Racoons

waldo lemieux wrote:Id make sure your critters are up to date on their vaccines, neighbors too!! Ifn ya get the Rabies you'll wind up rollin around in the corner chewin on yer balls.....

Now thats a great reason not to get rabies!

waldo lemieux wrote:Id make sure your critters are up to date on their vaccines, neighbors too!! ........... ....

We had 'coon event a couple weeks back, I posted about it on another thread. After seeing your post I spoke with my neighbors about rabies vaccine, but they refuse to get it. However they did say all their pets were already vaccinated.

The 'coon I killed was definitely sick or poisoned, I googled up recommended cleanup procedures. They said to burn it or bury it deep enough that another animal will not dig it up. For the ground or tools where it may have left bacteria, burn it. The ground should be burned, turned over and burned again, several times and several inches deep to be sure all bacteria are killed. Anything that can not be burned, like a wood deck, should be liberally doused with bleach. We picked it up with a shovel and cremated it in a fire pit and flamed the shovel. Everything else was sprayed down with bleach.

On the legalities for my county, we have a season and bag limits on raccoons. However it is legal to kill a nuisance furbearer at any time. For instance a 'coon or fox that is killing your poultry, or a sick animal. It is never legal to live trap and transport it elsewhere, as you could unwittingly spread disease.

BTW, I once asked a veterinarian about the potential hazards of eating a rabid animal, like a deer or squirrel. She said heat kills the rabies, a road kill deer that has been laying in the hot summer sun is probably safe from rabies, while a deer killed in winter, whether road kill or shot with gun or bow, could be infected. Sounds like a good reason to wear surgical gloves when field dressing your game and make sure it is thoroughly cooked before eating.

Thanks for the post TT..