C-101

RACCOONS

Edward K. Boggess

Wildlife Program Manager

Minnesota Department of

Natural Resources

St. Paul, Minnesota 55155

Fig. 1. The distinctively marked raccoon

(Procyon lotor) is usually found in association

with water.

Damage Prevention and

Control Methods

Exclusion

Usually the best method for coping

with almost all types of raccoon

damage.

Habitat Modification

Remove obvious sources of food or

shelter around the premises; usually

not practical as a sole method of

controlling damage.

Frightening

Several methods may be effective, but

only for a short time.

Repellents, Toxicants, and

Fumigants

None are registered.

Trapping

Cage traps, body-gripping, and

foothold traps are very effective,

especially in conjunction with

exclusion and/or habitat

modification.

Shooting

Can be very effective, particularly if

trained hounds are used to tree the

raccoons. Local regulations may

apply.

Identification

The raccoon (Procyon lo tor), also called

“coon,” is a stocky mammal about 2 to

3 feet (61 to 91 cm) long, weighing 10

to 30 pounds (4.5 to 13.5 kg) (rarely 40

to 50 pounds [18 to 22.5 kg]). It is dis-

tinctively marked, with a prominent

black “mask” over the eyes and a

heavily furred, ringed tail (Fig. 1). The

animal is a grizzled salt-and-pepper

gray and black above, although some

individuals are strongly washed with

yellow. Raccoons from the prairie

areas of the western Great Plains are

paler in color than those from eastern

portions of the region.

PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF WILDLIFE DAMAGE — 1994

Coop erat ive Extension Division

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Animal Damage Control

Great Plains Agricultural Council

Wildlife Committee

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Range

The raccoon is found throughout the

United States, with the exception of

the higher elevations of mountainous

regions and some areas of the arid

Southwest (Fig. 2). Raccoons are more

common in the wooded eastern por-

tions of the United States than in the

more arid western plains.

Habitat

Raccoons prefer hardwood forest

areas near water. Although commonly

found in association with water and

trees, raccoons occur in many areas of

the western United States around

farmsteads and livestock watering

areas, far from naturally occurring

bodies of permanent water. Raccoons

den in hollow trees, ground burrows,

brush piles, muskrat houses, barns and

abandoned buildings, dense clumps of

cattail, haystacks, or rock crevices.

General Biology,

Reproduction, and

Behavior

Raccoons are omnivorous, eating both

plant and animal foods. Plant foods in-

clude all types of fruits, berries, nuts,

acorns, corn, and other types of grain.

Animal foods are crayfish, clams, fish,

frogs, snails, insects, turtles and their

eggs, mice, rabbits, muskrats, and the

eggs and young of ground-nesting

birds and waterfowl. Contrary to

popular myth, raccoons do not always

wash their food before eating, al-

though they frequently play with their

food in water.

Raccoons breed mainly in February or

March, bu t matings may occur from

December through Ju ne, dep ending on

latitude. The gestation period is about

63 days. Most litters are born in April

or May but some late-breeding females

may not give birth until June, July, or

August. Only 1 litter of young is raised

per year. Average litter size is 3 to 5.

The young first open their eyes at

about 3 weeks of age. You ng raccoons

are weaned sometime between 2 and 4

months of age.

Raccoons are nocturnal. Adult males

occupy areas of about 3 to 20 square

miles (8 to 52 km

2

), compared to about

1 to 6 square miles (3 to 16 km

2

) for

females. Adult males tend to be territo-

rial and their ranges overlap very little.

Raccoons do not truly hibernate, but

they do “hole up” in dens and become

inactive during severe winter weather.

In the southern United States they may

be inactive for only a day or two at a

time, whereas in the north this period

of inactivity may extend for weeks or

months. In northern areas, raccoons

may lose up to half their fall body

weight during winter as they utilize

stored body fat.

Raccoon pop ulations consist of a high

proportion of young animals, with

one-half to three-fourths of fall popula-

tions normally composed of animals

less than 1 year in age. Raccoons may

live as long as 12 years in the wild, but

such animals are extremely rare. Usu-

ally less than half of the females will

breed the year after their birth,

whereas most adult females normally

breed every year.

