How to rid of raccoons in your yard?
Summary
Dealing with raccoons in your yard can be frustrating, and our forum users have shared a variety of strategies. Some suggest focusing on eliminating what attracts them, while others recommend more active methods like trapping or deterrents. User opinions vary from humane approaches to more direct solutions, reflecting different tolerance levels and situations. It's important to consider the potential impact on other animals and your local regulations when choosing a method.
Here's what our forum users are saying about getting rid of raccoons:
- To prevent raccoons from entering your yard, one user suggests, "Look around at what may be drawing them into your yard, then go from there. If you have outside garbage cans, cook out on a grill, eliminate the attraction elements." -- gregzoll, DIY Chatroom
- Another user suggests a few humane deterents: "Motion activated flood lights? Maybe plug in a radio or sound effects of some kind for when the motion activated plugs turn on. Put the radio, speakers or tape machine inside a bucket or plastic bag for weather protection...Maybe borrow or rent a dog? A few barks would do it maybe?" -- RigglePLC, Lawnsite
- One user shares their trapping success: "I have trapped more than 20 possums and racoons around my chicken pen every single year since 2016... If you're going to use a dog proof trap, you have to be OK with shooting the racoons, they are bad news when trapped. You can get a possum out without being bitten, but racoons are a different story." -- adrianrog, Lawnsite
- Another user recommends a more direct approach: "Stoeger makes a very nice .22 pellet (air) rifle that comes with a scope and a built-in silencer...Animals will typically flee when you shoot them, but I've never had one come back. I expect they died after a short sprint." -- KarenStein, DIY Chatroom
- A user shared a method of using water jugs as a deterrent: "Place several gallon water jugs on the lawn. Fill partly with enough water to hold them in place...The jugs spotted around every 25' or so kept them off the lawn." -- 44DCNF, Lawnsite
Post Mentions
- Look around at what may be drawing them into your yard, then go from there. If you have outside garbage cans, cook out on a grill, eliminate the attraction elements.
- Call an animal control outfit. They will trap them and give them a ride to the next county. Dumb ideas: You are probably on the right track. Motion activated. What about motion activated flood lights? Maybe plug in a radio or sound effects of some kind for when the motion activated plugs turn...
- Are these the ones that you put the bait inside and it catches their leg as they reach in? I have a live trap and they seem to have learned to stay away from it.
- Great idea! I know many people just shoot them but of course it is difficult to do at night. The lawn really looks bad though and it will take some time to fix it. Try to conatct the sill customer service here and see if they are able to help you or.and have useful advice for you.
- I love animals, and the ambience they can give to your yard ... until they start making trouble. Set aside your gentle nature. Raccoons can cause serious property damage. Once they get to about 30-lb. in size, they fear nothing, and can harm family pets. Areas they frequent, or nest in, can be...
- Man o man...These raccoons are killing me. I spent a lot of time and dough over the last few weekends to nuke my old lawn and reseed. The raccoons are coming in nightly and looking for food. Normally I would throw down some spectracide or something like that to get rid of he food source but am...
- How does this work?
- Thanks...cat food was very successful with the live traps for a long time. Not so much anymore.
- Thanks for getting straight to the point and not beating around the bush.
- man's gotta have a hat.. ya know..
Related Threads
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- Has anyone ever had raccoon problems? I have a really bad raccoon problem in my neighborhood and I just don’t know how to make them go away. They ransack my garbage worse than crows do and they freak me out. Just the other night when I was coming home, a raccoon pushed past me after sniffling...
- Man o man...These raccoons are killing me. I spent a lot of time and dough over the last few weekends to nuke my old lawn and reseed. The raccoons are coming in nightly and looking for food. Normally I would throw down some spectracide or something like that to get rid of he food source but am...
