# Raccoons got me!



## durtsay

Top dressed with compost and overseeded this area in early Sep since this whole side of the lawn was really thin. Was going really well until last night when a family of raccoons dug up the lawn.  Seemed to target areas with new seedlings. Frustrating…


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## TNguy

I feel your pain. I have also had issues with raccoons digging up grubs in my yard this year. I have had success using a live trap and relocating them several miles away. You could also try lead poisoning if you're a night owl and your neighbors aren't close.


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## BobLovesGrass

In some states it is illegal to relocate racoons, they spread disease and are territorial to the point they will kill each other if relocated to another territory.
Take a look at local laws.


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## Kstawski

I had a raccoon problem as well with my renovation. I got a motion detector sprinkler that did the trick!


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## Deadlawn

BobLovesGrass said:


> In some states it is illegal to relocate racoons, they spread disease and are territorial to the point they will kill each other if relocated to another territory.
> Take a look at local laws.





TNguy said:


> You could also try lead poisoning if you're a night owl and your neighbors aren't close.


I'm sure lead poisoning is illegal as well. :roll:

I like the motion sprinkler idea.


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## Kissfromnick

You don't need to relocate or scare raccoons. I would check what's in your soil. They dig only for food. Grubs, army warms or any others.


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## Tsmith

They will go after newly seeded lawns because they are easier to dig up than established lawns and unfortunately once they know about it and find something to eat will keep coming back. Motion lights and motion sprinklers help but raccoons quickly learn there is no danger.

I paid someone to remove a couple then purchased a cage to relocate which you're not supposed to do but it's that or drown in a bucket and bury in the woods.

If you fix those divots they should be ok.


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## Jeff_MI84

Do those motion sensor frequency things work with raccoons?


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## Deadlawn

Kissfromnick said:


> You don't need to relocate or scare raccoons. I would check what's in your soil. They dig only for food. Grubs, army warms or any others.


Where I used to live, raccoons' favorite targets were garbage cans. And it didn't help that most of the neighbors never covered their garbage cans.


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## Lawn Noob

Time to teach those trash pandas a lesson in territoriality!


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## Deadlawn

Lawn Noob said:


> Time to teach those trash pandas a lesson in territoriality!


Or time to teach stupid neighbors to cover their garbage. Then again, it may be easier to try and teach the raccoons.


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## Kissfromnick

Deadlawn said:


> Lawn Noob said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Time to teach those trash pandas a lesson in territoriality!
> 
> 
> 
> Or time to teach stupid neighbors to cover their garbage. Then again, it may be easier to try and teach the raccoons.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree with you if I can I would relocate some neighbours and keep racoons.


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## dicko1

Jeff_MI84 said:


> Do those motion sensor frequency things work with raccoons?


My experience says no.

One night they were running around on my roof. I went outside and picked up the hose and decided to squirt them as they poked their heads over the edge. Pretty soon, all three of them were staring down at me waiting to be sprayed. They loved it.


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## Deadlawn

****o1 said:


> Jeff_MI84 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Do those motion sensor frequency things work with raccoons?
> 
> 
> 
> My experience says no.
> 
> One night they were running around on my roof. I went outside and picked up the hose and decided to squirt them as they poked their heads over the edge. Pretty soon, all three of them were staring down at me waiting to be sprayed. They loved it.
Click to expand...

It sounds like they were rabid.


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## durtsay

Kstawski said:


> I had a raccoon problem as well with my renovation. I got a motion detector sprinkler that did the trick!


This sounds promising. I was thinking of either a motion light (which I've read the raccoons eventually get used to) or a motion sprinkler. Thanks!


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## durtsay

Kissfromnick said:


> You don't need to relocate or scare raccoons. I would check what's in your soil. They dig only for food. Grubs, army warms or any others.


We have tons of earthworms and also a couple months ago discovered large leopard slugs. Not sure about grubs yet as I have not seen any while repairing the lawn the last time the raccoons got me. But will probably have to add grub prevention during next years cycle.


