Do racoons attack?

[ZmOz]

I was just out in my back yard taking out the garbage, when I heard a noise coming from the woods behind my house. I waited to see what it was, eventually a racoon climbed up on top of my fence. I ran in to grab my camera, he was still there, so I got within 8 feet or so and took some pictures. Then he left and about 4 more came walking by. They all stopped and looked at me, and as I started to take another picture, they started growling at me. I kept taking pictures, and walking closer anyway... . (I had a shovel in one hand and a mean dog behind the corner if I needed help) After a while they just kind of left...and so did I. <br /><br />Anyway...this isn't the first time I've seen them back there. I'm wondering, for future occasions, should I be a little more scared of them? Will they attack if I get too close? I know they're known for rabies. I wasn't provoking them in any way, except the camera flash. <br /><br />Here's one of the pics<br /> http://zmoz.us/racoon.JPG

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Do racoons attack?

Let me tell you a little about what I know about them.<br /><br />A raccoon or raccoons can become a nuisance when they gain access into your attic by damaging facia boards or the roof. Once inside your attic the raccoons mate and use your attic as a denning site. The raccoon will care for her young in the attic or even down in a wall space. She will often move the kits several times in order to protect them. Raccoons also use chimenys as denning sites, caring for their young just above the damper.<br /><br />Occasionally a raccoon or raccoons will fall through the ceiling and invade your living quarters. Raccoons carry several diseases which can be a health hazard to humans and domestic pets. You should never approach a raccoon or raccoons that appear friendly, they may very well have rabies or distemper. If you notice a raccoon or raccoons during daylight hours or walking around in a stupor, you should contact a wildlife control professional.<br /><br />Raccoons are not usually aggressive, however, if cornered, frightened, or caring for young, they may become very aggressive. A mother raccoon will protect her young at all cost and will use their claws and teeth to repel any intruder.<br /><br />Since raccoons are nocturnal, homeowners have tried to exclude them at night, repairing the damage and shutting out the raccoon or raccoons, only to find a hole in the roof the next morning where the raccoon or raccoons regained entrance into the attic. It is best left to a wildlife control professional to remove the raccoon or raccoons, as trying it yourself will only cause more damage or a horrible situation where baby raccoons are left inside. It takes a wildlife control professional to remove the mother raccoon and babies.<br /><br />But for the general, they are more afraid of us, than we are of them.<br /><br />Just my .02 worth.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Do racoons attack?

Very well said SBN.<br /><br />Additionally, they may sometimes be seen at dawn/dusk, especially in cities, where they get used to all the commotion.<br /><br />************************************************<br />Found one laying in the yard once. Eyes closed, lathargic.<br />Cops wouldn't come out.(Milwaukee)<br />Humane society only deals with domestic animals.<br />Couldn't kill it in front of all the little kids, but felt I had to protect the kids from this obviously sick critter.<br /><br />Was able to shovel him into a garbage can and transport to wildlife rehab.<br /><br />They gave it shots and dewormed it. Fed it for a week, full recovery, then let it go. Wonderful, just what we needed, another coon in the city.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Do racoons attack?

Oh ZmOz, I don't see any picture of a racoon. ???<br /><br />Just a picture of my ex-girl-fiend.<br /><br />Now I know where she moved to.

 

[88spl]

Re: Do racoons attack?

I had the pleasure of running across a mother and her kits.........got outta the truck walked up to them to say HI.......boy did she let out a growl, and charged me (some what like my wife). Meen little raskals.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Do racoons attack?

Hello<br /> here is a stupid raccon trick. years ago when I was younger and dumber and drank a lot more beers. I heard a commotion on the front porch. ran outside to see what it was. saw a leg and a paw hanging iside the rail and thought one of the cats had fallen. I reached over the rail and grabbed the "cat" and hoisted it back onto the porch. I really dont know which one of us was more suprised or moved quicker, me or the Coon I just "rescued" . My ex almost wet herself with laughter. good luck and if ya gotta drink leave the wildlife alone

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Do racoons attack?

