A Raccoon! About 15lbs and kept trying to get Brad to move so he could get to the water in our little water feature. I wondered why I was having to fill the thing daily but there were no leaks.
The Guard Poodle would have had a cow if she had seen this big 'ole squirrel looking thing.
He wanted to come in the house!
Good fly tying material?
I see streamer possibilities, dubbing…
Is it ok its not normal for them to do that
I’d darn well be calling fish and wildlife or the cops, any raccoon that will come up when people are around is DANGEROUS!!! Had one keep coming in my Dad’s backyard while the kids were out and we shot it. They had it tested and it was rabid.
Be real careful
Fatman
<Oh my gawd! NOT a rabid raccoon … PLEASE!!!>
Really, though. Do alert your animal control people (unfortunately, police can’t do much about it). It could be someone reared it from an early age (lacking fear of humans), it could also be rabid (no fear of humans), OR, it could be that it knows you have Guard Poodles food and water on the patio, and it’s all about a free lunch!
KB,
kept loosing bird seed and suet from several feeders. Moved one of my IR game trail cameras to see what was up as I suspected raccoons. Sure enough got 3 on camera when I first started. Got a nice cage trap from Tractor Supply and some raccoon lure. All of a sudden I’m out of lure six (6) coons later!!! So, next best thing according to a computer search is cut an apple in half, dig out the center and fill it with soft cat food. Supposedly sardines are second best on the lure list. Now have photos of three more critters and managed to get one more; but, somehow the last one or two have tripped the trap lid and didn’t get caught and they did get the cat food apple way in the back of the cage. This is war!!! Around here I’m always worried about rabid coons as they are about top of the list when we have an outbreak.
Byron, are you talking about that grizzly-dyed-ginger hair extension it’s dragging around behind it?
Ed
I think we will know pretty soon if it is rabid. I am pretty sure the dogs next door have tangled with it a time or two.
Betty, I was thinking the same thing. :roll:
He was trying to get to the water and Brad was in the way.
We have talked to Game and Fish. County Animal Control won’t do anything unless the animal actually attacks someone. Brad was between the 'coon and water but the flash on his phone would scare the critter off for a bit. I was going to stay up last night and watch for it, but wore out too soon.
We have had foxes in the yard and I saw coyote tracks in the snow last winter. Game and Fish says that the best way to get rid of the pests is to run the rabbits off and drain the water feature. Considering that the village idiot next door keeps 50+ lbs of dry dog food in a 20 gallon trash can with regular lid on the patio, I don’t think the rabbits are the worst of the problem. That lid is no challenge for the raccoon(s) and once the can is open, the foxes have nothing to stop them from a free meal, either. We could get rid of the two rabbits under our spruce tree but that won’t get rid of the other 20 or 30 in yards all around us.
We are going to let nature do the work for us. The predators will clear out the rabbits and then the predators will move on.
.410 shotgun. Works well on coons, rabbits and starlings. I have little problems except for the latter. Pesky starlings are hard to get with a .410; fast flyers and a .410 doesn’t throw a lot of lead out.
We may live “in the county” but that would get me arrested so fast YOUR head would swim, Kerry.
I would be very cautious of a coon chasing anyone. I would be especially concerned about rabies, when they act erratic, or aggressive. My kids had an armadillo chase them a few years ago, you should of heard them scream. I didn’t know they would come after you. They tried to shoe it off…but it wasn’t obliging.
Ok, well forget my suggestion. We don’t need you getting in trouble with the law.
The area we live in is typical suburbia but we are not located within the city limits of any municipality. That gives us one less layer of government which I like a LOT. It does pose some other issues, though. If we were in an area that was not as heavily populated, I could get away with trapping, popping, and otherwise taking care of the problem, but not where we are at.
I have never seen a raccoon that was truly afraid of people. Most are marginally cautious at best. This little guy wasn’t going after Brad with fangs bared or anything that agressive. Brad was between him and the water he wanted so he was trying to get by him more than anything, I think. Brad’s flash kept freaking him out and he would back off a bit then head for the water again. As soon as Brad came in side, he took a quick look through the door then jumped up on the water feature and drank his fill and left.
Raccoons can be ornery critters, but I think this little guy was thirsty. Kind of like getting between me and my Crown and Coke. 
While I would not want to tangle with the racoons that visit my yard (trying to get at the bird feeders), it’s those possiums I stay clear of. Two years ago a mom and her babies were feeding on the bird seed that fell to the ground. I went outside to try and chase them off, but momma would not hear of it and charged me. Quick as lightning and her hissing sound was not to be missed. I let her and her babies get their fill of seeds and when the crawled under the fence I blocked the entry way with a few river rocks I had. Little good that does as they are excellent climbers. They usually return each fall after dark to dig up my lawn for grubs. Each spring I reseed the damage they cause.
