Are Raccoons Dangerous? – 3 Tips To Deal With Raccoons

The Pest Informer ^ | none given | The Pest Informer

[DallasBiff]

Raccoons are commonly viewed as adorable and affectionate beings, however, they are ultimately wild creatures. They have the potential to be hazardous and may carry sicknesses that can pose a threat to humans. In this blog post, I will discuss essential information you should consider about raccoons before determining whether they are suitable for coexisting on your premises or not.

[Clutch Martin]

I was taking my car out on a test run around this 10 Mile Loop out where I live. I got down to this Pond Road and this sweaty looking raccoon who was crossing the road going into yard reared up and challenged my car... totally cray-cray... batta-bing batta-boom...

One rainy night I was driving down another country road and it was a gully washer out there. I saw a raccoon ahead carrying a kit, relocating it away from flooding streams... I stopped, she went back across the road several times carrying the rest of her litter to her new spot out of harms way. It was cute... that one wasn’t crazy it was just a mama protecting her babies. I stayed there with the lights on illuminating her trips back and forth. She was hard at work.

In my area there’s a recognized rabies problem with raccoons so you have to be careful.

[minnesota_bound]

James Blackwood - Raccoon Whisperer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofp26_oc4CA

This guy feeds nearly 2 dozen raccoons.

One night he ran out of hotdogs.
The next day the sheriffs deputies found only bits of his clothing....
🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝
🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝

[Hootowl]

It’s a conundrum. I’ve got one living under my mobile home. Wildlife people won’t do anything about it. Humane Society won’t do anything. It’s illegal to kill them in town and illegal to live-trap and transport. When I block off the skirting where the damned thing is going in, it tears it open again. Think I’ll buy a squaller and see if I can’t lure it out, then put something heavy over the place where it goes in and out.

[Hootowl]

It’s a conundrum. I’ve got one living under my mobile home. Wildlife people won’t do anything about it. Humane Society won’t do anything. It’s illegal to kill them in town and illegal to live-trap and transport. When I block off the skirting where the damned thing is going in, it tears it open again. Think I’ll buy a squaller and see if I can’t lure it out, then put something heavy over the place where it goes in and out.

[redfreedom]

Interesting about the rabies. I also cart the carcasses off about a mile away and chuck them into a ditch. They ripen up in a couple days, then they are gone.

Same with any other critter, except skunks. Several years ago I had a pile of dead beaver by the lake. The stench was so bad a person couldn’t get within a hundred feet of it. Then the whole pile was just gone. A few claws and snare cables were all that were left.

Back to rabies. I’ve been charged by rabid skunks twice. They don’t move very fast, the white fur is yellowed and walk with a stagger. And they are persistent in coming at you. In one case a skunk went after me, then tried to get my wife, then the kids.

A general rule is if you see a skunk in the daytime, shoot it.

[PIF]

Country formula for eliminating raccoons :

1 can of Coca-Cola (Pepsi in a pinch).
generous pour of antifreeze
Dash of rat poison
Served in a pie pan.

Coons can usually get 5-6 feet away before tragedy strikes

[Pennsyltucky Boy]

Four tips:
- Secure your garbage container lids with Coon-proof fasteners.
- Never feed Coons
- Never allow dogs or cats to engage with Coons
- Any Coon that shows itself during day light without fear is sick and should be shot, or any Coon that frequents areas near your house without a show of fear should be shot or trapped and removed to a ten mile radius away form your locality

[rineaux]

Crazy coon story.

Best to your friend.

Trash Panda, LOL.

Thanks

[blackdog]

Squirrels, coons, do not relocate. They will make it back if cars and predators don't get them first. I measured this by spraypainting their tails red when I release them. A week, a month, they are back.

The only success in zero returns to home, was by crossing the Mississippi River from Memphis, to Arkansas.

So I am driven to cross state lines across a river two miles wide, or put a pellet in their head, and burying them a yard deep in the mulch pile. They REALLY STINK once dead.

[kvanbrunt2]

They REALLY STINK once dead.>>> I see. They stink while still breathing. I think pellet. I might pellet some groundhogs this summer. i’m in a very close suburb. and i might pellet the raccoons. Black trash bag. pick up on tuesday and friday. I have traps but i really don’t want to deal with an enraged coon. The bobcat is a very interesting situation, however. The raccoons climb the fence where there is a tree so when i cull the trees the coons might not show up.

