Raccoons in my yard

[rgreenland]

Anyone out there familiar with trapping raccoons? There seems to be a family of 7 roaming our neighborhood (Kaysville). I've seen them a few times - heard them several times.
Would like to get rid of them. Any thoughts on how?
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[riverdog]

Raccoons are nasty. While very rare to have rabies west of the Rockies they do also carry a parasite that can get into your brain. My answer is get a dog [] and make sure they can’t get into your fireplace and attic.They generally stay away from the scent from dogs as well as humans. Plus they’ll run like hell and never return when a big dog chases them out of your yard. That work for me 15 years ago so I’ve never resorted to trapping them. Plenty of information on the net about trapping. http://www.havahart.com/raccoon-baits
Now if you needed first hand information on trapping chipmunks I’m an expert there. Sunflower seeds work better than nuts.
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[wiperhunter2]

You can catch them with those small animal traps, I've used tuna fish as bait and that seems to work just find. Not sure if they still have them but the DWR use to have those traps that they would loan to people when they had problems with raccoons and other small animals. If they don't still loan them out, you can buy those small traps at several places, the last I checked, even Harbor Freight sold them. Once you trap them you have a couple of options, either take them a long ways away from your house, like 10 miles or more and release them or you can make a raccoons hat out of them[]. If you don't get rid of them, the problem will get worse.
https://www.harborfreight.com/32-in-x-15...61682.html
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[catchinon]

You can usually get those traps from the Animal Control Officer (dog catcher) in your town. You call them when you've caught one and they come and euthanize them and take them away. Or, you could haul them way the heck off out in the boonies and release them if you want. Just don't put them where they can become someone else's problem. We experienced that in a California State Park once. Dozens of the suckers invaded camp after dark and we had to shoot them with cap guns. No joke[]. They aren't allowed to kill any so lots are released in the not-so-wild. They will not survive a direct hit from a large rock, though. They're hard to miss in the bottom of a 55-gallon barrel. Have used all these methods and don't really prefer one over the other. It all just depends on the situation. I respect almost every living thing's right to live appropriately within their natural habitat. However, when they come into campgrounds and yards I send both raccoons and rattlesnakes to the happy hunting ground.
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[r2u2]

Please don't release them anywhere. They are trouble where ever they go. They love bird eggs; the ducks and pheasants suffer from their presence. Try a dog proof leg trap they sell for about $20 and are very effective. Fish pieces, marshmallow and peanut butter work
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[wiperhunter2]

That's right Animal Control does have traps but my local one would not take them and dispose of them, at least that is what they told me.
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[catchinon]

Makes me wonder if they would prefer you to discharge a .22 in town and then place the dead animal in your garbage can. In Springville they use a hypodermic full of poison on the end of a 3' pole.
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[a_bow_nut]

If you don't have to worry about other pets I would get a conibear trap and make a little pass through point to the bait. They will be dispatched in no time.
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[wiperhunter2]

It might take a little prep time to do this but one of the easiest ways to dispatch an animal is with the exhaust from your car. Just run a hose, like you would use for a clothes dryer or bathroom vent from your car exhaust to the live trap cage, then cover the cage with an old blanket. Only takes a few minutes, no more than 10 or 15 tops but likely much less. You can dispose of the animal in your garbage or just take them up in the mountains and get rid of them. Animals are killed by cars everyday and die off on the sides of road, other animals eat them or they just naturally decompose, so there is no need to bury them.
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