Weird Racoon Experience

S

singlemalt

Well-Known Member
I live out in the country south of Brantford. Over the years I have shot a few sick raccoons. Early this fall I shot one that I assume had distemper or rabies. It was staggering, glassy eyed and very confused looking. This is unfortunately pretty common these days.

About two weeks ago late the the afternoon my dogs were barking at the window that looks out at our bird feeder. There was a big healthy looking coon under it. I just decided I would go out and scare him away. I walked to within about 20 feet of it and it started to come to me. Not in aggressive way just like it was curious and wanted to sniff me. Even this close it looked bright eyed and healthy although obviously it behaviour is not normal for a healthy wild coon. I decided I better dispatch it before my dogs had an ugly encounter with it. I went in and got a .22 and by then it was up on my deck. I did not want to shoot it on the deck but could not scare it off. It kept trying to come to me. Eventually I got it off by backing down the stairs myself and it followed me until I got it away from the house and I dispatched it.

A weird experience but stuff happens. Then yesterday it happened again! A big fat health looking coon in the yard in daylight with no fear of me at all. By the time I got the gun it had gone into my garage. I did not want to shoot it in there but it kept coming at me. Again not aggressive just like it was curious or friendly. I was actually pushing it with the barrel of the gun to keep it from getting close enough to actually contact me. Eventually I ended up back into a corner and had to shoot it in the garage. (Nice mess).

What do you guys think is happening? Maybe rabies but I would have thought a rabid animal would look quite ill before it displayed this kind of lack of fear. Both these coons looked very healthy bright eye, fat and had great coats. I was also wondering if some "Humane" Animal removal company is catching human habituated coons in the city and dropping them off near me. Although even in town they are not usually as tame as these. I am pretty sure no one nearby would be feeding coons. All my neighbours are realistic rural people with dogs and guns.
 
sounds like maybe they where captured in town kept at a shelter then released and associated humans with food either way they are vicious little critters and u don't need them that tame around your place
 
That is very strange! I've in countered a (what I think was a) rabid coon during bunny hunting a couple years ago, he saw me and looked at me with a glazed look, started coming at me and even showed teeth so I took no chances and exterminated that guy. But this instance as you described was a pretty healthy coon. I wonder if someone has been feeding this guy in your area that you may not know of or released from town?? Maybe he's gotten used to humans and saw you as an opportunity to get some tasty snacks lol. Not sure if you have young children around but if it were me I would take no chances...
 
About two yrs ago, I dispatched them by the dozen's, (Ingersoll area). It got so routine we even had a name for them, zombi coons. Front step, back deck, barns, shop. Not sure if our dog new better, he wouldn't touch them, and normally he make's quick work of raccoons, but he would sure let you know they were there. Wife was ready to move the day one was climbing up the screen on patio door. Had one stumble around my deer stand that deer season, watched it for I'll bet a hour cause I was to cheap to burn a $5 sabot, until it started up my tree? Made a mistake that day, shooting straight down with a scope at close range, did not compensate for the height of the scope off the gun, ie, scope was on raccoon, shot gun barrel was over floor of stand, hole there still reminds me of that mistake?? Even with the pass threw the floor, raccoon was still mortally wounded, and it still walked around as if nothing had happened, finally wondered away and had to have died the way it was hit??
Called the MNR that yr to see if some of them should be tested for rabies, all they would do was say there was a massive raccoon distemper out break in S.Ont, and it was common when populations got to high, and that it would drastically knock down the population. And it did for a yr or so, but population here is way up again.
All that said, there are many reports around the Hamilton area of raccoon rabies, hope they test the odd one just to verify rabies or distemper?
 
Seen this many times over the years... Coons try to walk right into someone's house. Not uncommon to see them on a warm day midwinter when they come out of hibernation. They still look fat and happy but CDV has turned their brain into swiss cheese over the winter and sometimes it just makes them dumb and friendly. Seems cute until it passes to your pet. Other times they display more classical symptoms like agitation, weeping eyes, disorientation, walking in circles and other neurological symptoms.