SBN is correct on this one. If you see mom and her kits during the daytime hours, it usually means her den was destroyed or they were forced to leave their den.<br /><br />As a general rule if you see one during the day by itself, chances are its sick. It is not normal for a racoon to come up to you. When this happens I destroy the animal then contact the wildlife officials. They first would come out to get the coon to test it for rabies. Since there is rabies and distemper in my neck of the woods the officials have told me not to dig a hole and burry them, but to burn them in a fire. I get one or two a year that come out during the day that are not right in the head. They will attack you and cause harm.<br /><br />A tip from experience: Always remove your bait from you fishing pole. One night camping, my son left a bait fish on his pole and caught a racoon. Critter made alot of racket and woke up the campers in the area. Ranger came by and destroyed it. He didn't know to ask for a fishing or hunting license. He was joking.<br /><br />Just be cautious around ones that is sick. They can pass on the diease to you if your scratched or bitten. Treatment is very painful.....SS

 

[aspeck]

Re: Do racoons attack?

ZmOz, they can be pretty nasty little creatures, but if you catch them when they are young, they make great pets - for a while! Had one that was a bunch of fun till it got to be about 2 years old. Then the call of the wild started to get to it and the only ones that could hold it were my brother and me. <br /><br />"Andy" went to visit the neighbors once and tried to climb their screen door. He got shot and is now a rug in my brothers house. But when he was young he would travel everywhere with me. Would sit on my shoulders with his head above mine when I would drive in town - had a Jeep Scrambler at the time and it was funny to see with the top off. <br /><br />Anyway, be careful, they can be dangerous if they are protecting young.

 

[Specks n Reds]

Re: Do racoons attack?

 

[crab bait]

Re: Do racoons attack?

i was in ACADIA NATIONAL PARK in maine .. campin' in a federal campsite.. <br /><br />at the check in gate the ranger told me of the raccoon problem... clear off the picnic table at nite an by all means NO FOOD in the tent..<br /><br />nite came , sittin' around the campfire ,, heard noise here & there... got a flashlite any never seen so many eyes glowin' back at me ... all over the ground an up in trees... <br /><br />i was eatin' roasted 'mellos'.. a few came in real close.. i got up,,a few feet,, chased them away.. smart little basturds,, they where only a decoy.. when i left my seat,, two others from the other direction bum rushed me an stole the mello bag...<br /><br />that nite while sleepin' ,, got woken up by helliaious racket.. the coons were tarin' up my stove an pots & pans..<br /><br />i remembered what the ranger told me ,, but i thought he meant FOOD... i put the food stuff in the truck.. i only left out the cooler an the hardware... <br /><br />NOW I GOT IT..!!! LOCK UP EVERTHIN'...<br /><br />the next nite i did .. locked up tite.. but it didn't matter,, i was a marked man..!!<br /><br />they hit me like special forces..all around my tent..scracthin', sniffin',, gruntin' these scary sounds.. off an on thru out the nite...<br />it was awlful.. very scary...not much sleep..<br /><br />told the rangers about it... they took it with a grain o salt... did say that rabies was around on the island but not here at camp ...<br /><br />NICE... JUST FREAKIN' NICE..!!<br /><br />the next nite ,,, the same thing ,,but worse... i spilled some spagetti sause on my shirt earlier that evening.. went to sleep ,,, took off my clothes... <br /><br />i reckon the coons smelled the sause an were goin' wild an actually clawin' thur the nylon tent... well i got up an bolted to my truck ,, naked as a jaybird...<br /><br />lucky it was unlocked cause i left my key in my pants in the tent... <br /><br />well they got my shirt an took off with it after they had a tug-o-war with it...<br /><br />it was really scary..!!! it really was...<br /> <br />got my sleepin' bag a slept in the recline seat of my ranger pick-up...<br /><br />next day i got outta there... patched the tent with duct/k tape... <br /><br />told the ranger about the incident.. <br /><br />just looked at me sadly an said,,,' yeah i know ,, they can be bad"...

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: Do racoons attack?

sorry crabbie - ROTFLMAO!<br /><br />they growl when you're too close, fast as a cat, climb like a monkey, and can open a master lock with a pine needle. don't be too friendly with them, or your camp will have an invisible 'raccoon's local pub' sign above it. <br /><br />one place we had a family gathering had to replace the screen doors to the back deck every year, because they alway made a little hole to reach in and flip the door latch open with. then went into every cooler on the picnic tables. i feel they're the equivalent of a black bear just smaller.

 

[gonfishn]

Re: Do racoons attack?

You seem to have aquired that Derwood flavor CrabBait..I am still pulling myself back up to the chair ..Glad to see ya again..

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Do racoons attack?

