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Author Topic: relocating animals  (Read 6245 times)

Offline BjornBee

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relocating animals
« on: November 23, 2010, 11:54:40 am »
I'm moving raccoons out of my garage via live traps. I also last week caught a opossum.

My questions is....do these animals have a "homing" ability to work their way back to my property?

I am taking them about 6 miles away. Is this far enough? I know some animals can travel hundreds of miles to get back home. But what about raccoons and opossums?

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Offline VolunteerK9

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2010, 01:38:20 pm »
Ive had experiences with 'relocated' animals before. One year I noticed a huge increase in raccoons and skunks at the barn wreaking havoc on my chickens and then I found out why. I caught a 'Certified Pest and Critter' removal vehicle making a deposit of his days work on the side of the road at my farm. After a brief and not so pleasant chat with him, he takes them elsewhere. I'm just suggesting that if you decide to relocate them somewhere, make sure that your problem critters do not turn into someone elses problem critters. As for me, I relocate them to the Happy Hunting Ground in the sky. I know it doesn't answer your original question as far as homing ability, and for that I apologize but keep in mind that coons aka masked chicken killers are prone to carry rabies and possums aka bald faced chicken killers are prone for e.coli. My traps are at the barn, so in order for me to catch them, they must have had a chicken dinner on their mind anyways.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2010, 02:01:56 pm by VolunteerK9 »

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2010, 01:53:30 pm »
Just make sure to mark them first, that way you'll be able to tell if it is the same ones coming back.  A hole through the ear, something like that should do the trick.  And since they get pretty feisty when you get near the cage, you might want to use a tool such as a .22 to mark them.
 :-D
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Offline AllenF

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2010, 05:08:40 pm »
I normally take the animals back to Atlanta to set them free when I catch them around the barn or the chicken pen.   Just take them to work with me and let them go.  It can be a real hoot.   But with the coons now, I am real afraid from what I hear about how easy they carry rabies.   I use a 22 on the coons now.

Offline JP

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #4 on: November 23, 2010, 10:33:21 pm »
I like the idea of relocation, no need to kill unnecessarily but then again as the others mentioned you don't want others to inherit your problem.  Take 'em to the big woods is my vote.


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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2010, 10:57:45 pm »
I always mark them with a .22... and they never come back...
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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2010, 11:57:56 pm »
I always mark them with a .22... and they never come back...


Especially when roasted at 450 degrees for 4 hours while stuffed with a sweet tater/cornbread stuffing. 



Tastes something like pork to me.
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Offline VolunteerK9

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2010, 08:06:04 am »
I always mark them with a .22... and they never come back...


Especially when roasted at 450 degrees for 4 hours while stuffed with a sweet tater/cornbread stuffing. 



Tastes something like pork to me.

My grandfather used to catch possums and feed 'em corn for a while to clean 'em out. Then bake with a few sweet taters. I've killed a number of them, but I just can't convince myself to see them as a food source. Who knows, with enough bbq and hot sauce anything tastes good.

Offline danno

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2010, 09:29:00 am »
I most states it illegal to transport any live wildlife.  That being said our state park had problem with coons in the camp grounds so began trapping and moveing.  The problem didn't seem to be getting better so they started painting them with spray paint before hauling them away.  within a couple of weeks they had large numbers of floresent orange coons in the camp grounds. 

