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How to Get Rid of Raccoons at Deer Feeder Stations

People love to feed the deer around their property. Some are hunters who want to provide proper nutrition for their deer, while others just want to take pretty pictures and viral videos. These people, however, really don’t want to feed other animals. So, how to get rid of raccoons and squirrels from your deer feeder stations? The short — and unfortunately un-sweet — answer is that no one really knows.

The problem is varmints like raccoons take the feed intended for the deer and eat it themselves. They may even frighten the deer off so that they have the feed to themselves.

There’s no definitive how-to guide on keeping Raccoons away and no foolproof way to get them to avoid your preventive measures. They’re smart and adaptable, so even a way that seems to work at first won’t work in the long run.

How to Get Rid of Raccoons When You Need To?

Here are some easy changes and methods on how to get rid of these kinds of animals:

Get in touch with the wildlife control authorities in your area

They have the final say on what you can and can’t do in regards to how to get rid of raccoons and deal with your varmint problem. They can tell you about all the pertinent laws regarding wildlife control that apply in your neighborhood. This means you get the legal guidelines on what you can do about hunting, poisoning, or trapping these pests. It’s quite likely that some of the measures you’re thinking about may be illegal. Also, these experts may have some suggestions that may turn out to be ineffective in the end. You never know, right?

Use Game or Trail Cameras

Before you try anything, make sure that you have cameras in place near the deer feeder area so you know whether your measures work or not. You can really get an idea of what is feeding on the feeders and the surrounding other animals in the forest. Cameras today offer superior color picture quality and are great for studying wildlife.

Get Your Pets Involved

You may want to try set your dogs or even cats out to hunt these animals. This may work, but then again, your problem is that these pets can scare off the deer as well so it’s often a counterproductive measure.

Use Deterrents to Keep Varmints Away

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Some commercial products offer help on how to get rid of Raccoons, such as these handy feeder cages. They can be adjusted to fit most feeders or shark teeth deterrent galvanized sheet metal strips. These are applied to the legs of the feeder so that the varmints can’t climb the feeder without getting cut.

Unfortunately, reports vary as to how effective these really are. Some varmints seem to have a problem with these things, but some squirrels may be able to climb up anyway.

You can also use a varmint guard on the legs. These are cones or baffles attached to the legs that prevent varmint from climbing up the legs. Others try just greasing the legs of the feeder. This may work and it’s simple enough. However, you’ll need to reapply the grease frequently.

Another type of varmint guard as shown above works as a cage around the feeder, so that the varmint can’t get at the feed. Moultrie offers several models of these guards for deer feeders. They’re made of metal with tight spaces that the coons can’t go through.

Other preventive ideas

  • One persistent rumor is to use monkey chow for raccoons. You add it to your feed, and this won’t harm the deer. Supposedly, it’s deadly to these critters because they’re not able to digest it properly, and so they eventually die. Some who have tried this method admit that they haven’t seen a raccoon die because of this measure, but they swear that the number of these animals that have raided their deer feeder has dwindled significantly after they’ve tried monkey chow for raccoons tactic.
  • In some communities, you may find trappers in the area whom you can hire to teach you how to manage the ‘coon population properly.
  • You can build or buy traps meant specifically for the animals you don’t really want to feed. Normally these things use corn on the cob as bait.
  • A few have tried to just stop operating the feeders for a while until they stop trying. Unfortunately, the deer also doesn’t get fed. When you do resume your operations, they come back along with the deer.
  • Some people just admit defeat and build two homemade feeder stations. They have one for the deer and one for the varmints. Unfortunately, there’s always the possibility that the varmints will claim both stations for their own!

How to Keep Raccoons Away From Deer Feeders Conclusion

Just keep in mind, however, that you must only stick to legal methods when it comes to raccoons and other varmints from feeding stations.

Be sure to check the link above on rules and regulations. You really don’t want to end up getting fined, and you certainly don’t want to use any method that can also hurt the deer or your dogs and cats.

Consider all these options on how to get rid of Raccoons very carefully. Especially if you’re resorting to extreme measures such as shooting or poisoning the critters.

You can also read our Best Deer Feeder Reviews & Comprehensive Buyers Guide with newly designed feeder models that can help reduce varmints from causing damage and stealing your feed.

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