Racoon massacre?

If you have total darkness I recommend simply adding some very low light source nearby,like garden lights. It will be sufficient if you have an illuminated scope such as Vortex 1-6x24 strike eagle. Otherwise I use a flashlight with low setting on my scope. I tend to actually hold the light with my hand onto the side of the rail (cause I'm lazy). It's just needs to be a small light. Night-vision is overkill, they don't care about light. I mean initially they do, but that lasts a few days with them then they just don't care even if the light is bright. My neighbors have motion sensors and animals give rats about if they're on or off, they just wanna feed. Night vision is for woods and deer I guess, although even then, pitch black nights are rare. Don't listen to me I'm old school and would go hunting with a Henry lever gun and nothing else in pitch dark.
Well darn there goes my plans to spend a ton on NV. I'm thinking a solar garden flood light. If it's on the bean plants up high, and that's where it's been then ... SPLAT. OR a veritable smorgasbord of lovely left overs in plain view of my sights and splat.
 
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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.
after dinner pork chop bones are a sure bet for coon bait .
 
Friday night I noticed a family of 5 (1+4) was creating a mess on my rear deck. I completely forgot to bring in my bucket half ful with fresh harvested walnuts... I started fighting them off with a broom about midnight, and finally gave up about 4am. Ones I closed the deck door those just keep coming back. In the beginning it was fun playing with a broomstick but soon enough I started getting emotional. What to do with 5 body bags for a whole next week? That morning was a recycle truck day...why da he'll these pandas didn't visit a night earlier, my .22 L2 is tuned for close combat and ready to go within seconds...
 
Friday night I noticed a family of 5 (1+4) was creating a mess on my rear deck. I completely forgot to bring in my bucket half ful with fresh harvested walnuts... I started fighting them off with a broom about midnight, and finally gave up about 4am. Ones I closed the deck door those just keep coming back. In the beginning it was fun playing with a broomstick but soon enough I started getting emotional. What to do with 5 body bags for a whole next week? That morning was a recycle truck day...why da he'll these pandas didn't visit a night earlier, my .22 L2 is tuned for close combat and ready to go within seconds...
Hehe! Yes I can relate. I've chased them with many things including water hoses and smacked them in the head with sticks, only to see them circle back within minutes. They don't even get it when their buddies getting shot right next to them and droppin...I'm at odds with what's wrong with their comprehension. Other animals, like cats even know what's up and do not come in the are of flying pellets. Heck, even the spiders in my yard know not to make their webs in locations where it frequently gets destroyed. In think spiders don't even have brains...
 
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I've got a a few, ok I'm assuming it's trash pandas, could very well be possums, going after grubs in my lawn. Honestly that I'm not worried about, gets rid of grubs and aerates the lawn at the same time. I haven't set up my game camera for them, busy with a D### rat, which, I can only trap, no clean shots available and I'm not sure I want to invest in a night scope that I'll only use occasionally. Sadly with the trap the darn thing refuses to take the normal bait, peanut butter or Apricots, won't go after bean plants, which is what it's eating in my garden. Luckily it's only one or at least that's what showing up on my camera. Ok I lied, I may need a NV scope, recommendations!
Skunks leave holes about the size of a silver dollar when grubbing. Raccoons usually will tear out sections that would be measured in sq ft while doing the same.
 
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.
Research dog proof traps, situation solved!