Wat is rong with the ratcoons

[FozzyBear]

In the past two mounts I have shot four coons in the bosses barn. I talked to a fue of the nabers and they have done the same. Dose enye one have a idea wat coud be going on hear?

[Bills Custom Calls]

Food and places to sleep are easier to find,and animals are like some people and will take every handout they can get

[alscalls]

Were they male or female?

They will be dropping soon and the little ones eyes will be open around Late May/ early June.

Were they healthy?

Dispose of them carefully.......

[Hawks Feather]

There are not as many barns around here with hay and straw in the mows, but years back you could always count on coons living there.  They can burrow in between the bails and make a nice warm dry house.  Also, like Al said, they like to have their litters there.  Don't kill them all right now and there will be more for trapping season.  Years back I trapped quite a few in barns and abandoned houses.


Jerry

[Jimmie in Ky]

Anywhere you store anything such as straw hay or lumber it makes for a ready built den system. Not to mention all the other goodies they may find such as animal feeds.

I worked for a fellow many years ago that had such a problem . They had moved into the ground hog dens under the barn and were stealing chickens daily. I took five out of there before I was done. Jimmie

[FozzyBear]

These coons are not right !  They don't try to get away . They look like they are tired they gust grail and hiss at you and lay there . The doges wont even have eney thing to do with them . The dogs gust sniff them and look at them like they are stupid and the bosses dogs are call teeth & stomach . They will eat it if it don't eat them first. We are talking rock to grease and floordry off the shop floor.

[alscalls]

Its been my experience that most barn coons are due to a near buy supply of food......... IE cat or Dog being fed outside and an endless supply for the coon to steal at night....... what better place to raise the whole bandit family.......

[FinsnFur]

They might be trying to protect the younguns.
There isnt very many barns up here that dont have coons in .

[Bopeye]

My mom feeds her cats on a screened in back porch. Every night the coons came calling and would wipe out the cat food and for some reason the cats didn't seem to mind. Mom got tired of it, so I brought over a havahart trap and ended up catching 5. I always turned them loose somewhere else, like the back 40 of a friend of mine that it is a coonhunter. He really appreciated it. Now he has a few coons to train his young dogs on.

I had one try so hard to get out of the cage that she broke one of her fingers really bad. I hated it for her, but what was I gonna do? 

[pitw]

We don't have any coons here where I live and all my life I wished we did as all trapping mags are full of them and it looked like you had to trap a coon to be a trapper .   After getting on these forums I realize what a destructive animal they are and thank my lucky stars we don't have them[they are working their way over here though just like an alien invasion ].

[msmith]

Barry, I'm not sure you have to trap a coon to be a trapper, but if you can't trap a coon you're not a trapper.

[Jimmie in Ky]

Every few years we have a problem with overpopulation. They get a form of distemper that sounds like what you are seeing. They do not act normal at all. They will travel at all hours of the day and be very lethargic. It aint good now but the numbers will drop drastically fast and soon.

It used to happen very rarely here if at all. Now its about every four years. We can thank hte anti's for this. I think they have changed wildlife far more than hunting ever could. Jimmie

[pitw]

  but if you can't trap a coon you're not a trapper.

[FinsnFur]

I had one try so hard to get out of the cage that she broke one of her fingers really bad. I hated it for her, but what was I gonna do? 

Thats actually pretty common Bopeye. My brother's got a dozen or so box traps that he uses on coons from time to time, and it actually seems weird if we DONT find one with his nose tore half off from trying to chew threw the wires so frantically, and shredded paws from trying to claw through the wire to the ground.

[FozzyBear]

We found one more coon in the barn and toke to the veat. He sade it was a form of distemper like Jimmie sade the veat sade to put them down it would be the best for all. All to gather we have found 7 coon tolld and the veat sade there would be more to come.

[Jimmie in Ky]

Sorry to hear I was right Fozz. But it happens more often nowadays than we would like to believe. You will soon hear farmers talking about the numbers they are finding dead in fields as well since it is planting time and htey are out working.  It will likely cut the coon numbers in half or more by fall. Jimmie

[HaMeR]

Nature's way of reducing the coon population.