[kvanbrunt2]

It’s illegal to kill them>> Are you sure it is illegal to kill them. A pump pellet gun (crosman) will do it. And these are not really considered firearms as they don’t fire. From window inside the house/mobile. Or try poison. Antifreeze with tuna.

[SamAdams76]

Here is what Grok3 has to say about this:

Raccoons aren’t inherently dangerous to humans in the way a bear or a venomous snake might be, but they can pose risks depending on the situation. They’re wild animals—smart, adaptable, and opportunistic—and that’s where the trouble can start.

Generally, raccoons won’t attack unprovoked. They’re more likely to rummage through your trash or sneak into your garage than square up for a fight. But if they feel cornered, threatened, or are protecting their young, they can get aggressive. They’ve got sharp claws and teeth, and a bite or scratch could lead to a nasty infection even if it’s not life-threatening outright. A study from the CDC notes that wildlife like raccoons account for a small but real chunk of animal bites treated in the U.S. each year—nothing compared to dogs, but not zero either.

The bigger concern is disease. Raccoons are known carriers of rabies, a virus that’s almost always fatal once symptoms show up if you don’t get treated fast. Not every raccoon has it—rates vary by region—but the risk is real enough that health officials say to never approach one acting weird (aggressive, stumbling, or out in daylight more than usual). They can also carry parasites like roundworms, especially in their droppings, which can mess you up if you accidentally ingest them—think neurological damage in rare cases. Kids and pets are most at risk here since they’re more likely to stumble into that kind of mess.

Data-wise, attacks are rare. You’re not seeing raccoon maulings in the news daily—maybe a handful of notable incidents a year, often when someone tries to handle a sick or injured one. For context, the National Park Service and wildlife agencies report more issues with property damage (raccoons love attics) than human harm. Still, if you live near woods or urban edges, locking up garbage and avoiding contact is the play. They’re not cuddly bandits, whatever TikTok shows.

So, dangerous? Not usually, but don’t test them. Keep your distance, and you’re fine.

[kvanbrunt2]

The ones in my yard on occasion are twice that size.

[kvanbrunt2]

well if it crawls away and dies that is ok. not the best but. I can’t discharge a firearm in the hood. pellet, when no ones looking. may be the bobcat will eat em. but i doubt that.

[kvanbrunt2]

Drowning them is the quickest way. Shooting them often ruins the cage when the bullet passes through and cuts a cage wire. And they don’t always die right away, even after being shot several times.>>. You are not drowning them. You are teaching them to swim. My dad did that with the local squirrels.

[blackdog]

Best time ever on the farm....

Get your fly rod and folding chair, a cooler of beers, and set up about 25 yards away from the groundhog mound-hole. Make a slip-knot at the end of the fly rod line, the same diameter as the hole. When the groundhog pops it's head up, set the line and hang on tight. It takes a good hour to tire the thing out. What you do with it then is up to you.

It takes about another hour for the next one to pop up.

[Hot Tabasco]

The 6 mile rule is a must or they will find their way back.

I tried that on two separate occasions with feral cats. Both found their way back within 5 days.

I live in suburbia where coons outnumber those in the wilds. If I trap them, I shoot them.....Same with possums....

Same with squirrels, I've shot over 50 in my back yard in the past 11 months already, and they just keep coming.

[blackdog]

Not to mention, passers-by really want to see what you’re up to fly-fishing in the middle of a pasture or hay field??

[Palio di Siena]

Throw the cage in a 55 gal drum of water

[rlmorel]

I went camping with some friends at Acadia National Park some years back and we were all sitting around a roaring campfire when we heard a noise behind us. We turned and saw the biggest, fattest raccoon I have ever seen in my entire life. I estimated it at about 50 lbs. I have never seen a wild animal so obese.

It looked at us insolently for a few seconds before ambling unconcernedly away.

A while later, a Park Ranger came by to tell us to reduce our fire, and when we told him about the raccoon, he knew exactly what raccoon we were talking about and referred to it as “The General”!