Backyard Birding Forum

Raccoons pillaged my suet feeder 2 nights in a row!
This time they left plenty of tracks. It was a new block. Oily coon tracks all over the deck rail.

Just put out a new block. Maybe I should sprinkle it with some capsicun pepper before dark... Or stay up late with the bb gun.

dude!  sacrifice a suet block tonight.

pics first, then pepper to keep them away. 

He came back 3 times last night that I saw him, I kept the lights on and scared him off each time.
Then he must have come back after I went to bed because he ravaged it.

Raccoon: 3    Suet: 0

I gotta get some hot pepper. Didn't make it to the store yesterday to get any.

matt!  pics first!

did it come back last night?

He came back again and cleaned me out! Sorry no pics, maybe I'll stay up late tonight to get some.

Walmart and Lowes didn't have any squirrel-away. Just ordered some through amazon.
I'm thinking about sprinkling cayenne pepper on it tonight. Gotta do some web searching to see if birds can taste that.
The squirrel away is mostly capsicum pepper.

immortal_suby:

He came back again and cleaned me out! Sorry no pics, maybe I'll stay up late tonight to get some.

Walmart and Lowes didn't have any squirrel-away. Just ordered some through amazon.
I'm thinking about sprinkling cayenne pepper on it tonight. Gotta do some web searching to see if birds can taste that.
The squirrel away is mostly capsicum pepper.

birds cannot taste the hot.  no worries.

This has got to be a mexican raccoon.
I covered the suet in cayenne pepper. Got the video camera ready and finally went to bed around 11 without seeing him
.
Woke up this morning to find another empty suet feeder.

raccoon: 5    suet: 0

Waiting on the squirrel-away before I put out another block. I hope my woodpeckers don't leave.

get your squirrel-away yet?

 

let me know how it works, matt.  i'm getting pissed off at the squirrels digging up the bulbs we planted.

Squirrel away hasn't arrived yet.

I haven't put out any more suet, and he is angry.
He tore down a section of the screen I have on the deck to get to a tube feeder. He ate most of the seed from it.

I'll try to get pics tonight.

It's becoming hard to resist the urge to shoot him. Muddy coon prints all over the deck rail now.



I've used squirrel away many times in the past on squirrels and it works pretty good on them. Give it a try.

immortal_suby:

This has got to be a mexican raccoon.
I covered the suet in cayenne pepper. Got the video camera ready and finally went to bed around 11 without seeing him
.
Woke up this morning to find another empty suet feeder.

raccoon: 5    suet: 0

Waiting on the squirrel-away before I put out another block. I hope my woodpeckers don't leave.

LOLOL!!! That comment cracked me up! This is a funny thread.


Unfortunately these damn 'Coons eat just about anything so spices probably adds nothing but a nice zing to the meal.

I second the idea of the BB gun. Or a paintball gun. Or a power hose.

You gotta give it a good scare and then somehow not give it the opportunity to raid the suet feeder. These guys are really smart and opportunistic, not to mention very bold especially when there is food around.

When doing field research in the Everglades, we left our beer (unopened - so should be safe, right?) outside the tents and when we woke up next morning, those lil shits had used their opposable thumbs and opened our beverages! We knew it was 'coons cos I saw their dirty muddy spoor prints all over my poncho that was left to dry next to the beer cans. And someone's field notes were half eaten too! What the 'coons didn't eat, the vultures finished. &$*#*!

Good luck. At least you don't have a family of them coming into your backyard. Hehehehe ... Just hope that one isn't pregnant.

Still waiting on the squirrel-away to come.,
If it doesn't work, A friend is letting me borrow his trap. I used it to clear 2 stray cats out of the backyard a few months ago. Plenty big enough for a coon.


Poor woodpeckers, all this time and no suet for them.

could you put the suet out in the AM and bring it each night?

Oh yeah! Good idea, Gil! *lol*

That certainly is a very effective solution. As long as food isn't available to these RATS, they will eventually find another house to go raid.

Be careful when handling the 'coons if you are able to trap them. They can be quite agro especially since they are obviously unafraid of people, and you do not want to get bitten.

Take pics if you catch this lil guy!

I always wanted a racoon for a pet ... .. . A tame one, that is.

Squirrel-away arrived today. I coated a suet block in it. So far no sign of my little fat buddy.

did it work?

So far no new sign of the coon. The suet is in good shape.
Filled the tube feeder on the deck today with feed mix laced with squirrel away. Hoping maybe the couple weeks of no food discouraged any more visits.

Just for good measure I also laced my ground feeder and tree box with squirrel away. Of course I got some pepper in my eye while filling the overhead tree box. Ouch!

that's great news!

how is it supposed to hold up to rain?

BTW, i'm renewing my war with the squirrels.  they haven't been able to get to my feeders, but they're digging up the yard, and munched on a fair number of bulbs we planted.

Unfortunately, some of it does get washed away with rain.

I went a step further in the war yesterday. I mounted a 1/2" tube about 3 feet long to the deck post. Set it out horizontally but with a slight incline. Tapped a hole in the end to hang the suet feeder, and greased the pole with vaseline. Let's see that coon try to walk the tightrope!

that's awesome!

 

did it work?

So far there has been no sign of his return. I look for claw marks in the vaseline each morning. My woodpeckers are very happy to have the suet back.

fantastic.

let's hope it stays that way.  even though i'd love to see a video of the raccoon slipping off.