What would you do?? Yesterday afternoon a guy knocks on my door and says "This may sound strange but there is a head poking out of the roof over your Gutter". Went around to the front and my gutter spikes (4 of 'em) are hangin loose, gutter in bend down and there is a BIG Racoon poking its head out of my enclosed porch roof. She is very large and pregnant. The other half and her kids start yellin at me when I get the pistol out and tell me Im not permitted to shoot this one, shes to cute. Ok so I'll set the live trap, but Noooo, I cant do that either. So I guess I let her climb in and out till she downloads the babies then she gets wacked!! Thought about taken her out today while they were gone so I could fix the gutter, but my conscience wouldnt let me. I guess I could shoot her with the Kodak Magnum and throw darts at it.
Help??

As a veterinarian, I would opt for quietly removing her when the rest of the family isn't home. Make sure your kids don't touch any of the raccoon feces as they carry some potentially deadly parasites that kids are at high risk to contract. I inherited the ultimate raccoon remover from my grandfather-it's a six foot pole with a spring loaded four prong jaw on the other end-it's silent and extremely deadly so the other half never knows when pest control is under way...

Jarod Hanson, DVM

i'm with Jarod.
Coons are cute, but carry too many diseases & are too destructive to keep around a family home.

Thanks Doc--Ive been trying to tell them that racoons carry diseases such as rabies, etc---And Im also concerned about my bestest huntin' partner Jake the German Shorthair. They just dont understand that these cute little critters can cause some serious problems. I am gonna put the live trap out where she has been food huntin' then I can move her way out in the south 40 and hope she dosent have mapquest. Thanks again

When we lived in Montana a coon tore the face of my 90# malamute up something fierce! Good sized vet bill (mostly for infection) & 6 yrs later the scars are still all over his snout.

50 cent bullet and some ear plugs when the family is away...
Cute is cute but deadly is worse...
Not worth the risk with the kids in mind reguardless of what the wife says...
JMO

I would go with the live trap since the coon is around your home. I'd be cautious about blood in any area where the kids may come in contact with it.

your a better man than i. it would be dead by now if it were me. i offer swiming lessons to wild life that wish to settle down in my residence. Im not a very good instructor

i dont like to kill what i wont eat but there is a safty issue here

I'll go against everyone else and say let 'em be... What are they really hurting? Sure, they carry diseases, but so does everything else.
I would throw a handfull of corn out for them so your family can sit and watch 'em....better than watching the idiot box.

Jim

I had a problem with one here a while back and I had to go to the fish and wildlife office to get a permit to dispatch it. I was using leg traps and fish and wildlife actually told me the best way to get them was with the leg trap and throw them in a garbage can full of water and throw the lid on. I can just imagine what peta would think about that. As far as what do they hurt, how about the fish in my pond and my neighbors pond or the shed they keep breaking into to get my dog food, or there is the one that comes in the cat door to help himself to whatever, as far as I'm concerned they may be cute but so are baby mice, I have no problems eliminating them.