Offline David McLeod

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #9 on: November 24, 2010, 11:36:47 am »
First, check the legal implications of trapping nuisance wildlife. In almost all jurisdictions there are either minimal, or exemptions to, regulations for property owners suffering damage regarding the trapping of wildlife. Be sure though to inquire as to what constitutes damage in your jurisdiction. In some areas it may be the mere presence of (as it is in GA and AL) or there must be a monetary loss (as in NC) or in some areas the animal must be in flagrante delicto aka caught in the act.
Also look into required permits and licenses. Some require none for property owners (as it is in AL), others require licensing for the capture of ANY wildlife (as it is here in GA) and others also require a seperate depredation permit (as it is in NC). Some of these licenses incur a fee and others do not. Here in GA homeowners and property owners can recieve a FREE 30 day trapping license upon request.
Once trapped there are further restrictions placed upon transport and disposal of wildlife. In almost all areas transport of wildlife, ie., possession, is governed and does require licensing and permitting if for no other reason than to make life easier upon conservation officers. Disposition is a whole nother can of worms as well. It can be broken down more or less into three groups; relocation allowed, relocation not allowed and the release on site or euthanize option. In the first group there are almost universal regulations upon geographic area of release plus almost always require written permission of the landowner where the release occurs plus a general prohibition upon release onto public lands. The second group usually bases their policy upon RVS (rabies vector species) protocols and require euthanasia of RVS (as it is here in GA) and possibly other species. Note, some stipulate or prohibit specific methods so be sure to look into that as well. The third group is a hybrid of the two former and gives one the option to either release the animal at the site of capture (such as in the case of removing an animal from a structure) or opting to euthanize if release on site would not solve the problem (as in the case of a coop raider).
Irregardless of specific regulations upon licensing, permitting, transport, relocation and euthanasia all jurisdictions have regulations as to the type of capture equipment available to be used and the methods of employment. For instance FL, CA, CO, NJ, MA all prohibit the use of foothold traps (in NJ the mere possession of is a felony). Almost all others have restrictions upon jaw size and placement (TN must use rubber jawed unless enclosed in a burrow or hole, GA 5.75" INSIDE jaw spread, AL 6" OUTSIDE jaw spread, MS no restriction on jaw spread). Snares are another area of contention. In some states all are prohibited yet in other there are a myriad of restriction such as loop size, height above ground, deer stop and closed loop size, BADs (break away devices), etc. Here in GA the use of snares is prohibited except for beaver yet the very same snare for beaver also is prone to the incidental catch of otter as well, all otter incidentally caught must be left at the site of capture go figure. Also the definition of a snare varies as in GA and AL the collarum device (probably the most safe, non lethal and humane canine capture device ever devised) is considered a snare since it uses a snare as part of it's design and is prohibited yet in AL powered foot snares (which are very similar in function to the collarum) are a legal device.
BTW, do not forget to learn the specific time intervals to monitor your traps in your trap check laws or the required labeling or tagging of your traps to provide owner identification of your traps.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2010, 12:14:43 pm by David McLeod »
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Offline David McLeod

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2010, 12:06:16 pm »
Please don't take the last as some sort of chop busting. I regularly run into this as a professional trapper aka NWCO. I would just like to advise folks to watch their backs since one never knows when the local animal control, game warden, or just plain old nasty neighbor starts snooping around. I don't know about other areas but here I seriously doubt the DNR will ever go looking to bust a homeowner for taking care of business but one never knows what would happen if the stink ever hit the oscillator.

As far as relocation goes this is what I have observed in my profession operating in two states (one allowing and one not). Opossums, no. Raccoons, personally never seen them return but have heard others claim it to be true (studies invariably show very wide dispersal from relocation sites, they don't stay where you put them). Squirrels, no but they need to go at least ten miles. Bats, absolutely and always yes to established roost sites, hence trapping is never indicated. Total structural seals and exclusions are a must, euthanasia is NOT an option. Skunks, no. Armadillos, no. Coyote, Fox, Otter, Beaver, Nutria, Bobcat, Mink, Muskrat and Moles I would not know as I never relocate these species. Currently all carnivores and RVS (save bats) I euthanize as per GA regs.
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Offline Irwin

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #11 on: November 24, 2010, 01:03:32 pm »
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Offline AllenF

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #12 on: November 24, 2010, 05:25:10 pm »
We just do the first s when trapping around the chicken pen.   Then sling the coon out in the woods and the coyotes will take care of the rest for me at dark.   

Offline hardwood

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #13 on: November 24, 2010, 05:40:06 pm »
Aren't the coyotes more of a problem than coons? We have just about everything that eats chicken here and most take one or two at a time. I caught a coyote in the run a few years back (had actually broken through the chicken wire to get in). It had one in it's mouth but had killed all the rest for fun. Lost 30 birds that day.

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Offline AllenF

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Re: relocating animals
« Reply #14 on: November 24, 2010, 05:42:31 pm »
They can't get into my chicken pen, but the coons and squeeze through the wire on top.