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Post by ceresone on Jul 14, 2015 13:19:21 GMT
I spent $225. for electric fencing, posts, etc. Then bought $75 for special sweet corn seeds. Planted 20 years of saved seeds(been frozen) so I could get fresh supplies. Everything from carrots to zucchini. Then it rained--for 3 weeks straight, over 11". Corn looked excellent--it outgrew the weeds, and each stalk had 2--or more ears. Last day of rain had a burst that laid down 90% of the corn--it could have recovered--BUT-it blew it onto the electric fence and shorted it out. I SAW 11 Raccoon there!! They devastated it in one night. Now-its WAR. I mowed down everything which they left, and now, i'm setting live traps. I do have a small raised bed in the back yard, so I still have some. The Black Cherry I got from Martin years ago, are huge this year, and so good--I have to fight the Mini_pins to get every fourth one!
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Post by Use Less on Jul 14, 2015 14:51:15 GMT
Oh, man, ceresone, that is so distressing. The shades of my nightmares. One year I trapped 13 woodchucks out of my garden. They kept coming up through the same tunnel just behind the garden extension, though, so I didn't lose a lot of stuff once I realized what was going on, and kept re-baiting the box trap. My first year trying sweet corn, the coons pretty much cleaned it out some 2 days or so before it was going to be ready.
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Post by Use Less on Jul 14, 2015 14:53:34 GMT
Oh, man, ceresone, that is so distressing. The shades of my nightmares. One year I trapped 13 woodchucks out of my garden. They kept coming up through the same tunnel just behind the garden extension, though, so I didn't lose a lot of stuff once I realized what was going on, and kept re-baiting the box trap. My first year trying sweet corn, the coons pretty much cleaned it out some 2 days or so before it was going to be ready. When you see that many coons at once, you want to be extra-careful of dogs, cats and kids (or you) getting too close. They typically have a population upswing, then get disease that knocks the population back a bit. 11 sounds like you are on the uphill side of that. Their diseases and their tiny livestock transfer to people and pets.
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Post by oxankle on Jul 16, 2015 23:48:42 GMT
Trap and shoot~! I've had that experience with coons. They will eat an entire tree of peaches in one night. They will push down and eat your corn, kill your chickens and rabbits.
I must have killed close to a hundred on the last place I lived, and I'm told I'll have them here.
Woodchucks I know are here--I've seen them.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2015 1:31:06 GMT
That's how you know the best time to pick sweet corn. It will reach peak perfection the morning after the racoons get it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2015 1:54:23 GMT
Hmmmmmm...
A nice cool summer night, with an ever so gentle breeze whispering through the leaves, the fireflies flickering across the field, the stars twinkling away, enjoying the peaceful quite of the world turning on its axis... 
... and then suddenly...
PHHHT!!! PHHHT!!! 
The sound of a silenced Ruger 10/22 taking out another raccoon. 
I remember those nights well. At least that is how I used to take care of the raccoon problem. The ground hogs were dispatched during the day with a bow. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2015 22:28:52 GMT
Happy hunting....it will make you feel better
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