Is This Racoon Rabid?

[Sam]

My wife and I are having dinner at 8PM tonight, with the sun still out, and we look out of our kitchen bay window to see a racoon up against a big oak tree in our back yard.

 

The racoon then decides to climb the oak tree and lay down on a branch about 40 feet from the ground.

 

My wife says the racoon must be sick. I say the racoon is just waiting for dark to get into our trash cans again.

 

What do you guys think?  Is Rocky Racoon sick? Is this normal behavior for a racoon?

 

And then I go into my garage to fetch the mornnig newspaper and a big, fat doe is grazing in our field. I  opened the garage door and waked towards her yelling for her to go back into the woods and she just stands there and looks at me.

 

Isn't this great? A racoon in the oak tree in my back yard and a big fat doe in the field.

[Darren.]

Doubtful. We had a rabid raccoon in our yard last year, behavior was erratic, kind of crazed. Paced a lot -- all during the daylight hours.

 

I've also seen a raccoon camping out about 40-50 feet up in one of our trees in the daylight. That one was probably like yours, camping out until the humans aren't busy anymore so he can rummage through your trash.

[deaknh03]

just acting like a racoon. climbing, hanging out, racoony type stuff.

[clayton86]

Nothing a 20gr game point from a 17hmr can't take care of.

[rockchalk06]

Skunks and coons biggest enemy are cats. Mos lt of the time when you see nocturnal animals in the day, they have been disturbed.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Nope not rabid. Just doing its thing. I'd be more than happy to help rid you of the coon. Have dogs and rifle. Will travel.

[Sam]

Thanks, guys.

 

We have pictures from our outdoor camera of a big fat racoon that frequents our back yard but never such a small one that we saw yesterday.

 

Could be one of the offspring doing their thing.

 

The racoon was gone from the tree this AM.

 

Thanks again for everyone's imput.

[Bankbeater]

Racoon was probably checking to see what trash can he was going to hit next. 

[Hyrule Bass]

i can understand not wanting raccoons around, but whats wrong with having a doe in your field? unless youre worried about eating your garden, plants, and young trees..

[llPa1nll]

i can understand not wanting raccoons around, but whats wrong with having a doe in your field? unless youre worried about eating your garden, plants, and young trees..

 

Deer + Deer Ticks = Sooner or later Lyme Disease

[Bluebasser86]

There's a big raccoon that walks across the boat ramp every Wednesday night as we're taking out from our evening tournament. He'll walk under trucks and boat trailers on the ramp if they're in his way to get to the trash can next to the ramp where everyone has thrown their trash from the evening. He's never acted aggressive or spooked at all, just hungry and he knows where to get an easy meal. 

[aquaholic]

There is a disease that raccoons get that is much more common than rabies but has some of the same symptoms so many people get them confused. As far as the one you described, during the spring nursing females can be found during the day (i think its similar to new parents waking up at all times of the night to take care of a baby). 

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

It was just hanging out watching you eat your dinner and waiting for the left overs to end up in the trash.  Sounds like a pretty smart coon.  Snare it, 12 inch circle, 3 inches off the ground!  That will take care of it for ya  

 

Jay

[deaknh03]

Nope not rabid. Just doing its thing. I'd be more than happy to help rid you of the coon. Have dogs and rifle. Will travel.

 

I think there's a pretty good chance that your rabid. 

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I think there's a pretty good chance that your rabid. 

You have no idea. I love kill in me some coons. Them little feist dogs do a good job of it too. As long as you got two or more. Otherwise they are a bit outmatched. Yet will still go for Mr. Ringtail.

[MCS]

You have no idea. I love kill in me some coons. Them little feist dogs do a good job of it too. As long as you got two or more. Otherwise they are a bit outmatched. Yet will still go for Mr. Ringtail.

 

Try yourself a patterdale they will get the job done solo....those are some bad little mofos

[clayton86]

We run blue ticks

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Try yourself a patterdale they will get the job done solo....those are some bad little mofos

That's a awesome little dog. Don't know how they would do for squirrel though. Coon they may do pretty good with. Heck if it will tree they would be worth it.

The alpha feist I run for squirrel is a dang beast. All she wants to do is hunt. I honestly think its all she dreams about too. I've never seen a dog with the drive and determination she has.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

We run blue ticks

I like coonhounds. If I had the space I wouldve had two of them.

[MCS]

That's a awesome little dog. Don't know how they would do for squirrel though. Coon they may do pretty good with. Heck if it will tree they would be worth it.

The alpha feist I run for squirrel is a dang beast. All she wants to do is hunt. I honestly think its all she dreams about too. I've never seen a dog with the drive and determination she has.

 

They are point and shoot kinda dogs, not to say they won't sniff out an opponent, but they mostly work them on running barns etc. for coon or sending down ground hog burrows.

 

You gotta love a dog that loves to work. She sounds like a good one.

[RAMBLER]

If you have wildlife that close to you and that aren't alarmed by your presence, you should feel lucky.  They have found a place where they can feel safe and not threatened.  Enjoy it and get some good pictures.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

They are point and shoot kinda dogs, not to say they won't sniff out an opponent, but they mostly work them on running barns etc. for coon or sending down ground hog burrows.

 

You gotta love a dog that loves to work. She sounds like a good one.

She certainly is. Her tally is close to 36 squirrels, 2 coons, 12 opossum, numerous chipmunks, and more lizards then I can count. All of this was her hunting them down in my parents neighborhood. These were her kills. Sounds ridiculous doesn't it?

In the woods with me she knows she ain't gotta run them down. Dog will tree them all day. Squirrel and coon. She's good at getting the other dogs fired up also.

[derekxec]

sounds like every other coon ive seen lol one used to sleep in the tree in my backyard along with a opposum...we used to trap them when i did condo maint but here when you trap them you cant transport them unless you have a license so instead of paying a $20k fine we had to put them in a trash can full of water

[deaknh03]

years ago we had one under the house, setting up camp. we had a pest control guy come over, he trapped it, and asked if we wanted him to relocate it, for an extra fee. my roommate at the time told him we would take care of the relocation. the pest guy asks him where he was gonna relocate it, my buddy casually says "heaven". priceless look on the pest guys face.

[Sam]

The old story about the uncle takes his nephew hunting racoons along with the uncle's favorite dog.

 

The uncle tells the nephew that the uncle is going to climb the tree when the dog trees a racoon and then knock the racoon out of the tree.

 

The dog will then grab the racoon by its balls and shake it until it is dead.

 

The uncle then gives the nephew a shotgun and says" be ready to use this on the dog if I fall out of the tree first!"