O.T. evicting trespassers

just another old geezer · Mar 17, 2011

I need some advice. My cousin has an unused dairy barn. It currently houses four barn cats and a farmall M tractor. Some varmint has been eating cat food and dirtying the water bowl (looks like they wash their feet and it). It has been going on all winter. There have been no tracks to and from this barn in the winter other than cat tracks. So we assume whatever this animal is, is living in the barn. This barn is in central Wisconsin, so skunks and raccoons should have been in hibernation. We are trying to determine what kind of varmint(s) might be the culprits, and what is the best way to dispatch them.
The basic plan is to trap and then to dispatch these critters with extreme prejudice. No relocation program.
So the question is: what type of critters could we be dealing with?. What's the best type of trap to use that won't kill cats as well? And what type of bait(s) should we be considering?
All suggestions welcome
thanks

fightfire · Mar 17, 2011

Our (ohio) raccoons don't hibernate. Have them all year - into the cat food in the barn. Have used "Hava-heart"-style traps w/cat food. Best thing is that I only catch and release the cats 1 time- that they seem to learn. Upon capturing anything else- a .22 or a long swim at the bottom of the pond works wonders!

Anonymous-0 · Mar 17, 2011

It is probably a raccoon and they don't really hibernate, it is more like torpor. They will get up and eat every so often

bill mart · Mar 17, 2011

Racoons will sometimes wash their food before they eat it.

Gary in da UP · Mar 17, 2011

Fly bait and coca-cola, or pepsi, will take out 'coon or skunk, they will usually be found 10 feet or less from the bait, and it is not attractive to dogs or cats.

sws55 · Mar 17, 2011

Skunks are out now in central Minnesota. Last Sunday I was surprised to see one waddling along the shoulder of a blacktop road. Fields were still snow covered.

Jim in Ma. · Mar 17, 2011

II would use a "Hava-heart" trap. I have had the best luck with peanut butter spread on the trip lever. Coon, skunks and woodchucks.
Don't relocate them = just bury them.

glennster · Mar 17, 2011

get a digital critter cam from your local hunting/sporting good store. i have wildviews, they are about 50 dollars. set em up and get pics of the culprit. they will also time stamp when the photos are taken. now ya know who done it, and what time they visit.

Mike (WA) · Mar 17, 2011

Biggest problem with live traps is if its a skunk, then what do you do?

Saw a guy rig a pulley and rope, so he could lift the trap from outside the barn. Put a big tub of water right under the pulley, put trap on the floor beside the tub. When he pulled up the trap and it cleared the top of the tub, it would swing over the tub, so he could lower it into the water, wait a suitable amount of time, and then remove trap with drowned skunk and dispose of it.

Jim in Ma. · Mar 17, 2011

Mike - I have trapped many skunks for people here in town. Just cover the trap with a blanket and gently carry them away. No problem.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 17, 2011

It's a coon, they wash their food. Best bet would be golden link_disallowed fly bait, sprinkled with pepsi-cola, kills 'em dead, and cats don't loke it, as long as they have water, up someplace high.

GordoSD · Mar 17, 2011

A racoon, use a live trap.

IH2444 · Mar 17, 2011

Coons like honeybuns, cats don't.

davediehl@hotmail.com · Mar 17, 2011

Its called Golden Malrod. A little kitty food and mix. The critter will die where he eats.

fixerupper · Mar 17, 2011

Yep, fly bait and pepsi or coke. The coons love it and they won't get farther than ten feet away before they die. The cats won't touch the stuff. Jim

pete 23 · Mar 17, 2011

Had three skunks coming in the barn eating the cat food. Last one was well into the winter. All succumed to lead poisioning after live trapping. I had a rope on trap and drug it a ways away, popped them with the 22, let them freeze up for a day then pulled them out of trap.

Mark - IN. · Mar 17, 2011

Ohh Nooo!!! I saw this movie. Your barn near the Arctic Circle? I strongly suggest renting the movie "The Thing". Either version of the old black and white from the '50's or the newer version from the '80's or '90's. Be very very careful how you hook the generator up to the grate on pallets, and when the Thing comes running at you, don't step off the grate onto the ground with one foot still on the grate when he generator is running. Well, the old version. In the newer version, be careful where you aim your flame thrower when the Thing comes running at you. You don't want to point it at anything uninsured. Grin.

Washing feet in the water? Sounds like a coon...or the Thing.

Mark

Bob · Mar 17, 2011

Not "Malrod", link_disallowed, you NIMROD!

(SORRY, I just couldn't resist giving you a little *^@&!)

<img src = "http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41%2Biha5o9LL._SS500_.jpg">

Jim In NY · Mar 18, 2011

Live trap it/them, my guess is it is Procion lotor --- racoon or aka the bandits.

Live trap it and relocate them to where there are alot of large trees -- no need to kill them -- you will feel better about the ordeal if you don't -- and so will they !

teddy52food · Mar 18, 2011

Possums like cat food but I don't think they will dirty up the water.

RayP(MI) · Mar 18, 2011

Skunks and possums will wake up and go scavenging for food periodically during the winter, especially when the weather warms up a bit during the winter. Get a lot of winter road kills this time of the year.

O.T. evicting trespassers

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