Raccoon protection?

[Ufatz]

Danged coons are all over the place some nights. I really don't want to shoot them. They are breaking down feeders etc. Anybody have deterrents that have been proven?

[Steve Foss]

One BIG dog.

Seriously, if you have feeders in the branches of trees, coons will climb the trees, so you can wrap them in sheet metal for about a 4-foot stretch starting a couple feet above the ground so the coons can't climb.

If you have feeders on posts, they need to be at least four or five feet off the ground so coons can't jump to get them, and then you need to wrap the posts the same way or the coons will climb the posts.

Low tray feeders attached to the trunks of trees or put on low posts are pretty impossible to coon-proof.

[MT Net]

Squirrels have been raiding our feeders until we added cayene pepper and/or crushed red pepper to the seed in the feeders. Gave the squirrels hot mouth, they pretty much have left them alone.

Not too expensive and worth a shot. Once the coons get hot mouth, maybe they'll leave the feeders aolne.

Or live trap them.

[MOBY RICHARD*]

Hello If your trees are too big to wrap or you dont like the looks of the metal just string them with 1/8" galvanized steel cable high and wide between two or more trees If you set the bottoms no lower than ten feet from the ground and the sides no closer than six feet from the trees you will thwart most bears in this area and most everyone else except the squirrels The squirrels may travel from other trees through the canopy and climb down To battle them I use the best quality mostly metal mostly squirrel proof feeders with tipsy domes over them and try to eliminate grabbing holds on the tops and tree side of the feeders Be sure that your hanging loops are closed or someone will play banjo on the cable till they bobble enough to drop then they will do the Monster Mash on them and not only clean you out but destroy your feeders Otherwise you can go to a heavy steel pole system with similar distance and thwarting specs Sooner or later someone will figure a way to get to them but this will greatly reduce the raids The night feeding flying /gliding squirrels may still get to them but I like having them over and they are not so hoggish "The squirrel wars go on"