Raccoons are a lot of fun. We remove those as part of our service, and they are fun. We usually try to live trap them and let them go far far away, but sometimes we have to go in and shoot them with a tranquilizer gun. I had one nasty old male that just would not go without a fight. We ended up shooting him with the tranq and he climbed halfway up a tree and passed out, falling back to the ground. Sometimes we never get them. They become trap smart very quickly, and are masters of avoidance.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: Do racoons attack?

I just love Raccoons........for that matter....I love just about ALL animals,<br />,<br />,<br />They're delicious.....

 

[SeaMasterZ@aol.com]

Re: Do racoons attack?

my old mutt (purebred GSP, but mutt to me) Baron had issues with any animal that crossed paths with him<br /><br />nice to humans<br /><br />HELL to animals<br /><br />he would come home all bloody, and I would search him for wounds, and ... nothing<br /><br />eventually, mom stopped screaming at the sight of dead animals, which I had to go bury, lol<br /><br />huge skunks, raccoons and possums are innocuous in theory, but let me tell you something, they have razor sharp LONG claws, and equally sharp teeth, they were just up against a mutt that could crack hambones in half AND catch flies in midair, occaisionally he would get a little chunk of ear taken off, but well, shoulda seen the OTHER guy, a little chunk of ear is all thats left!<br /><br />we had a coon in the back yard that would play a very dangerous game with baron, would go raid the garden (coons LOVE tomatoes, and the old man grew jerseys best) and would scamper over to the shed and hit the roof, with the beast from hell slavering away below<br /><br />one evening, baron got so mad that he leapt ON TO THE ROOF, and that coon was so stunned that he just rolled backwards off the roof, with ol mighty jaws almost getting him<br /><br />almost<br /><br />tin shed you see<br /><br />tin roof<br /><br />ever see a kid trying to climb a sliding board? <br /><br />poor mutt is trying to go up, but hes not makin it<br /><br />BARON! COME HERE!<br /><br />so here comes 106 pounds of beast off the roof, with me catching him so as to not hurt him<br /><br />which is like catching a plummeting TANK, but his claws ripping my shirt and skin helped slow the fall <br /><br />that coon tho, that was funny, his eyes BIG as saucers, no more twilight runs for him, lol

 

[samagee]

Re: Do racoons attack?

When I go camping I have to lock my dogs in the van over night. otherwise we will not get any sleep as they try to get the coons. I have to use the muzzle as well. They will bark and whine until you let them have those coons.<br /><br />When I was younger, my sister had a small dog. We were out camping and the coons came to get the dog food she left out, while we were sleeping. I and my brother were sleeping under the stars in our sleeping bags. I felt something against my nose and looked right into the eyes of a coon sniffing me out. It ran when I jerked to grab my knife.<br /><br />I laugh now, but I was ready to skin those coons then.

 

[LadyFish]

Re: Do racoons attack?

LOL at Crab Bait. <br /><br />I spent many summers at Acadia National Park camping as a kid. I have a few stories of my own.

 

[Elmer Fudge]

Re: Do racoons attack?

Pesky varm.... ahh let me find my recipe book,

 

[JGREGORY]

Re: Do racoons attack?

We were camiping at the Delaware Water Gap when on night I here this crash outside. For Those who don't know the Water Gap aas been having a problem with Bears. I sit up in bed going Aw sh*t Nudge the Admiral awake and ask her "I thought we put everything in the truck" She then says "SH*T, I forgot the garbage." So I lite up the Flashlight and peer through the screen and There with glowing eyes is good ol Rocky Raccoon. But I still hear rustling so I shine the light down under the table attached to the camper. Low and behold there's Pe Pe Le Pew going through the Garbage. Then I see Rocky make a move for the garbage when he does old Pe Pe lifts his tail up. This goes on for an 1/2 hour finally the skunk leaves one way and I went outside scared off Rocky and put the trash in the truck.<br /><br />Let me tell ya I thought I was going to be packing up that night id giving everything a tomato bath.

 

[gaugeguy]

Re: Do racoons attack?

Here's my favorite coon story...I'm bowhunting this wood row between two cornfields. It's getting to the end of shooting light and I see a coon scampering my way with an ear of corn. He climbs the tree beside of me and gets to a crook in the tree about eye level with me--he doesn't know I'm only six feet from him. He starts knawing on his corn cob, I let out a loud "aarrgghh" and I scare the crap right out of this coon. The corn cob goes flying and the coon fell backwards right out of the tree. He falls about 15 feet to the ground and bolted. I think he was running before he hit the ground. I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my tree too.