Identification - The raccoon is a distinctively marked, stocky mammal with a prominent black "mask" over the eyes and a heavily furred, ringed tail. The raccoon is about 2 to 3 feet long and weighs 10 to 30 pounds. The animal is a grizzled salt and pepper gray with black above, although some individuals are strongly washed with yellow.
Habitat - Raccoon prefer hardwood forest areas near water. Raccoons den in hollow trees, ground burrows, brush piles, muskrat houses, barns and abandoned buildings, dense clumps of cattail, haystacks, or rock crevices.
Diet - Raccoons are omnivorous, eating both plants and animal foods. Plant foods include all types of fruits, berries, nuts, acorns, corn, and other types of grain. Animal foods are crayfish, clams, fish, frogs, snails, insects, turtles and their eggs, mice, rabbits, muskrats, and the eggs and young of ground nesting birds and waterfowl.
Behavior - Raccoons are nocturnal. Adult males occupy areas of about 3 to 20 square miles, compared to about 1 to 6 square mile for females. Adult males tend to be territorial and their ranges overlap very little. Raccoons do not truly hibernate, but they do "hole up" in dens and become inactive during severe winter weather. Raccoons are excellent climbers and are capable of gaining access to buildings by climbing conventional fences or by using overhanging limbs to bypass the fence.
Reproduction - Raccoons breed mainly in February or March, but mating may occur from December through June, depending on latitude. The gestation period is about 63 days. Most litters are born in April or May but some late-breeding females may not give birth until June, July, or August. Only one litter of young is raised per year. The average litter size is 3 to 5.
Raccoons occasionally kill poultry, usually biting
the heads off and leaving them at a distance from the body. They also try
to remove chicks from pens by pulling them through the wire, leaving them
with no feet or legs. Damage to fruits and vegetables includes partially
eaten corn with the husks pulled back, and watermelons with a small hole
and the contents pulled out. Damage to lawns occurs when raccoons search
for grubs by rolling up freshly laid sod. This is common in mid to late
summer when young raccoons are learning to forage for themselves. Raccoons
damage buildings when they try to gain access to attics or chimneys or raid
garbage in search of food. Under extreme circumstances, they may tear off
shingles or facia boards.
Exclusion - Exclusion
is usually the best method of coping with raccoon damage. Poultry damage
generally can be prevented by excluding the raccoons with tightly covered
doors and windows on buildings or wire fences with an overhang surrounding
poultry yards.
Habitat Modification - There are no practical means of modifying habitat to reduce raccoon depredations, other than removing any sources of food or shelter which may be attracting the raccoons to the premises.
Raccoons forage over wide areas, and anything other than local habitat modification to reduce raccoon numbers is not a desirable technique for reducing damage.
Frightening - Although several techniques have been used to frighten away raccoons, particularly in sweet corn patches, none has been proven to be effective over a long period of time. These techniques have included the use of lights, radios, dogs, scarecrows, plastic or cloth streamers, aluminum pie pans, tin can lids, and plastic windmills.
Repellents - There are no repellents, toxicants, or fumigants currently registered for raccoon control.
Trapping - Raccoons are relatively easy to catch in traps, but it takes a sturdy trap to hold one. For homeowners with pets, a live or cage-type trap is usually the preferable alternative to a leghold trap. Traps should be at least 10xl2x32 inches and well constructed with heavy materials. They can be baited with canned fish flavored cat food, sardines, fish, or chicken. Place a pile of bait behind the treadle and scatter a few small bits of bait outside the opening of the trap. Other effective traps include: Conibear-type (body-gripping traps), D-P trap and Egg trap (foot hold traps), Pocket set and Dirt-hole sets. These traps can be very effective in trees, near water and in soil, but they may trap other animals or pets if not set properly.
Shooting - Raccoons are seldom seen during the day because of their nocturnal habits. Shooting raccoons can be effective at night with proper lighting. Many states have restrictions on the use of artificial light to spot and shoot raccoons at night, and shooting is prohibited in most towns and cities. It is advisable to check with state and local authorities before using any lethal controls for raccoons.
Prepared by: Michigan State University Extension,
Genesee County.
G-4215 West Pasadena Avenue, Flint, MI 48504. (810) 732-1470. 5/97
Michigan State University Extension programs
and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin,
sex, disability, age or religion. Michigan State University, U.S. Department
of Agriculture and counties cooperating. MSU is an affirmative-action equal
opportunity institution.
