Racoon massacre?

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marksman

Member
Aug 18, 2022
23
10
Los Angeles
Hello there,

Another racoon had to be shot again and it seems that they have a million ways to die...The FX impact .30 cal at ~800 fps was used and the aim was the lung/heart from the side. There was a lot of initial blood splatter that I've never seen before and then nothing. We could not find the blood trail and the animal for a long time, is this normal if so what has happened? How can there be so much blood then nothing? The critter was found not too far from the shot though and it required several head shot to finish as it was still alive. Anyone can comment?
 
Trash pandas are SUPER tough, they can take serious punishment and keep on trucking. I suggest headshots only with an airgun, anything 30 caliber and under. I've already taken out a dozen of them this summer, so I'm speaking from experience. I use an FX Maverick in 25 caliber and always wait for the ideal headshot to present itself.

I've also eliminated multiple coons in previous years with a Benjamin Cayden in 22 caliber. I prefer all the power I can get for those buggers, which is why I "upgraded" to the Maverick in 25 caliber, it gets the job done very well.
 
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Some funny answers here, thanks much everyone. It sounds like precision head shots are needed...My problem with that most of the time is the angle. In my situation I have usually the lower ground so for between the eyes headshots they'd need to be looking way down otherwise the forehead to projectile angle is really bad and pellets will slide off the skull and not penetrate. So I tend to have to wait for side shots instead. Perhaps someone who shoots them out of the trees can chime in.
 
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Occasionally I've taken a trash Panda attacking our avocado trees, the trick is getting them on a main or branch. It's much harder delivering a clean shot after entering any thick protective foliage. It's better taking them with a high positioned green or red light shining downward to the ground. A dance stage table was set, when the motion detectors sounded at 1 am for a five member trash Panda family of hungry avocado eaters. A trusty tri pod mounted .25 L2 Hornet was ready and our non union coyotes did their normal takeout cleanup duties. After the big dance number and before the sun would rise. A fifth wallflower in behind the pomegranate tree waltzing onto the dance floor. :cool:
Table for Five (2).jpg
 
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Ok I've got to invest in luring them to some bait I guess and set it up so they're in the right position...It's getting complicated. I wonder though do they all flee when one of them get shot becuase here they don't really care...These animals seem to be either very low intelligence or super ballsy. Most animals fear human presence and get an idea that their in the wrong but not these guys. In this particular instance this bugger came 3 times and I had used the garden hose and then even hit it with a walking stick to scare it away only to find it circle back around 30 minutes later and pretend as if nothing had happened. That's when the dirty .30 came in the story...Actually 2 years ago a few of them for no apparent reason I can think of destoyed the irrigation pipes and garden props while dancing around to an invisible band. My night camera recorded it too. It was unbelievable, were they taking revenge or just playing? But that one wasn't playing with another racoon. It was just by itself ripping pipes off and jumping around in a frenzy.
 
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Setting up a bait station is ideal. I've dedicated a corner of my backyard to it, dubbed the "kill corner". I picked up a cheap driveway motion sensor from harbor freight to alert me to their presence which works extremely well. My go to bait is peanuts in shell. I've found almost every critter is drawn to them, they stay busy cracking into them, and they're pretty cheap. When they are busy eating it makes it much easier to get a perfect shot opportunity.
 
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Trash Pandas can be very destructive cute little bastards and years ago we were losing between 20 - 50 avocados a night. So I made a thirty foot square using four motion detectors, which alerts direction of any incoming traffic, but also helpful with after dance exit direction.
On the dance floor itself are anchored 1" dia. pipes using piano wired wood screwed avocados. Sprinkled about are peanuts shell on and large cheap marshmallows for any youngsters dancing under the lights. A trail camera or two will record their all important arrival and total time spent on the dance floor also the top group rocky. Who will be your first take down, followed by their number two etc. etc. :cool:
 
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SHOMER said:
Trash Pandas can be very destructive cute little bastards and years ago we were losing between 20 - 50 avocados a night. So I made a thirty foot square using four motion detectors, which alerts direction of any incoming traffic, but also helpful with after dance exit direction.
On the dance floor itself are anchored 1" dia. pipes using piano wired wood screwed avocados. Sprinkled about are peanuts shell on and large cheap marshmallows for any youngsters dancing under the lights. A trail camera or two will record their all important arrival and total time spent on the dance floor also the top group rocky. Who will be your first take down, followed by their number two etc. etc. :cool:
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Thanks and very funny, I will try the bait setup.
 
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cmatera said:
You need a LOT of gun or a perfect/lucky shot to kill a coon with a body shot. That loose hide of theirs absorbs impact like a trampoline. I have killed them with a body shot using my Benjamin Bulldog .357. When I use a .30 or .25, it's head shots only.
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This is truly the only answer.

I've killed them with bodyshots with my Bulldog .357cal also, but with the .30cal it's headshots only.
 
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Are you guys saying that a .30 at 800fps will get lodged inside the coons body? I've hard time believing that, those shots penetrate through pressure treated 2"x4" lumber on the flat side. For clarification I'm using the diabolo pellets 50gr. As a matter of fact I have found projectiles lodged in wood behind where the pellet went through the body. I would agree if I shoot them with a .357 mag lever action a body shot will be sufficient but I'm near the city...
 
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You should think of raccoons as baby black bears. They are ridiculously tough, so I only use my .357cal Benjamin Bulldog when taking bodyshots. I try and line up the shot to get to the vitals by going through a shoulder or exit s shoulder, as the skeletal damage coupled with the organ damage and blood loss usually anchors them on the spot.




As others have said, definitely use a bait station approach to put them where you want them for the perfect shot.
 
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