For the last few weeks there has been a raccoon “visiting” our property.  He has left his messy calling card at my garbage bin several times and my wife informed me that he even paid a visit to the chicken coop in the middle of the afternoon last week.  The deal breaker came Sunday afternoon when he attempted to scale the property fence in order to sample my free ranging ladies.

As you may have guessed, our dog, Stanley was fast asleep inside the house on every occasion when Mr. Raccoon dropped by.  I say this because I can’t blame the dog.  No animal (not even a squirrel) will venture into the backyard if Stanley is on patrol.  But, age is catching up to old Stanley and sleep has become his favorite pastime these days.  Now that I think about it…..sleep has always been Stanley’s favorite pastime.

So last night, I borrowed a trap from my brother and then proceeded to bait it with a delicious aromatic sardine.  Like clockwork, Swiffer woke me with her dreaded EGG SONG this morning and I stumbled outside to take a peak at the trap and……….GOTTCHA!

Ya… I know there’s a bunch of you out there saying “Oh…he’s so cute”.  Well…it wouldn’t be too darn cute to wake up one morning and find that buddy has gotten in to the coop and killed my hens.  Not to mention that free ranging during late afternoons and weekends has been severely curtailed now that Mr. Raccoon is boldly walking around my property in the middle of the day.  So much for being a nocturnal animal!

Well Mr. Raccoon….you are officially being EVICTED from City Boy Hens!   So off we went, wife (camera person), myself and one freakishly stinky raccoon for a “little drive”.  Note: My brother passed on this great tip. Make sure to put a plastic liner (tarp) down before placing the trap in your vehicle……just in case Buddy decides to leave you with a thank you present for the relocation favor.  Pick up trucks and trailers would work great in these situations because the trapped raccoon would be outside of the vehicle’s interior, thus preventing the “present” from stinking & staining  your vehicle interior.

Once you arrive at your destination, point the front of the trap towards a covered area.  This will help the raccoon  feel that the odds are in his favor for a successful escape.

Next…carefully open the door to the trap.  You’ll need to have something on hand to keep the door open at this point. Your hand is probably not a good choice!   For me, my 1986 Titan 1020 hockey stick was the perfect tool for the job.

“And down the ice comes Sittler…….He sees a break in the defence.    He moves to his right…..fakes a shot……….He shoots……He scores!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh…I almost forget…….Make sure you wear your best flannels and steel-toe crocks for the job!  It’s always important to look your best in your safest gear!