How To Get Rid Of Racoons In Yard & Stop Them Now.

How To Get Rid Of Racoons In Yard & Stop Them Now

Are raccoons causing trouble in your yard? You can get rid of raccoons in your yard by removing what attracts them, using deterrents, and securing your home. This often means keeping trash cans locked tight, not leaving pet food outside, and blocking off cozy den spots. For tougher cases or when animals are inside your house, professional help is often needed. This article will walk you through simple steps to keep raccoons away from your property for good.

How To Get Rid Of Racoons In Yard
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Why Raccoons Visit Your Yard

Raccoons are smart and always looking for food and shelter. They are drawn to yards because they offer easy meals and safe places to rest or raise families. Knowing what attracts them is the first step to keeping them out.

Food Sources Pull Them In

Raccoons are not picky eaters. They will eat almost anything they find.

Trash Cans: Open or easily opened garbage cans are like buffets to raccoons. They love leftover food scraps. This is one of the biggest reasons you see raccoons trash cans.
Pet Food: Leaving dog or cat food outside, day or night, is a strong invitation. Raccoons will happily eat it.
Bird Feeders: Spilled seeds on the ground and even seeds in feeders are food for raccoons. They can climb poles or jump from trees to reach them.
Gardens: Fruits, vegetables, and even some plants in your garden can be tempting. This makes it hard to prevent raccoons garden damage.
Fallen Fruit: Fruit that drops from trees in your yard attracts many animals, including raccoons.
Grills: Leftover grease or food bits on a barbecue grill can smell tasty to a raccoon.

Shelter Makes Them Stay

Raccoons also look for safe spots to sleep during the day or have their young.

Under Decks and Sheds: These areas offer dry, safe places away from danger.
Holes in Foundations: Small openings can lead to crawl spaces that seem like perfect dens.
Wood Piles or Brush: Untidy yards with piles of wood or thick bushes offer cover.
Tree Cavities: Large holes in old trees can serve as natural den sites.

Water is Needed Too

While not as big a pull as food or shelter, a water source can also attract raccoons.

Bird Baths: Easy access to water.
Pet Water Bowls: Left outside.
Ponds or Fountains: Water features in your yard.

By understanding what attracts raccoons, you can start making your yard less appealing to them.

Deciphering Raccoon Clues in Your Yard

How do you know if raccoons are visiting? They often leave clues behind. Recognizing these signs raccoons yard helps you confirm their presence and figure out what they are doing.

Common Signs to Look For

Overturned Trash Cans: This is a classic sign. If your garbage cans are knocked over and trash is scattered, raccoons are likely the culprits.
Damage to Gardens or Lawns: Look for eaten produce, dug-up plants, or rolled-back sod. Raccoons sometimes roll up sod looking for grubs.
Tracks: Raccoon tracks look a bit like small human hands. They have five toes. Front paws have longer ‘fingers’ than back paws. Look for tracks in mud, soft soil, or even dust.
Droppings: Raccoon poop can contain bits of whatever they ate, like berries or seeds. Their droppings can look different depending on their diet. Be careful, raccoon droppings can carry diseases. Don’t touch them without gloves.
Damage to Property: Look for torn screens, broken vents, disturbed shingles, or holes dug near foundations or under structures.
Sounds: You might hear noises at night like chattering, growling, or hissing, especially if they are fighting or have young nearby. If they are inside structures, you might hear scratching or thumping.
Disturbed Bird Feeders: Feeders knocked down, emptied quickly, or damaged.

Seeing one or more of these signs means raccoons are likely using your yard. Once you know they are visiting, you can take action.

Step One: Get Rid of the Easy Meals

The most important thing you can do is remove food sources. If raccoons can’t find food easily, they will look elsewhere. This step is key to keeping raccoons away.

Secure Your Trash Cans

This is probably the biggest magnet. Make sure your trash cans are raccoon-proof.

Use Strong Cans: Get sturdy garbage cans with tight-fitting lids.
Add Locks or Latches: Special clips, bungee cords, or heavy weights can keep lids on tight. Some cans have built-in locks.
Store Cans Securely: Keep your trash cans in a garage, shed, or secured bin until pick-up day.
Clean Cans Regularly: Wash cans with soap and water, maybe a little ammonia, to remove strong food smells.
Put Trash Out Morning Of: Wait until the morning of trash collection to put cans out if possible.

Stop Feeding Pets Outside

Feed Indoors: The simplest solution is to feed your pets inside your home.
Pick Up Bowls: If you must feed outside, pick up all food bowls and water bowls right after your pet finishes eating. Do this before dark.

