Holy Guacamole!

I'm assuming you'll be baiting your trap with tortilla chips?
I mean, c'mon..Avocados and jalepenos?

Very serious, I like to eat everything that grows in my garden, and this guy seems to be growing fat off my produce. So yes, If he gets into the trap, he gets into the oven. I've eaten stranger things than this before.

Someone asked about growing avocado, and it's very easy.
Just take the seed from an avocado and let it dry for about a week. Pot it up in a tropical mix type soil and wait about two weeks for it to sprout.
They make a great house plant and tend to grow pretty fast.

And spacedoubt, nacho chips in the trap might just work. I'll give it a try.
I was going to use a piece of bacon, but with that I might just catch the neighbours cat.
And I'm not asking anyone for a recipe for cat.

Ok, I'm judging you already know how to clean an animal. If not there are plenty of sites to get that info, and I don't want to gross out some of our fellow members any more than I have to.

So after you have the animal skinned and all that other gory stuff, you are left with the coon.

Easiest way? Make a stew with it. Potatoes, Carrots, the usual stuff. You may want to soak the meat in milk over night to pull out some of the "game flavor," it can be a little overbearing.

Now if this was a squirrel I would say just fry the legs up like you would chicken, but I have never seen anyone eat a fried coon leg.

Jeez I'm hungry now.

If you ever have an alligator problem, though, let me know. I will personally go alleviate that problem, as I only have two pounds in my freezer right now.

[edit on 9/2/07 by niteboy82]

No problem there, I've killed, and gutted more animals than I could count, and many different species. I was practically raised in the woods.
I've just never had to cook a raccoon before.




Not too worried about a game flavour. Just about everything has been on my plate that's available in North America.
I've never been fond of bear or cougar, but I know people that cook it pretty well, and I prefer my seal cooked. I never could get used to raw seal liver when I lived in the north, but hey, some people like it that way.

I may give your milk idea a try though.





Funny you mentioned squirrel, I snagged a fat one last week that was eating the corn cobs. It turned out really well, and if the raccoon won't go in the trap I'm sure to get another squirrel.




You're welcome at my table anytime Nightboy. My husband may not dine with us, (city boy), but I know we'll eat well.

I just wish I had an alligator problem, but sadly, they just don't come this far north. Oh well, I'll just settle for what we have.


Hey Nightboy, have you ever had the pleasure of having moose for dinner ?
Some people think it's a bit too gamey, but it's one of my favorites.

I'll give it a try. Thanks!

(Altho, I was told that the plant won't grow new fruits... I take it your experience was otherwise...?)

I guess I should wish you good luck on your 'coon ventures... (I'd think you'd have more luck with something that's smelly and rotten than a tortilla chip... I mean, it'll eat either, but it'll come faster if it's following its sniffer...)

reply to post by Diseria

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Well I have an update on trying to trap the raccoon with no luck the first night.
I hung a bit of bacon on the hook that springs the door of the trap, and within 2 hours I heard it snap closed while I was working in the kitchen.
I looked out the door all excited, and damn, it was a cat.

I flipped it open to release it, and actually had to shake it out of the cage because it was so frightened. But I'll try again tonight and see what happens.


As far as avocado growing goes, you need to realize it takes 10 - 15 years for them to set flowers depending on the variety. And the first flowers probably won't set fruit, but just fall off.

For proper fruit to grow conditions need to be just right, and you need to be careful about salts building up in the soil. Brown edges on the leaves will indicate the need to repot in fresh soil.

They make a great house plant, but get them outside in warm weather.

Good luck, and have patience......

Watch out, I tried to shoo away a 'coon with one of my golf clubs at the golf course and the thing went gangsta on me!

Raccoon 1 / Dr Love 0.

Peace

reply to post by Dr Love

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Sorry to here about your score with dealing with raccoons, I'd call for a rematch if I were you. Use a putter or sand wedge for lightness and maximum wackage.
Just don't let it get closer than swinging distance.

I've dealt with a lot of animals over the years, and so far, only two have managed to injure me. One dog attacked me as a kid, and I learned something from the experience, and a horse bit my thigh once without too much damage other than a large bruise on my leg and a larger bruise on my pride. The horse would have done more damage, but I had jeans on under overalls so it didn't break the skin.

The trap I'm using for this guy fits nicely into a water filled barrel, so I don't even need to touch the animal before it's dead.

I think it had a baby close by and was in protection mode. It looked like Cujo. It would have torn my face clean off had I not split.

Peace

I live with anxietydisorder and this is becoming a joke.

It's not just the trap he put out, and all he caught was the neighbour's cat, but now he has an infrared camera watching the back where the vegetables are. I think he's obsessed but having fun at the same time.

If he catches it I'm spending the night out when he cooks it.

Oh now there's trouble in my house.
I might not have been able to catch it yet, but the hunt goes on.

I know Country Soul won't eat it if he knows what it is, but he has to let me catch it, it's a point of pride.
He can be such a softy when it comes to animals.

I'll put Country Soul on bread and water for a week if he won't at least let me eat the critter.



We will be having a talk later, and off line.............

BBQ sauce and a slow cooker, thats all you need.

Roper

Keep baiting your trap with bacon, lol!

I figure that the coon is safe after reading about your attempts. I have no fears for it, actually I'm expecting to hear that your better half had to release you from the cage when the bacon proved too tempting. Who's smarter, you or the coon; that is my main question at this point though I'm leaning in favor of the coon.

STM

And just a reminder: All the viruses that coons carry don't always cook out. You'll be a drooling infant as your better half spoon feeds you oatmeal and will also have to wipe your bottom for you within months.

[edit on 9/7/2007 by seentoomuch]

Change your bait -- I found a list:



www.havahart.com...

Disgusting!

Fancy another species being in your garden, eating your vegetables...what right has a animal to the land?

Hope the raccoon bites you and you end up with rabies or distemper.

The animal has every right to the land, but I live on the third floor of an apartment in the middle of a city. My garden is in window boxes high above the land, and this sneaky bugger is leaving the land to forage for his food on my balcony.

I suppose you would also wish that anyone that goes hunting would have the gun go off in their face by accident.

Are you a vegetarian, have you given up all dairy products ?
If not, you have no right to criticize.

OK, I looked at the 'alleged' raccoon pix, and I'm just not seeing it.

I've done a negative image and outlined what I -think- you're seeing in yellow.

OK, actually it's more of an ecru.



Is this it?

reply to post by Badge01

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Oh great Badge, now I'm hunting anything light brown in my garden, thanks.

If I catch an ET snacking on my produce ATS will be the first to know.



And just an update, the trap was empty this morning, and I bated it with a bit of fat off the roast we had last night. Sadly I think this raccoon is a vegetarian.

Go with the marshmallow, AD. i want to know what 'coon tastes like. Added bonus: cats won't eat those.

Hey AD!

Perhaps this is your true calling and you just don't realize it yet, here it is:

www.youtube.com...

And here's another clip I found for your better understanding of the situation:

www.youtube.com...







Sincere side note to AD: All my input was based on your alleged sighting of a raccoon but now I'm wondering if anything was really there? I mean, come on, look at Badge01's study of the photos. There is no raccoon in the photo. It looks as though you were mistaken and saw venus or swamp gas or maybe you were

Have you considered professional help concerning these so-called sightings and encounters? Get help, AD and don't worry we're always here for you.

STM

[edit on 9/8/2007 by seentoomuch]