How to Eliminate Raccoons
Raccoons can be found in both rural and urban settings. They prefer environments that have a nearby water source because they have a tendency to wash their food before eating it. The raccoon has no close relatives; the closest would the bear. They are not picky eaters and will rummage through your trash looking for a bite to eat. They are intelligent creatures who can figure out how to open closed containers. They can be a nuisance if they find their way into your yard. Luckily, there are things you can do to help eliminate your raccoon problem. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Pour ammonia on old bath towels. Thoroughly soak the towels. Place the towels in the raccoon dens or around the entrances. This will discourage the raccoons from returning to their den because raccoons are clean creatures and generally do not urinate where they sleep. The smell of ammonia will confuse them into thinking they have soiled their own den, and they will move on to build a new one, hopefully not on your property.
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Apply predator urine to your premises. Raccoons are not likely to go where they will be readily hunted. You can purchase wolf, coyote, bobcat and mountain lion urine from sporting goods stores.
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3
Attach a motion activated sensor to your sprinkler system. When the raccoon trips the sensor, the sprinkler will go off, scaring the raccoon with the sudden noise and motion.
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4
Remove the food source. Keep your trash cans and recycle bins sealed. Raccoons like to search for food amongst your trash. They will also eat your pet's food, so do not leave out bowls of kibble over night. If you keep these receptacles sealed and the pet food up, they will have to look elsewhere to eat.
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Keep your garden clean. Pick up fruits as soon as the fall. The smell of decaying fruits will be an enticement to the raccoons.
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Take bird feeders down at night to deter the raccoons from trying to find their way into the feeders. After taking the feeders in every night for a week or so, the raccoons will realize their food source is gone and will move on to new locations.
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Tips & Warnings
You will likely have to use a combination of these methods. Because the raccoon is an intelligent creature, it will likely find new ways around certain deterrents after a time. If, however, you use several, the raccoon will see that it is a lot of work to stay where it is and that it would be easier to move on.
Avoid using traps or guns. In most states, it is illegal to trap a raccoon and to release it in another location, and there are laws about hunting raccoons, especially out of season. If you are diligent about removing the food source, then you should be able to eliminate the raccoon problem altogether.