Protect Bird Feeders

Use Raccoon-Proof Feeders: Some feeders have cages or mechanisms that stop larger animals like raccoons from reaching the food.
Place Feeders Smartly: Hang feeders on poles with baffles (shields) that raccoons can’t get past. Place them away from trees or structures raccoons could jump from.
Clean Up Spills: Regularly sweep up any seeds or food that falls on the ground below feeders.
Bring Feeders Inside at Night: If you can, bring feeders inside each evening and put them back out in the morning.

Protect Your Garden and Fruit Trees

To prevent raccoons garden visits focused on eating your produce:

Harvest Regularly: Pick ripe fruits and vegetables as soon as they are ready.
Clean Up Fallen Fruit: Don’t let fallen fruit lie on the ground under trees.
Use Fencing: A strong fence can help. Raccoons can climb, so the fence needs to be tall (at least 3-4 feet) and maybe include a wire mesh top that slants outwards. Electric fencing can also be effective but requires care.
Consider Netting: Netting can protect berry bushes or fruit trees.

Clean Up Outdoor Grills

Burn Off Residue: After cooking, heat your grill for a few minutes to burn off grease.
Brush Grates: Clean the grill grates well after each use.
Empty Grease Traps: Clean out grease traps regularly.
Store Grills Securely: If possible, cover your grill or store it in a secured area.

By taking away the easy food, you make your yard less inviting to raccoons.

Step Two: Make Your Property Less Homey

After dealing with food, the next step is to remove potential den sites. Raccoons look for safe, quiet places to sleep during the day and raise their young in spring.

Block Access to Sheltered Spots

Seal Openings: Check your home’s foundation, porch, deck, and shed for any holes or gaps.
Use Sturdy Materials: Seal these openings with strong materials like heavy-gauge wire mesh (like hardware cloth), metal flashing, or thick wood. Make sure the material goes into the ground a bit (6-12 inches) or is bent outwards to prevent digging.
Check Chimneys and Vents: Make sure chimney caps are secure and vents have screens.
Repair Damaged Areas: Fix any broken windows, torn screens, or gaps in siding that could allow entry into attics or crawl spaces.
Secure Pet Doors: Lock pet doors at night, especially if they are large enough for a raccoon.

Clean Up Your Yard

A messy yard provides hiding places.

Remove Brush Piles: Clear away piles of leaves, branches, and brush.
Stack Wood Neatly: Store firewood on a raised platform, like concrete blocks, and cover it.
Trim Back Bushes and Trees: Keep landscaping neat, especially near the house. Trim branches that overhang your roof.

Making it harder for raccoons to find shelter means they are less likely to set up a home in your yard or under your structures.

Step Three: Using Raccoon Deterrents

Once you’ve removed attractants and secured entry points, you can add things raccoons dislike. These are called raccoon deterrents or raccoon repellent. They work by making your yard uncomfortable for the animals.

Light and Sound Deterrents

Raccoons are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. Bright, sudden lights and loud noises can startle them and make them feel unsafe.

Motion-Activated Lights: Install lights that turn on when something moves into their path. Place them near trash cans, gardens, or entry points. Sudden light scares them away.
Motion-Activated Sprinklers: These spray water when movement is detected. They are humane and surprising for a raccoon. Place them near areas you want to protect, like gardens.
Noise Makers: Some people use radios tuned to talk radio (human voices can deter them) or special sonic devices that emit high-frequency sounds raccoons dislike. Results vary with sound deterrents.

Scent Deterrents

Raccoons have a good sense of smell. Strong smells they don’t like can make them avoid an area. Raccoon repellent products often use scent.

Natural Scents:
- Ammonia: The smell of ammonia can make raccoons think a predator is nearby. Soak rags in ammonia and place them near den sites or trash cans. Refresh the rags often.
- Cayenne Pepper or Chili Powder: Sprinkling these around garden edges or trash cans can irritate their noses and paws. Reapply after rain.
- Garlic or Onion: The strong smell might deter them.
Commercial Repellents: Many products are sold as raccoon repellent. They often contain ingredients like predator urine (like coyote urine), which signals danger to raccoons. Others use strong plant oils. Read reviews and instructions carefully, as effectiveness can vary. Reapplication after rain is often needed.

Physical Deterrents

Making it physically difficult to reach areas is a strong deterrent.

Fencing: As mentioned for gardens, a solid fence is a barrier.
Netting: Use netting over ponds to protect fish or over fruit trees.
Smooth Surfaces: Raccoons have trouble climbing smooth surfaces. You can add metal sheeting around the base of posts or trees they might climb.
Rollers on Fences: Adding freely rolling PVC pipes or cylinders to the top of a fence makes it hard for them to get a grip to climb over.