Family groups of raccoons usu ally

remain together for the first year and

the young will often den for the winter

with the adult female. The family

gradually separates during the follow-

ing sp ring and the young become

independent.

Damage and Damage

Identification

Raccoons may cause damage or nui-

sance problems in a variety of ways,

and their distinctive tracks (Fig. 3)

often provide evidence of their

involvement in damage situations.

Raccoons occasionally kill poultry and

leave distinctive signs. The heads of

adult birds are usually bitten off and

left some distance from the body. The

crop and breast may be torn and

chewed, the entrails sometimes eaten,

and bits of flesh left near water. Young

poultry in pens or cages may be killed

or injured by raccoons reaching

through the wire and attempting to

pull the birds back through the mesh.

Legs or feet of the young birds may be

missing. Eggs may be removed com-

pletely from nests or eaten on the spot

with only the heavily cracked shell re-

maining. The lines of fracture will nor-

mally be along the long axis of the egg,

and the nest materials are often

disturbed. Raccoons can also destroy

bird nests in artificial nesting struc-

tures such as bluebird and wood duck

nest boxes.

Fig. 3. The five long rear toes and the “hand-

like” front print are characteristic of raccoon

tracks. Except in soft mud or sand, the “heel” of

the hind foo t seldom shows.

4 1/4"

Hind foot

Walking

6"

Front foot

Fig. 2. Distribution of the raccoon in North

America.

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Raccoons can cause considerable dam-

age to garden or truck crops, particu-

larly sweet corn. Raccoon damage to

sweet corn is characterized by many

partially eaten ears with the husks

pulled back. Stalks may also be broken

as raccoons climb to get at the ears.

Raccoons damage watermelons by

digging a small hole in the melon and

then raking out the contents with a

front paw.

Raccoons cause damage or nuisance

problems around houses and outbuild-

ings when they seek to gain entrance

to attics or chimneys or when they raid

garbage in searc h of food. In many u r-

ban or suburban areas, raccoons are

learning that uncapp ed chimneys

make very adequate substitutes for

more traditional hollow trees for use

as denning sites, particularly in spring.

In extreme cases, raccoons may tear off

shingles or facia boards in order to

gain access to an attic or wall space.

Raccoons also can be a considerable

nuisance when they roll up freshly laid

sod in search of earthworms and

grubs. They may return repeatedly

and roll up extensive areas of sod on

successive nights. This behavior is par-

ticularly common in mid- to late sum-

mer as young raccoons are learning to

forage for themselves, and during

periods of dry weather when other

food sources may be less available.

The incidence of reported rabies in rac-

coons and other wildlife has increased

dramatically over the past 30 years.

Raccoons have recently been identified

as the major wildlife host of rabies in

the United States, primarily due to

increased prevalence in the eastern

United States.

Legal Status

Raccoons are protected furbearers in

most states, with seasons established

for ru nning, hunting, or trapping.

Most states, however, have provisions

for landowners to control furbearers

that are damaging their property.

Check with your state wildlife agency

before using any lethal controls.

greatly increase the effectiveness of a

fence for excluding raccoons.

Damage to sweet corn or watermelons

can most effectively be stopped by

excluding raccoons with a single or

double hot-wire arrangement (Fig. 4).

The fence should be turned on in the

evening before dusk, and turned off

after daybreak. Electric fences should

be used with care and appropriate cau-

tion signs installed. Wrapping filament

tape around ripening ears of corn (Fig.

5) or placing plastic bags over the ears

is an effective method of reducing rac-

coon damage to sweet corn. In general,

tape or fencing is more effective than

bagging. When using tape, it is impor-

tant to apply the type with glass-yarn

filaments embedded within so that the

Damage Prevention and

Control Methods

Exclusion

Exclusion, if feasible, is usually the

best method of coping with rac coon

damage.

Poultry damage generally can be pre-

vented by excluding the raccoons with

tightly covered doors and windows on

buildings or mesh-wire fences with an

overhang surrounding poultry yards.

Raccoons are excellent climbers and

are capable of gaining ac cess by climb-

ing conventional fences or by using

overhanging limbs to bypass the fence.

