Customer called me night before last and said something had torn up all his flower beds. After looking at the mess and the muddy foot prints on the concrete, it looked as though he had a mama and some babies come through. I set 4 cgaes (yeah... i know now) all next to one another.

Customer calls me this morning and says all 4 cages are full of the young ones and their is a 5th hanging around the cages. No sighn of mama.

What are the chances of me catching the mother? I transfered 2 of the coons to other cages and reset the 2 moist soiled ones in hopes of catching the 5th and mama.

Do these guys look too small to release?

Here are some pic from today. Wish I took some of the damage. It was bad.

Heck no, but does your state have any regulations on relocation of furbearers? Texas only allows them to either be euthanized or release on private property where you have gained permission from the landowner at least 10 miles away from the trap site.

A university study showed that raccoons traveled an average of ten miles after they were relocated, so what difference goes it make on whose land you relocate them on? They aren't going to stay there anyway.
Oops, forgot about Texas. I was in the service with one of the King boys. The King ranch went a lot farther than ten miles.

I was told I could release them no more than 2 miles away from where they were caught. So... they are big enough to turn loose on thier own?

That's how distemper and rabies has gotten spread around

They need put down or they will come back eventually

Or

Why give the problem to someone else?

I've left a lot of raccoons go in my backyard. Nobody ever came back. We haven't had raccoon rabies here for 50 years and as long as you have cats and dogs you will have feline and canine distemper.

Those coon appear to still be learning the ropes and probably still nursing to a degree off and on which still goes on during the weaning phase.They are still hanging with mom obviously unless something happened to her. They seem to be a later litter compared to our avg. October juvenile coon size here in the East.

I would think those coon would be hard pressed to make it without mom on a relocation consideration. Relocation in itself of any animal is difficult if you consider the total unfamiliarity and shock introduction into a new habitat and starting over from scratch.

Many become road kill particularly the younger unseasoned animals. Older mature animals have a better chance of successful introduction and that is dependent on the time of year the relocation takes place.

In NC they have to be released on the property (if they are removed form the home and the entrances are sealed) or euthanized. We have RAMPANT rabies problems with raccoons and fox. However, if you are going to release them, you should wait until their mom is cuaght and turn them all loose together. They are still with her for a reason! Then, find a nice rich neighborhood...

by the way, good pics

those are plenty big enough to survive without Mom. Sure it'd be nice to release them all together, but like the others said they won't stay in the area you relocate them to anyhow. We have to kill them in GA, so no relocations here. Good job catching them the first night!

Thank you all. I am still having trouble with mama. Seems she is hip to the cage thing so I went in with a special "lawn chair set" and snares. Nothing yet.

On a side note, this is one job that has me scratching my head...

All the damage was done in the planter beds. There are TONS of ripe rasberries and blackberries growing about 18" off the ground that cover the fence. They have not been touched. Hasn't ayone told these coons they are supposed to love berries? lol.

They may be waiting for them to ferment.

I once read a study that said only 3 % of relocated raccoons survive....