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## durtsay

Ugh, fixed all the divots and last night, they came back and did a number to the lawn again…


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## g-man

You have to remove the food source.


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## Angler

durtsay said:


> Kissfromnick said:
> 
> 
> 
> You don't need to relocate or scare raccoons. I would check what's in your soil. They dig only for food. Grubs, army warms or any others.
> 
> 
> 
> We have tons of earthworms and also a couple months ago discovered large leopard slugs. Not sure about grubs yet as I have not seen any while repairing the lawn the last time the raccoons got me. But will probably have to add grub prevention during next years cycle.
Click to expand...

I had a very similar problem. I don't think I had enough grubs to damage my lawn, but I had enough for the racoons/skunks to dig. I tried the flashing red predator lights. They worked for a night or two until they realized there was nothing to fear. Once I applied Dylox, the digging was greatly reduced. I still get an occasional hole here or there,but they are pretty infrequent. I also have lots of earthworms, but I think they much prefer the grubs. I would try treating for grubs first.


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## Kstawski

durtsay said:


> Kstawski said:
> 
> 
> 
> I had a raccoon problem as well with my renovation. I got a motion detector sprinkler that did the trick!
> 
> 
> 
> This sounds promising. I was thinking of either a motion light (which I've read the raccoons eventually get used to) or a motion sprinkler. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have a motion light, also kept our yard lights on, and put containers of ammonia around the yard - did absolutely nothing. I don't have grubs but our neighbor leaves cat food out all night so they would venture into my yard and dig everything up just looking around. The only thing that helped was motion-activated sprinkler -( Havahart 5277 Motion-Activated Animal Repellent & Sprinkler). It also helped that when it turned on it makes this startling noise. Only a few nights and it did the trick to keep them away for good, it also helped with squirrels.


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## Thick n Dense

At least you don't have the rabbit-raccoon combo 

Do the obvious flip the grass back down. stomp on it and get it some water to kind of glue it back to the soil.

Since were in the colder months most of that should recover.

It's funny that they're in a horde or pack. 
Some of the damage I've had made me wonder if it was just one.


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## bryanjv

I used an orbit motion activated sprinkler, it seemed to work.


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## Twenty02

Had a big problem with this last year on a roughly 500sf area that I sodded. They would rip up the sod corners constantly at night. My perfect sod looked like a war zone. I checked and treated for grubs, but didn't seem to matter much, they kept coming back for weeks/ months. After a month I finally put down chicken wire all over the new sod, fastened to the ground with deep plastic stakes. That did the trick, but was a pain to roll it up to mow. Finally my sod rooted strong enough that they moved on to easier pickings and I ditched the chicken wire. But even a year later they would still come back and pick at the corners under a tree where it never rooted well. I didn't care at that point.

I'd try that.... actually if I were doing it again I'd use the plastic landscape netting/barrier rather than chicken wire. The wire cut the heck out of my arms messing with it.


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## Cluelessone

Once they get "rewarded" with any kind of food, they tend to make it part of their nightly check. So even if there are no grubs now, they're still going to come back until deterred.

I have trapped and disposed of 3 raccoons that were "frequent offenders" of my yard - nothing else will work.


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## durtsay

Angler said:


> durtsay said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kissfromnick said:
> 
> 
> 
> You don't need to relocate or scare raccoons. I would  check what's in your soil. They dig only for food. Grubs, army warms or any others.
> 
> 
> 
> We have tons of earthworms and also a couple months ago discovered large leopard slugs. Not sure about grubs yet as I have not seen any while repairing the lawn the last time the raccoons got me. But will probably have to add grub prevention during next years cycle.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I had a very similar problem. I don't think I had enough grubs to damage my lawn, but I had enough for the racoons/skunks to dig. I tried the flashing red predator lights. They worked for a night or two until they realized there was nothing to fear. Once I applied Dylox, the digging was greatly reduced. I still get an occasional hole here or there,but they are pretty infrequent. I also have lots of earthworms, but I think they much prefer the grubs. I would try treating for grubs first.
Click to expand...

