My Eskimo Shanty Was Destroyed - You Wont Believe How

[mono_mono]

Bear with me here....A raccoon somehow found it's way into my garage Monday night. How/where, I don't know yet.  Tuesday I set a large Have-a-heart trap baited with Thirsty's chicken wing bones. (Good stuff lol) I set the trap along side my ESKIMO EVO-1 that I purchased from Tarmstrong, a fishing buddy I met here. I open the garage yesterday to check the trap and just stood there....The raccoon took the bait. The raccoon got trapped. The raccoon while in the trap was close enough to the EVO-1 to pull the trap material through the open grates of the trap in no less than six places! From the rear of the trap to the front. Not only did it pull the material into the trap, once it had it in a few inches it twisted and chewed it. totally destroying it. It also pulled the tow rope in and chewed it to pieces. The rope is still embedded in the mesh as it pulled it in past a large knot that I can't get back through the grate of the trap. The EVO is toast, done, ruined, RIP

It gets worse. There is a hanger in these traps that keeps the door locked shut. The hanger (Now I Know) was installed backwards, so the &%^@#$*(% raccoon escaped! It was able to push the door open after the carnage and escape. Needless to say, a shanty is now on my summer wish list. I will tear the EVO down and salvage the tub for another gear drag. Live & learn I guess

[adkRoy]

Now that's a story!

[mono_mono]

It is Roy! I wish it wasn't mine! lol

[Unclegillhunter]

Man that sounds like something that would happen to me!
Keep it safe! JDL

[BackCountry Kyle]

My friend has a pet raccoon, had to get a special license for him. I've never trusted that thing!!  Sorry for your loss mono! You'll get him next time...

[bowski76]

Hey Mono, be very careful when handling anything the raccoon came in contact with, it could be rabid.

[MT Tag Filler]

Damn raccoons! I hate them things. They will reek havik on your soul. We float town the river in my canoe and stick them with bows for entertainment/ nonpredator control during the summer months when we arnt fishing. A good way to spend a late afternoon/ evening. You would be surprised what them little things can do to an arrow when you stick it. Thank god for Walmart and their cheap arrows/ blunt tips. Sorry to hear about the Eskimo, I would give him the ol bubble test when you finally catch him. Good luck with your hunt!

[oldbuck]

years ago i put apples in a barrel and put a connibear trap in front of it to catch a raccoon that was getting into the garbage cans every night. I didnt have a 220 so I put a 330 in front of the barrel instead. Imagine my surprise when I checked it the next morning and found a big doe deader than a door nail. My old man was not happy with me to say the least. I skinned her out and cut her up so she didnt go to waste, but my dad said not to do it again.

[3300]

will it be another evo?

[bigredonice]

wow dude thats crazy!!   Raccoons are no joke, very intelligent critters.   One spring my dad had a 100qt cooler in the back of our garage filled with emeralds that we netted.   Somehow a coon figured out how to open our garage, door, how to open the cooler, and ate a ton of minnows.   We didn't even realized what was going on for a few days till my dad caught him in the act in the middle of the night when he heard some noises.   He didn't make it out of the garage that night

[mono_mono]

Looks like everyone has a Raccoon story! I am sure this piece of crap will be trap shy after this. Maybe time for a 2am bait pile with a 22 and a flashlight!

[fishermantim]

People ALWAYS underestimate the intelligence of raccoons. (Maybe because the raccoons are smarter than they are, but I am lumped into that category anyway.)

Raccoons can develop "problem solving" intelligence, which is why they can get into so many things.
Oh, and they pass that knowledge on to their young, so once a trick is learned, they ALL know about it eventually!

Since they have become accustomed to people and our properties, they will make themselves right at home when given any chance.

[fishermantim]

Actually, I thought the raccoon had "moved in" and was claiming squatter's rights to the shack?

