[67drake]

I bought a rental property last week that I’m gutting. It was vacant for a few years and has signs of a raccoon (or a few) living there. Smell, fresh turds, ect. Thing is when I looked at the property there was 8 inches of snow on the ground that had been there a few days, and I’m positive there were no tracks around the house. As I said it was vacant, so there was no food or heat there.
Anyway is there another way to get rid of them besides trapping? I’m just afraid if I put a baited trap out I’m going to lure every possum, coon, coyote for miles around. I keep a .22 rifle in my truck, but I have yet to actually see one. I’m guessing they just come in at night and look around and crap then leave. But if I don’t see them I can’t shoot them.

[nashcar]

My opinion as a hunter and lifelong home remodeling contractor is they are living inside. They mostly hibernate in the winter and are beginning to come out now. They are easy to trap with a large hav-a-heart trap. Bait it with a can of cat food or tuna fish. You may have one or a complete family. Careful about breathing in the smell, it can give you respiratory problems. Your other choice is to call a wildlife control person. Good luck.

[67drake]

Ah, that would make sense. I didn’t know they hibernate. That would explain no tracks when I looked at the house originally. Some of the droppings couldn’t be more than a week old. Maybe they’re up and around now.
I have to get rid of them as I’ll be starting remodeling soon as demo is almost done.
Thanks!

[Bills Auto Works]

Originally Posted by nashcar

My opinion as a hunter and lifelong home remodeling contractor is they are living inside. They mostly hibernate in the winter and are beginning to come out now. They are easy to trap with a large hav-a-heart trap. Bait it with a can of cat food or tuna fish. You may have one or a complete family. Careful about breathing in the smell, it can give you respiratory problems. Your other choice is to call a wildlife control person. Good luck.

Definitely This!

However, you may find that they could possibly leave on their own as your human presence becomes more frequent & work begins!

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...closed.614419/

[cdrookie]

Bait the traps with marshmallows, that way smell won't bring in other critters. They are pretty smart though, if you have several they might figure the traps out after a while. Also if the property is rural call the local coon hunters club.

[67drake]

I used to hunt them myself years ago when you made a decent buck on hides. I just have no time to camp out and wait for them. I remember they were active at night That’s why I can’t figure out where they’re sleeping during the day, as I am tearing this thing down to the studs, including the floor. Not too many hiding places left.
A guy told me of a concoction of Mountain Dew and some pesticide you can mix up, and they don’t make it too far. But I don’t want them dying in my crawl space either! I wouldn’t want to have someone’s pet drinking it also.
Either way I’ll borrow a live trap I guess, and try the marshmallow bait.

[Jonsie]

If it's a female and she gives birth to babies, it'll be hell getting them out if there

[67drake]

Yeah, and it’s the time of year for that I suppose!
I bought a live trap today as I was buying a ton of building supplies anyway. No marshmallows there, so I just put a can of tuna flavored cat food in there. I’ll see if I get anything when I go back tomorrow.

[thepontiacman]

Figuring out how they get in and stopping that or changing things so they can't get in is a good idea.

Had to cut trees down that hung over storage to stop them. Haven't had problem since.

[242177P]

Best bait is an egg, they absolutely cannot resist them.

[67drake]

Nothing in the trap two days in a row. I just put an egg in there today as suggested. So we’ll see.

[West Coast GTO]

Crawlspaces and attics( hopefully no holes in the roof or overhangs) are where I have found them when performing home inspections.
BTW, they have very sharp claws and can be very aggressive when cornered.

[Jonsie]

Originally Posted by West Coast GTO

Crawlspaces and attics( hopefully no holes in the roof or overhangs) are where I have found them when performing home inspections.
BTW, they have very sharp claws and can be very aggressive when cornered.

Triple that if they are defending their young

[Jack Gifford]

And- rabies is fairly common to them.

[OZZIEVILLE 67 2 door]

The title of this thread has a complete different meaning downunder.
Don't ask
JL

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk

[Jonsie]

FWIW, since you haven't actually seen the animal, it could be an opossum. One of them got inside the attic of my Mom's house years ago. I suppose it doesn't much matter, either coon or possum, both can be nasty

[67drake]

True. But there was a dead raccoon up in the rafters when I was doing demo. Looks like it had been there for awhile as it was kind of dried up.
What do you bait a opossum with?
There are currently ways to get in the house as many soffit and facia are rotted. My friend is supposed to be starting on that Monday, so whatever it is will be blocked out. I just don’t want it damage to the new materials after they are put up, in case it’s stubborn

[Jonsie]

At my Mom's I used a lot of moth balls w/a fan, as I had access to the attic. Couple days later, he was gone. Try cut up carrots too, lay a small "trail" to the Have-a-Heart

[Region Warrior]

Opossums eat same as raccoons, anything they can catch.

[67drake]

Originally Posted by Region Warrior

Opossums eat same as raccoons, anything they can catch.

Ok, thanks. Kind of what I figured.
Still nothing in the trap. I set it Sunday night. Still have canned cat food and a whole raw egg in there. I figured the field mice would at least be eating the food! Nothing. I guess that’s not a bad thing though. Just surprised as the property is in a wooded area, and borders DNR land.