Undoubtedly there are a few "ex-pet" coons out there that are legitimately friendly, but this is a common symptom of CDV.
 
@singlemalt, a couple of thoughts;):
  • Did you recently start using that new bottle of cologne you got for Christmas?
  • Are you sampling a little too much of the stuff from which your username is derived?
 
The new bacon melt cologne and a couple brewski's what more could a raccoon ask for lol.All kidding aside these furry little critters are not to be messed with they are mean on the best of days add a disease and they can be a major headache.
 
I'm SW of Brantford and there are many coons with distemper in the area. I have seen 15+ since the summer and shot 5 so far around the house since October with the neighbor killing 3 in the same time. They'll wander around seemingly oblivious to your presence with no fear, which we all know is not a normal attribute of wild animals. They all seem to be full grown and healthy, except for excessive goop in their eyes. I have seen them wander in a small 20ft circle for over 30 minutes, walk towards people, not move even when you're within feet, but they never run away.

Best thing for the animal and other animals around is to dispatch the diseased animal ASAP and bury, burn or send it to the landfill.
 
Over the years I have shot quite a few obviously sick raccoons as well. Latest was early this fall it was obviously sick and confused. These last two were anything but. They were bright eyed and very aware of what was going on around them. I googled symptoms of CDV in raccoons and it talks about a lot of mucus discharge, glassy eyes and confusion. I saw no evidence of this in these last two and I was only 5 feet from them. I believe someone has dropped human habituated coons in the area. I hope it was just the two. I really did not enjoy killing healthy critters I had no intention of eating. However, their behaviour left me no choices.

For the record I had no whisky before I dealt with them but I did pour myself a shot after;).
 
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I am South-East of Brantford as well and had a few last year that were definitely out of sorts. My daughter drove in one night and one was sitting on the sidewalk between my shop and the house. It refused to move and wouldn't let her by to get to the house (at least that was her story when she phoned me in the house to tell me). It was big and healthy looking but definitely something wrong with it. The ones that are that brave in my yard seem to disappear....
 
singlemalt said:
Over the years I have shot quite a few obviously sick raccoons as well. Latest was early this fall it was obviously sick and confused. These last two were anything but. They were bright eyed and very aware of what was going on around them. I googled symptoms of CDV in raccoons and it talks about a lot of mucus discharge, glassy eyes and confusion. I saw no evidence of this in these last two and I was only 5 feet from them. I believe someone has dropped human habituated coons in the area. I hope it was just the two. I really did not enjoy killing healthy critters I had no intention of eating. However, their behaviour left me no choices.

For the record I had no whisky before I dealt with them but I did pour myself a shot after;).
Click to expand...

A raccoon with distemper may appear completely healthy with little to no discharge early on making the animal look 100% healthy with no warning signs other than showing no fear. I highly doubt you shot healthy animals.
 
Well whatever is going on it just happened again. I just killed the third one in ten days. This one was up on my deck at noon today, and would not leave when I went out to scare it away. Once again looked healthy but not behaving like a normal wild coon.
 
From today's local paper:

http://www.simcoereformer.ca/2017/02/22/raccoon-riot-in-norfolk

It is comforting to know that homeowners can actually protect their property from troublesome critters if need be. Given this new found knowledge, I can post the picture of the big coon that was harassing my daughter last spring. I found him napping comfortably in my wheelbarrow the next morning....

 
G.M. Did he leave when he woke up ??? or transport him in the wheelbarrow ..?? this is getting to be a problem.. Red
 
Well those critters are acting un-natural north of London too. Went out to my shed the other day and ran into this.......
upload_2017-3-3_21-4-39.jpeg
 
Maybe it wasn't my son and his friends who drank all my beer after all.....could have been the card playin' coons. Hmmmm.
 
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