How to Kill Raccoons - Is Poison the Answer?
How To Kill Raccoons - The problem with pest animals is that they can often cause a variety of different problems for homeowners and smallholders, and trying to deal with these problems can often be hugely frustrating. In many cases, it is natural to want to kill these animals that can cause so much destruction, and there are plenty of different methods that you can use to kill a raccoon. However, there are some situations where killing the raccoon doesn't provide the most effective solution to your problem, particularly if there is a feature of your yard or garden that is likely to continue attracting the animals in the future.
Poisoning An Animal
One of the easiest way of killing animals is to use poison, or at least that's what many people think as they don't really look at the consequences that follow once you have taken the step to poison a raccoon. Because poison doesn't work immediately, you can have a really hard time finding the carcass, and by the time it has decayed enough for the human nose to smell it, other animals will have scented it for some time, meaning that more pest animals are likely to be about. Poison is also a very cruel way of dealing with an animal problem, and as it is an indiscriminate killer it is just as likely to affect local domestic pets such as dogs and cats as it is to kill the raccoon.
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Using Lethal Traps To Kill Raccoon
This is one way that people can use to deal with a raccoon problem, and for those with experience in using snares and lethal traps, they can be placed in a location where they will most likely catch the raccoon causing the problem. Although safer than poison, lethal traps also have a chance of killing other animals, while body grip traps are another type of lethal trap that can be used to kill raccoons. Because of the skill that is required in placing the traps, and the fact that you will then need to dispose of the carcass, this approach isn't ideal, but is definitely a better approach than using poison.
Hunting Raccoons
If you have a rifle and are fairly good with it, you can join many thousands of people who have hunted raccoons over the years, although because of the small head it can be a little difficult to get a clean kill. This approach to killing raccoons can be quite time consuming, as you will need to be in position around dusk, but there is no guarantee that the raccoon will be active at that point. The other issue with hunting raccoons is that it is only possible in the countryside, and you certainly shouldn't be firing a rifle in an urban area.
Why Killing A Raccoon Isn't Always The Best Way To Solve Your Problem
The lethal methods of dealing with raccoons are often quick and give you tangible evidence that you have done something about the problem, but once the carcass is gone, if the features in your yard or garden attracting the raccoons are still there, you are likely to have more animals coming to the yard. One different approach to deal with the problem is to trap and release the raccoon, and as well as not having to kill the animal and deal with the carcass, this is generally a much cleaner approach.
Live Trapping A Raccoon
There are plenty of tips available for those who are live trapping a raccoon for the first time, but the most important one of all is to make sure that you get the location right, and place the trap along one of the areas where the raccoon is active. You can use bait to try and attract the raccoon into the trap, with wet pet food, fatty meat or even marshmallows all successful bait. Once you have placed the bait in the trap, it is best to try and weight the trap down with a brick or a rock, which will prevent the raccoon from being able to rock the trap and get to the bait without getting caught in the trap.
Dealing With Raccoon Damage
There are several precautions you will need to take before you start to repair the damage caused by raccoons, and as in most cases this will involve dealing with raccoon feces, you will need thick long sleeved clothing, gloves and a breathing mask. Along with cleaning the feces, there are often signs of gnawing and material being shredded, so look for things like cables that may need replacing or wooden supports left with sharp edges. Once you have completed your repairs, use a disinfectant spray to kill off any remaining bacteria or diseases to confirm the area is safe to use again.
Go back to the main Raccoon Removal page for more information about how to kill raccoons. Is poison a good way to exterminate raccoon?
