The backyard hunt is on! We got chickens and i noticed a hole by the door of the chicken coop I figured the dog had made it, but I went over to look at it and it had coon tracks all in and around it. I got 2"x4" fencing on the floor to keep critters from digging under no not worried about them digging under, but I decided to put a cam out and got a masked bandit on camera, but it is at night. All of the pics were between 2230 and 0130. Any advice on hunting this bandit? I got a buddy with traps but I think it would be fun to take it with my bow. I got an existing tree stand in the back about 50 yards from the stand. i am thinking about moving my feeder to within bow range of it and sitting a couple early morning to see if I can catch him slipping back tot he creek line. I got lots of pics of coons on the treeline, but never had one in the yard messing with the chickens.
Yellow is prop boundary
Red boxes are chicken coops
Orange is existing feeder and min block
Blue is my ladder stand for archery practice
black is where I moved the fence too
Any ideas on how to bait him into a shot during the day. It is small game season right now so all that is good.
help with hunting a bandit.
- Tufrthnails
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- SamPotter
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
Doubtful you'll see him during daylight hours. A 220 Conibear bucket set with tuna or catfood as bait is extremely effective. There are also dog proof traps that are apparently pretty good too. You're going to have trouble hunting racoons unless you're willing to stay up all night. There's also probably more than one. Raccoons will kill every chicken you have. I'd suggest also locking the chickens in and the coons out every night.
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- Tufrthnails
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
Yeah the chickens are locked in at night. I've killed a few raccoons at my feeders on the lease so I'm curious if I can get them coming to the feeder here during the day as well.
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- headgear
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
Had a weasel kill 3 of my chickens last week, those little buggers can get in tiny cracks and won't even set off my traps half the time. They are safe at night but going to have to beef up security this spring.
Last edited by headgear on Sat Feb 27, 2016 1:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
I love chickens. Fun to watch.
Back when I had some, I had problems with oppossums and coons and dogs. But for the nighttime visitors I bought 4 guineas. They would feed mostly by themselves during the day but roost with the chickens at night. Several times when coons or oppossums would try to get into the hen house, the guineas would start yelling. I could hear them inside the house. I went out and took care of the invaders. The chickens never made a sound. The guineas were like an alarm going off.
You might try a box trap or two.
Back when I had some, I had problems with oppossums and coons and dogs. But for the nighttime visitors I bought 4 guineas. They would feed mostly by themselves during the day but roost with the chickens at night. Several times when coons or oppossums would try to get into the hen house, the guineas would start yelling. I could hear them inside the house. I went out and took care of the invaders. The chickens never made a sound. The guineas were like an alarm going off.
You might try a box trap or two.
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
The traps with tuna should work but be prepared to catch every cat in the neighborhood first
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
I would go with dog proofs. Bait with marshmallows, cat/dog food, tuna, or some sweets. Place them by the up wind of the trouble areas, spray some vanilla vegtible oil mix around area to peak there interest. Check in morning, dispactch, repeat. But you will need a trapping license I think. Not 100% sure could trap them under land owner nuisance laws?
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- Tufrthnails
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
Thanks guys I just talked to the neighbor across the creek today and he gave me permission to put box traps out on his side as well if I don't have any luck on my side. He said he has lost a few chickens over the years but this year he is seeing more and more in the early morning. I may put a cam up over there on a trail and see if they nesting/ bedding (whatever they do) on his property. I've shined all of my trees and I am not seeing them so I think they may live in his little swamp across the street.
Tuf- The below average hunting beast
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
We used bread w/mayo on it in a box trap - break the bread into pieces.
The dog proof traps with dog food or baby marshmallows.
You can set up a motion-detection light on the coop and sit by it if you really need to arrow one. Traps are easier and less time consuming.
Box trap would probably be better cause you are going to be killing possums too.
My wife wants chickens, once we do that, I will be trapping my land very heavily. She also wants guineas.
The dog proof traps with dog food or baby marshmallows.
You can set up a motion-detection light on the coop and sit by it if you really need to arrow one. Traps are easier and less time consuming.
Box trap would probably be better cause you are going to be killing possums too.
My wife wants chickens, once we do that, I will be trapping my land very heavily. She also wants guineas.
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Re: help with hunting a bandit.
Rich M wrote:We used bread w/mayo on it in a box trap - break the bread into pieces.
The dog proof traps with dog food or baby marshmallows.
You can set up a motion-detection light on the coop and sit by it if you really need to arrow one. Traps are easier and less time consuming.
Box trap would probably be better cause you are going to be killing possums too.
My wife wants chickens, once we do that, I will be trapping my land very heavily. She also wants guineas.
Guineas (the birds) are really cool a buddy has some and they are some snake killing fools.
My update is 3 neighborhood cats caught so far (all released unharmed) and two possums. No raccons yet. Once I found the cage flipped over and the cat food gone so I staked the cage. And once the food was just gone. I forgot to put a card in the cam so I'm not sure what happened with both of those. I have not had anymore raccoon traps by the coop, but I'm still after the little guys. My neighbor told me he found a possum sitting in one of the nesting boxes. He had eaten the eggs and was probably waiting for the birds to come off their roosts. So he is happy to hear the .22 go off in the morning when I check.
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