A “hot wire” from an electric fence

charger at the top of the fence will

6"

6"

Fig. 4. Electric fencing can be very effective at excluding raccoons from sweet corn or other crops.

Two wires are recommended, but o ne wire 6 inches above the ground may be sufficient. Electric

fence chargers are available at farm supply dealers. The fence can be activated at dusk and turned

off after daybreak.

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raccoons cannot tear through the tape.

Taping is more labor-intensive than

fencing, but may be more practical and

acceptable for small backyard gardens.

Store garbage in metal or tough plastic

containers with tight-fitting lids to

discourage raccoons from raiding

garbage cans. If lids do not fit tightly, it

may be necessary to wire, weight, or

clamp them down to prevent raccoons

from lifting the lid to get at garbage.

Secure cans to a rack or tie them to a

support to prevent raccoons from tip-

ping them over.

Prevent raccoon access to chimneys by

securely fastening a commercial cap of

sheet metal and heavy screen over the

top of the chimney (Fig. 6). Raccoon

access to rooftops can be limited by

removing overhanging branches and

by wrapping and nailing sheets of slick

metal at least 3 feet (90 cm) square

around corners of buildings. This pre-

vents raccoons from being able to get a

toehold for climbing (Fig. 7). While this

method may be practical for outbuild-

ings, it is unsightly and generally

unacceptable for homes. It is more

practical to cover chimneys or other

areas attracting raccoons to the rooftop

or to remove the offending individual

animals than to completely exclude

them from the roof.

Homeowners attempting to exclude or

remove raccoons in the spring and

summer should be aware of the possi-

bility that young may also be present.

Do not complete exclusion procedures

until you are certain that all raccoons

have been removed from or have left

the exclusion area. Raccoons fre-

quently will use uncapped chimneys

as natal den sites, raising the young on

the smoke shelf or the top of the fire-

place box until weaning. Homeowners

with the patience to wait out several

weeks of scratching, rustling, and

chirring sounds will normally be

rewarded by the mother raccoon

moving the young from the chimney at

the time she begins to wean them.

Homeowners with less patience can

often contact a pest removal or chim-

ney sweep service to physically

remove the raccoons. In either case,

raccoon exclusion procedures should

be completed immediately after the

animals have left or been removed.

Habitat Modification

There are no practical means of modi-

fying habitat to reduce raccoon depre-

dations, other than removing any

obvious sources of food or shelter

which may be attracting the raccoons

to the premises. Raccoons forage over

wide areas, and anything other than

local habitat modification to reduce

raccoon numbers is not a desirable

technique for reducing damage.

Raccoons sometimes will roll up

freshly laid sod in search of worms or

grubs. If sodded areas are not exten-

sive, it may be possible to pin the rolls

Fig. 5. Wrapping a ripening ear of sweet corn

with reinforced filament tape as shown c an

reduce racco on damage by 70% to 80%. It is

important that each loop of the tape be wrapped

over itself so that it forms a closed loop that

cannot be ripped open by the raccoon.

Fig. 7. Raccoon access to roo ftops can be

eliminated by pruning back overhanging limbs

and tacking slick sheets of metal at least 3 feet

square around corners of buildings.

Fig. 6. A cap or exclusion device will keep

raccoons and other animals out of chimneys.

These are available commercially and should be

made of heavy material. Tightly clamp or fasten

them to chimneys to prevent racco ons from

pulling or tearing them off.

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down with long wire pins, wooden

stakes, or nylon netting until the grass

can take root, especially if the damage

is restricted to only a portion of the

yard, such as a shaded area where the

grass is slower to take root. In more

rural areas, use of electric fences may

be effective (see section on exclusion).

Because the sod-turning behavior is

most prevalent in mid- to late summer

when family groups of raccoons are

learning to forage, homeowners may

be able to avoid problems by having

the sod installed in spring or early

summer. In most cases, however,

removal of the problem raccoons is

usually necessary.