Dug up an area to see what food source is in the soil and to check for grubs but only saw boatloads of earthworms. Perhaps like you, there are still some grubs but not enough to damage the lawn yet. Will try treating for grubs along with a motion sprinkler in short term.


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## durtsay

Twenty02 said:


> Had a big problem with this last year on a roughly 500sf area that I sodded. They would rip up the sod corners constantly at night. My perfect sod looked like a war zone. I checked and treated for grubs, but didn't seem to matter much, they kept coming back for weeks/ months. After a month I finally put down chicken wire all over the new sod, fastened to the ground with deep plastic stakes. That did the trick, but was a pain to roll it up to mow. Finally my sod rooted strong enough that they moved on to easier pickings and I ditched the chicken wire. But even a year later they would still come back and pick at the corners under a tree where it never rooted well. I didn't care at that point.
> 
> I'd try that.... actually if I were doing it again I'd use the plastic landscape netting/barrier rather than chicken wire. The wire cut the heck out of my arms messing with it.


Thanks. This sounds like a good idea too (just happened to see a friends lawn with chicken wire this past weekend). They're definitely targeting the area where I overseeded since it was so thin and not healthy. Hope some of the new grass survives long enough to develop strong roots although each time they dig they're killing new grass. Trying to repair as much as possible but I know I haven't gotten it all.


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## Lawn Noob

Cluelessone said:


> Once they get "rewarded" with any kind of food, they tend to make it part of their nightly check. So even if there are no grubs now, they're still going to come back until deterred.
> 
> I have trapped and disposed of 3 raccoons that were "frequent offenders" of my yard - nothing else will work.


I agree.


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## Angler

I'm thinking about getting the Havahart trap out. They haven't been diggjng much lately, but last night they pulled up several of my pansies just for the heck of it I guess. They are pretty destructive.


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## Alexk2020

I have dealt with significant racoon issues here in Canada at different properties. It became a hobby to defeat them at their game. This is what I found worked and did not.
1. They seem fair weather grazers. You dont see them on the rainy nights but as soon as it clears up they are back.
2. They typically come back at a similar time every night.
3. They typically enter your lawn area at the same spot every time. See next point.
4. The motion sensor sprayer works if correctly angled and lined up to where they enter from.
5. If you have cats they will quickly learn to walk around the motion sprayer i.e. its a non-issue for them. The raccoons dont seem to grasp this concept..
6. Cayenne pepper is highly effective to. The challenge is you need to add it after each watering. Buy it at Walmart in the Eastern foods section seems the cheapest.
7. While raccoons dont seem to like flood lights it does not scare them off.
8. For a more advanced option setup a Wyze cam to a Rancho irrigation controller using IFFT and trigger it to go off with motion detection. Under this option you are bulletproof. One challenge is that you can end up watering your lawn more than you want to. The Wyze cam will also help you with points 1 to 3 above..
9. Grubex works but you have to use it at the correct time of year.
10. Laying down light duty bird netting also works. Staked down. Kind of impractical unless you have just reno'ed. If you are dealing with deer in your garden to you probably already have some of this netting...
11. If you really give them a good scare they will climb trees.

That's about all I can think of for now. If you follow even half of these points your wife is going to think you spend way to much time on this...

Good luck.


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## durtsay

Alexk2020 said:


> That's about all I can think of for now. If you follow even half of these points your wife is going to think you spend way to much time on this...


Haha! Thanks for the tips. I did go ahead and get an Orbit yard enforcer motion sprinkler. The wife definitely thinks I'm crazy already. But at least she was a good sport and agreed to pretend to be a raccoon to help dial in the range of the motion detection and sprinkler! :lol:


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