[tarmstrong24]

Bro- NNNNNOOO! Before you throw away the cover, call Eskimo. I think you'd be surprised what they might do for you. And that's why you get the covers for them! I'm bummed by reading this buddy

[Lobes]

Fixed a raccoon problem about three years ago. Animal control extracted 6 adults (all over 20 lbs.) and four newborns from our attic. They said they had probably been up there for a few years.
Stains on our ceilings had us thinking we needed ANOTHER new roofing job done. I've replaced roofing twice in ten years already! The stains were coming from where coons were setting up bathroom stations.
After the animal removal, removing ALL of the attic insulation, disinfection, replacing insulation, and sealing out ALL critters (including eliminating a small collection of bats), total cost was just under $4,000.00.
I KNOW how destructive they can be!
And we also learned that they can be very quiet and stealthy. We had no clue they were up there!

                                                                                   
Lobes

[Chris338378]

Be careful when dealing with him, they look all nice, peaceful, and playful but if they're cornered they get real nasty real fast and their claws and teeth are like razor blades.

[fishermantim]

and rabies, don't forget the rabies possibility.


But on the flip-side, they do stew up nicely and make great hats!

[slabzilla73]

I'll agree with the nice hats part.

[TRAPPER3]

Been doing Nuisance work for 30 years....would need a whole site to tell you some of the things I've seen them do....I even caught one that was on National TV....Ran right across the court during the US Open Tennis ......Had a guy put a trap on his roof and ratchet strap it down so it wouldnt fall off the roof......he called me after the 1st night....he needed a new roof a new ratchet strap and a new trap, after tearing up the roof the coon chewed through the strap the trap fell busted apart and the coon ran off.....Mono.....sorry to hear about the evo....anything they can reach is going to be in the cage with him......he will be trap shy......set the trap back up and as long as no kids or pets can get to it set a conibear right next to the cage....he will walk around the cage and into the conibear .....set it all on a sheet of plywood so you can secure the conibear with some roof nails......good luck and just ask if i can be any help......

[Doubles Shooter]

Looks like everyone has a Raccoon story! I am sure this piece of crap will be trap shy after this. Maybe time for a 2am bait pile with a 22 and a flashlight!

No, don't use a .22. Not enough gun. Use an auto loading 12 gauge with an extended magazine with #4 buckshot. Turn him into a pile of hairy hamburger. Did I mention the fact that I hate those destructive SOB's

[Osage]

First rule of thumb,never set a cage trap for raccoon near anything they can get hold of.Ive caught many coon along streams and woods,only to have them have the cage trap stuffed so full of debris the coon could hardly breath. To bad about your loss,them dirty buggers tear up more than they are worth.

[oldbuck]

No, don't use a .22. Not enough gun. Use an auto loading 12 gauge with an extended magazine with #4 buckshot. Turn him into a pile of hairy hamburger. Did I mention the fact that I hate those destructive SOB's

killed a 30 pound coon once with a pump up pellet rifle one shot to the head and he dropped like a sack of potatoes

[Royalwapiti]

killed a 30 pound coon once with a pump up pellet rifle one shot to the head and he dropped like a sack of potatoes

Yea,  a .22 is the preferred way, in the head, so you can maybe sell the hide. 

[FG Steve]

One more reason my hub never sees the garage.  My wife's place in heaven is secured for many reasons, but they include her putting up with all my outdoor crap in the house.

[oldbuck]

One more reason my hub never sees the garage.  My wife's place in heaven is secured for many reasons, but they include her putting up with all my outdoor crap in the house.

you need to build yourself a man cave

[kasilofchrisn]

Sorry to hear about your shanry.
I guess this is just another good reason to live in AK.
No raccoons anywhere in the state.

[Ice Scratcher]

No raccoons anywhere in the state.

Because the bears will eat them, or you..

<°)))>{

[fishermantim]

I thought sasquatch ate them?

[Ice Scratcher]

I thought sasquatch ate them?

Them too...

<°)))>{

[kasilofchrisn]

I thought sasquatch ate them?

Sasquatch is only in SE Alaska.
I live in South Central AK.
Around here we do have Yeti's though.
Of course I drew a blank on the Yeti hunt draw tag again this year.😁
Lots of bear issues here (not for me yet knock on wood)but never have heard of a guys ice shanty getting destroyed by a bear.