Frightening

Although several techniques have

been used to frighten away raccoons,

particularly in sweet corn patches,

none has been proven to be effective

over a long period of time. These tec h-

niques have included the use of lights,

radios, dogs, scarecrows, plastic or

cloth streamers, aluminum pie pans,

tin can lids, and plastic windmills. All

of these may have some temporary

effectiveness in deterring raccoons, but

none will provide adequate long-term

protection in most situations.

Repellents, Toxicants, and

Fumigants

There are no repellents, toxicants, or

fumigants currently registered for

raccoon control.

Trapping

Raccoons are relatively easy to catch in

traps, but it takes a sturdy trap to hold

one. For homeowners with pets, a live

or cage-type trap (Fig. 8) is usually the

preferable alternative to a leghold trap.

Traps should be at least 10 x 12 x 32

inches (25.4 x 30.5 x 81.3 cm) and well-

constructed with heavy materials.

They can be baited with canned fish-

flavored cat food, sardines, fish, or

chicken. Place a pile of bait behind the

treadle and scatter a few small bits of

bait outside the opening of the trap

and just inside the entrance. Traps

with a single door should be placed

with the back against a wall, tree, or

other object. The back portion of the

Fig. 8. A cage-type live trap, although bulky and

expensive, is often the best choice fo r removing

raccoons near houses or buildings where there is

a likelihood of capturing dogs or cats.

Fig. 9. A “raccoon box” is suspended 6 inches

above the ground and is equipped with a

Conibear®-type trap. Suspended at this level,

this set is dog-proo f.

trap should be tightly screened with

one-half inch (1.3 cm) or smaller mesh

wire to prevent raccoons from reach-

ing through the wire to pull out the

bait.

Conibear®-type body-gripping traps

are effective for rac coons and can be

used in natural or artific ial cubbies or

boxes. Because these traps do not al-

low for selective release of nontarget

catches, they should not be used in ar-

eas where risk of nontarget capture is

high. Box or leghold traps should be

used in those situations instead. It is

possible, however, to use body-grip-

ping traps in boxes or on leaning poles

so that they are inaccessible to dogs

(Figs. 9 and 10). Check local state laws

for restrictions regarding use of

Conibear®-type traps out of water.

Raccoons also can be captured in foot-

hold traps. Use a No. 1 or No. 1 1/2

coilspring or stoploss trap fastened to

a drag such as a tree limb 6 to 8 feet

(1.8 to 2.4 m) long. For water sets, use

a drowning wire that leads to deep

water. The D-P trap and Egg trap are

new foot-holding devices that are

highly selective, dog-proof, and show

promise for reducing trap-related

injury. They are available from trap-

ping supply outlets.

The “pocket set” is very effective for

raccoons, and is made along the

water’s edge where at least a slight

bank is present (Fig. 11). Dig a hole

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Fig. 10. The leaning-pole set for raccoons is ano ther dog-proof set. The trigger should

be on top to prevent the trap from being sprung by squirrels or chipmunks. Bait

should be beyond the trap and covered so that it cannot be seen by birds. The set is

more effective if a few drops of fish o il or other lure are placed along the pole from

the ground level up to the trap.

Fig. 11. The pocket set is very effective for raccoons and mink. Place a bait in the back of the hole

above the water level and attach the trap to a one-way slide on a drowning wire leading to deep

water, or to a movable drag such as a large rock or a section of tree limb 5 to 6 feet long and 3 to 5

inches in diameter.

To deep

water

3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 cm) in diam-

eter horizontally back into the bank at

least 10 to 12 inches (25.4 to 30.5 cm).

The bottom 2 inches (5.1 cm) of the

hole should be below the water level.

Place a bait or lure (fish, frog, anise oil,

honey) in the back of the hole, above

the water level. Set the trap (a No. 1 or

1 1/2 coilspring, doublejaw or stoploss

is recommended) below the water

level in front of or just inside the op en-

ing. The trap should be tied to a mov-

able drag or attached with a one-way

slide to a drowning wire leading to

deep water.

