summoning of the skunk population. They were digging everything up, and getting in fights with the raccoons. That's were the stinging nettle grew this year.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:59 am
by Timj
And if you think the coons like your sweet corn, wait till Yogi shows up.
They get in the fields here and keep eating and flattening increasing sized circles in the fields. The guys that run the harvesters say they are like crop circles and the bear will just stay there and eat till they pick.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:30 am
by Eugen
Timj wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:59 am
And if you think the coons like your sweet corn, wait till Yogi shows up.
They get in the fields here and keep eating and flattening increasing sized circles in the fields. The guys that run the harvesters say they are like crop circles and the bear will just stay there and eat till they pick.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:01 am
by Timj
Eugen wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:30 am
Timj wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:59 am
And if you think the coons like your sweet corn, wait till Yogi shows up.
They get in the fields here and keep eating and flattening increasing sized circles in the fields. The guys that run the harvesters say they are like crop circles and the bear will just stay there and eat till they pick.
Do you have any by you?
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:11 am
by Eugen
Yeah, some people reported the odd bear in parts of the village but so far it hasn't come to us that I know. We got two wooded areas near us and visits from coyotes and foxes. We never let the kids alone in the yard though, specially at night!
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:23 am
by Timj
Eugen wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:11 am
Yeah, some people reported the odd bear in parts of the village but so far it hasn't come to us that I know. We got two wooded areas near us and visits from coyotes and foxes. We never let the kids alone in the yard though, specially at night!
We rarely see them, just the aftermath of a visit. I just happened to catch that one eating grass along the road and it didn't bolt so I got to watch him for a while.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:16 am
by DavidBarkey
There are brown and black in the area here too . Not a lot but there are sightings from time to time . More of fox and coy-wolf around here . Occasionally fisher or martin sightings
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:28 pm
by JSinMO
It’s ironic that we’re talking about this. They got got 2 of our chickens. We found them this morning. It’s my fault they didn’t get closed up good enough last night. I’ll be sealing up hole and watching for them until we get them.
We have black bears around here, mostly in the Ozarks. I worry more about mountain lions and bob cats around here. They are seen occasionally
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 9:56 pm
by Timj
JSinMO wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:28 pm
It’s ironic that we’re talking about this. They got got 2 of our chickens. We found them this morning. It’s my fault they didn’t get closed up good enough last night. I’ll be sealing up hole and watching for them until we get them.
We have black bears around here, mostly in the Ozarks. I worry more about mountain lions and bob cats around here. They are seen occasionally
I don't worry about the bears. They are just a nuisance at times, same kind of trouble as coons in a bigger package. In the last 20 years we've went from big news if someone saw one too there's more than anyone realizes. We don't have much trouble here, I think our dogs and activity. My dad and his neighbor a couple hundred yards away get their bird feeders ripped down regularly.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 6:59 am
by DavidBarkey
JSinMO wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:28 pm
It’s ironic that we’re talking about this. They got got 2 of our chickens. We found them this morning. It’s my fault they didn’t get closed up good enough last night. I’ll be sealing up hole and watching for them until we get them.
We have black bears around here, mostly in the Ozarks. I worry more about mountain lions and bob cats around here. They are seen occasionally
No mountain lions or bob cats around here . A lot of Cougars around the beaches in the summer looking for young men .
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:02 am
by Eugen
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 2:20 pm
by Spike188
Some critter helped it's self to 1/2 of my cantalope crop.
I haven't watched enough Disney to give it much respect.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 2:52 pm
by JSinMO
I hope you catch them. The hunt is on around here!
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 3:22 pm
by DavidBarkey
JSinMO wrote: ↑Sun Aug 07, 2022 2:52 pm
I hope you catch them. The hunt is on around here!
We have all but 5 feet of fence now that is live (hot) at night .
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:36 pm
by Gordy
JSinMO wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:28 pm
It’s ironic that we’re talking about this. They got got 2 of our chickens. We found them this morning. It’s my fault they didn’t get closed up good enough last night. I’ll be sealing up hole and watching for them until we get them.
We have black bears around here, mostly in the Ozarks. I worry more about mountain lions and bob cats around here. They are seen occasionally
For the coons I have both live traps and what are called "Dog safe traps" they are a pipe based leg hold trap that an outside dog could not get it paw into. For bait I use a table spoon of the seed from the bird feeders, I would use dry cat food but we have outdoor cats and their paws would fit into the traps.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dog+saf ... e&ie=UTF-8
Gordy
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:14 pm
by JSinMO
@Gordy I’ve seen the dog safe traps but I’ve never used them. I’ve used the old two jaw leg trap type before but now I’m just using a couple of live traps just in case we do catch one of our cats. We happen to have a bunch of old canned puppy food so I’m using that for bait. It seems to be working!
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 6:12 am
by DavidBarkey
JSinMO wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:14 pm
@Gordy I’ve seen the dog safe traps but I’ve never used them. I’ve used the old two jaw leg trap type before but now I’m just using a couple of live traps just in case we do catch one of our cats. We happen to have a bunch of old canned puppy food so I’m using that for bait. It seems to be working!537EF8AF-8802-4436-AFF4-F5153878450F.jpeg
Coons around here are so big they rip apart cages like that . Nieghbor and I have gone through a couple already . Something let out god offul sqreach last night about 11:00 pm woke us up from a dead sleep .
I wounder if a coon tested the hot wire on the fence . heavy dew last night so would have got a good connection.
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 10:49 pm
by JSinMO
I believe it Dave. This guy bent up the trip pad on the floor and some how got the carry handle off the top. I wish you could have got some video of that coon hitting the hot wire!
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 6:26 am
by DavidBarkey
JSinMO wrote: ↑Fri Aug 19, 2022 10:49 pm
I believe it Dave. This guy bent up the trip pad on the floor and some how got the carry handle off the top. I wish you could have got some video of that coon hitting the hot wire!
Ya me too . But didn't even set off the motion lights s must have been in the back ..
Re: raccoon damage
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 3:26 pm
by JSinMO
My wife picked this up the other day. Says it will cover 18 acres. I’ve never used a solar fencer before, I think we’ll try it out next season. Garden is winding down for this year.