Raccoons (6621)

Raccoons are an interesting and valuable member of Pennsylvania’s wildlife community, but they can cause problems around gardens and cornfields, or as unwelcome guests in buildings.

The raccoon's rotund body and well-known ring-tail and black mask make it unmistakable. Raccoons normally weigh ten to twenty pounds, but they can reach twice that weight. Raccoons are generally active at night year-round, but very cold weather and deep snow sends them to dens until the weather improves. Their diet is quite varied and includes both plants and animals.

Raccoons are classified as a game animal in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. If they are causing damage to property, the property owner does not need a hunting license to control the problem.

Raccoons especially like corn. They seem to prefer sweet corn to field corn and have an uncanny ability to select ripe ears. Damage is very easy to identify. Raccoons break down stalks and chew kernels off the cobs.

Commercial growers with a raccoon problem can reduce the population most efficiently by inviting a local hunter, preferably one with hounds, or a trapper to take care of raccoons on the farm.

As a home gardener, you can protect small areas with an electric fence. Use a hot wire, placed four inches above a three-foot mesh fence that has the bottom bent outward from the garden. Alternatively, use a single strand of electrified wire eight inches above the ground.

Of course, if safety and regulations allow it, one or two animals can be shot with a .22 rifle. If you want to relocate the raccoons instead, catch them in a sturdy, large box trap. Sardines or fish-flavored cat food make excellent baits. Check with a Pennsylvania wildlife conservation officer regarding the procedures to be followed for trapping and disposal of game animals. Remember, raccoons are powerful and clever animals.

If you have an unwelcome raccoon in your home, barn, or henhouse, trap and remove it. For safety, use a live trap instead of a steel-jaw trap. Prevent recurring visits by raccoon-proofing the building. Cover access holes, fix broken windows, or repair whatever is broken.

Check for raccoons before sealing an attic or storage area. It is cruel to inadvertently seal a raccoon in an attic, and a severe odor problem can result when the animal starves to death.

Raccoons frequently seek out chimneys as a den site. You'll need a wildlife control operator to safely remove an adult animal and a litter of young. To prevent the problem, install an animal-proof chimney cap. Wildlife pest control operators are permitted in most counties and can be found in the phone book.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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