Dirt-hole sets (Fig. 12) are effective for

raccoons. Place a bait or lure in a small

hole and conceal the trap under a light

covering of soil in front of the hole. A

No. 1 or 1 1/2 coilspring trap is recom-

mended for this set. It is important to

use a small piece of clean cloth, light

plastic, or a wad of dry grass to

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Economics of Damage

and Control

Statistics are unavailable on the

amount of economic damage caused

by raccoons, but the damage may be

offset by their positive economic and

aesthetic values. In 1982 to 1983, rac-

coons were by far the most valuable

furbearer to hunters and trappers in

the United States; an estimated 4.8 mil-

lion raccoons worth $88 million were

harvested. Raccoons also provide rec-

reation for hunters, trappers, and

people who enjoy watching them.

Although raccoon damage and nui-

sance p roblems can be locally severe,

widespread raccoon control p rograms

are not justifiable, except perhaps to

prevent the spread of raccoon rabies.

From a cost-benefit and ecological

standpoint, prevention practices and

specific control of p roblem individuals

or localized populations are the most

desirable alternatives.

Acknowledgments

Although info rmation for this section came from

a variety of sources, I am particularly indebted

to Eric Fritzell of the University of Misso uri,

who provided a great deal of recently published

and unpublished information on raccoons in the

central United States. Information on damage

identification was adapted from Dolbeer et al.

1994.

Figures 1 through 3 from Schwartz and

Schwartz (1981).

Figures 4, 6, and 7 by Jill Sack Johnson.

Figure 5 from Conover (1987).

Figures 8, 9, and 10 by Michael D. Stickney, from

the New York Department of Environmental

Conservation publication Trapping Furbearers,

Student Manual (1980), by R. Howard, L.

Berchielli, G. Parsons, and M. Brown. The

figures are copyrighted and are used with

permission.

Figure 11 by J. Tom Parker, from Trapping

Furbearers: Managing and Using a Renewable

Natural Resource, a Cornell University

publication by R. Howard and J. Kelly (1976).

Used with permission.

Figure 12 adapted from Controll ing Probl em Red

Fox by F. R. Henderso n (1973), Cooperative

Extension Service, Kansas State University,

Manhattan.

For Additional

Information

Conover, M. R. 1987. Reducing raccoon and bird

damage to small corn plots. Wildl. Soc. Bull.

15:268-272.

Dolbeer, R. A., N. R. Holler, and D. W.

Hawthorne. 1994. Identification and control

of wildlife damage. Pages 474-506 in T. A.

Bookhout, ed. Research and management

techniques for wildlife and habitats. The

Wildl. Soc. Bethesda, Maryland.

Kaufmann, J. H. 1982. Racc oo n and allies. Pages

567-585 in J. A. Chapman and G. A.

Feldhamer, eds. Wild mammals of North

America: biology, management and

economics. The Johns Hopkins Univ. Press,

Baltimore, Maryland.

Schwartz, C. W., and E. R. Schwartz. 1981. The

wild mammals of Missouri, rev. ed. Univ.

Missouri Press, Columbia. 356 pp.

Sanderson, G. C . 1987. Raccoon. Pages 486-499

in M. Novak, J. A. Baker, M. E. Obbard, and

B. Malloch, eds. Wild furbearer management

and conservation in North America. Ontario

Trappers Assoc., No rth Bay.

Editors

Scott E. Hygnstrom

Robert M. Timm

Gary E. Larson

prevent soil from getting under the

round pan of the trap and keeping it

from going down. If this precaution is

not taken, the trap may not go off.

Shooting

Raccoons are seldom seen during the

day because of their nocturnal habits.

Shooting raccoons can be effective at

night with proper lighting. Trained

dogs can be used to tree the raccoons

first. A .22-caliber rifle will effectively

kill treed raccoons.

Many states have restrictions on the

use of artificial light to spot and shoot

raccoons at night, and shooting is pro-

hibited in most towns and cities. It is

advisable to check with state and local

authorities before using any lethal con-

trols for raccoons.

Stake

Bait

Trap

Sifted soil

Dirt-hole Set

Set before covering

Excavated

2" to 3" deep

Bait hole

6" deep

Completed set

Fig. 12. The dirt-hole set is effective for all species of terrestrial furbearers, including raccoons. The

bait is placed in the hole and should be lightly covered with soil so that it is no t visible.

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