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Description
We've been losing chickens to a varmint over the last month, four young and one full grown, but really others over the past years, as well.

Enough's, enough. We had secured the roost, reinforced the outside doors and closures, but raccoons are clever and adaptable.

Going on the offensive we set a trap. Traps are interesting, in that it takes days to get the right combination of light touch to finding an irresistible meal. We used marshmallows. It would be much easier if we were not trying to keep it unharmed.

My wife came back with the news. It worked. Now what to do. Obviously we had to find a final solution to ridding us of him. I brought out my gun and placed 3 shells in the chamber, wanting to inflict the least pain on the captive. Touching a live wild animal was out of the question.

By the time I got back to the coop, he had quieted down and had accepted his fate to being held. As he was no threat, I put the gun away and got out gloves and a thick packing blanket to securely bungee cord around the cage.

Now what? I placed him in the back of the pickup, not wanting a wild desperate animal to escape inside my car, and drove 9.4 miles away to a forest a bit past the Brown County State Park. Opening the cage door close to the woods, he quickly fled into the underbrush to the safety of his new world. We both breathed a sigh of relief. All this by 6am.

Don't come back. OK.

Feel free to download, just give me photo credit.

eugene spiegel

When I found this spot, I knew it was the right place. Open land, not near anyone's homestead, next to the forest, with foliage and water nearby.

For the next week, we'll keep resetting the trap. Might be more. I'll try to not harm them if possible.

Description
We've been losing chickens to a varmint over the last month, four young and one full grown, but really others over the past years, as well.

Enough's, enough. We had secured the roost, reinforced the outside doors and closures, but raccoons are clever and adaptable.

Going on the offensive we set a trap. Traps are interesting, in that it takes days to get the right combination of light touch to finding an irresistible meal. We used marshmallows. It would be much easier if we were not trying to keep it unharmed.

My wife came back with the news. It worked. Now what to do. Obviously we had to find a final solution to ridding us of him. I brought out my gun and placed 3 shells in the chamber, wanting to inflict the least pain on the captive. Touching a live wild animal was out of the question.

By the time I got back to the coop, he had quieted down and had accepted his fate to being held. As he was no threat, I put the gun away and got out gloves and a thick packing blanket to securely bungee cord around the cage.

Now what? I placed him in the back of the pickup, not wanting a wild desperate animal to escape inside my car, and drove 9.4 miles away to a forest a bit past the Brown County State Park. Opening the cage door close to the woods, he quickly fled into the underbrush to the safety of his new world. We both breathed a sigh of relief. All this by 6am.

Don't come back. OK.

Feel free to download, just give me photo credit.

eugene spiegel

When I found this spot, I knew it was the right place. Open land, not near anyone's homestead, next to the forest, with foliage and water nearby.

For the next week, we'll keep resetting the trap. Might be more. I'll try to not harm them if possible.