Using a mix of deterrents is often more effective than relying on just one method. Remember that raccoons are smart and can get used to deterrents over time, so you might need to change your methods.

Step Four: Humane Raccoon Control Methods

When deterrence isn’t enough or a raccoon is already in an undesirable spot, you might need humane raccoon control methods. The goal is to get the animal to leave without harming it.

Encourage Them to Leave

If a raccoon has made a den under a deck or shed but doesn’t seem aggressive and is just sleeping there:

Make Noise and Light: Place a bright light and a radio tuned to talk radio near the den entrance during the day. Raccoons want a quiet, dark place to sleep. This disturbance might make them uncomfortable enough to move.
Use Scents: Place rags soaked in ammonia or a strong-smelling commercial repellent near the entrance.
The “One-Way Door”: This is a wire mesh door that you secure over the den entrance. It is hinged to swing outwards, letting the raccoon leave, but won’t swing inwards, preventing it from coming back in. This is best done after you are sure the animal has left (usually at dusk when they go out to feed) and importantly, that there are no babies left inside during nesting season (typically spring/early summer).

Live Trapping (Use with Caution!)

Live trapping can catch a raccoon without hurting it, but it comes with significant considerations and potential issues. This falls under DIY raccoon removal but often requires professional knowledge or wildlife control services.

Check Local Laws: Before trapping, check with your local animal control or wildlife agency. Trapping and relocating wildlife is often illegal or requires a permit. There are rules about where you can release an animal.
Risks: Trapped raccoons can be stressed, scared, and aggressive. They can bite or scratch. They can also carry diseases like rabies or distemper.
Relocation Issues: Moving a raccoon far away might seem like a good idea, but it can be harmful to the animal. It might not find food or shelter in the new place, or it might fight with other animals already there. It can also spread diseases to new areas. Also, if you move a mother, her babies left behind will die.
Proper Trap Use: If allowed and you choose to trap, use a humane live trap sized for a raccoon. Bait it with something tasty like marshmallows or fruit. Check the trap often.
After Trapping: If you catch a raccoon, you must know what to do next according to local laws. This usually involves calling animal control or a wildlife professional.

Because of the risks and legal issues, live trapping is often best left to experts or avoided if other methods work.

DIY Raccoon Removal: What You Can Do Yourself

Many steps to deal with raccoons can be done by you, the homeowner. DIY raccoon removal focuses on prevention and humane deterrence.

Focus on Prevention First

Secure Trash: Use strong lids, maybe bungee cords. Store cans indoors if possible.
Remove Food: Don’t leave pet food outside. Clean up fallen fruit. Secure bird feeders.
Seal Entry Points: Check your house and outbuildings for holes and block them with sturdy materials.
Clean Up Yard: Remove piles of wood and brush. Keep grass cut.

Use Simple Deterrents

Motion Lights: Easy to install and often effective.
Motion Sprinklers: Another simple, humane option.
Scent Repellents: Applying natural scents like ammonia (soaked rags) or commercial granular or spray repellents. Remember to reapply.

The “One-Way Door” (Advanced DIY)

This method is more involved but humane. It requires identifying the main entry point the raccoon is using.

Confirm Animal is Out: Watch at dusk to see the raccoon leave, or use flour sprinkled at the entrance to check for tracks leaving but not entering. Never install if you think babies might be inside.
Build or Buy Door: Create a simple frame with wire mesh that covers the opening. Hinge the mesh on one side so it only swings outward.
Install Carefully: Securely attach the frame over the opening. Make sure the mesh goes all the way to the ground or is bent outwards.
Monitor: Watch to confirm the raccoon leaves and cannot get back in. Leave it in place for a few days.
Permanent Seal: Once sure the animal is out, remove the one-way door and permanently seal the opening with strong material.

DIY is great for preventative measures and using deterrents. However, if a raccoon is acting sick or aggressive, or if it’s already inside your attic or walls, it becomes much riskier to handle yourself. That’s when you need to consider professional help.

When to Call Wildlife Control Services

While DIY methods can work for preventing raccoons and dealing with minor visits, there are times when you need to call in the experts. Wildlife control services or professional raccoon removal companies have the knowledge, tools, and legal authorization to handle more difficult situations safely and humanely.

Situations Requiring Professional Help

Raccoons Inside Your House: If raccoons have gotten into your attic, chimney, walls, or crawl space, this is a serious problem. They can cause damage, leave droppings (risk of disease), and potentially die inside, causing terrible smells. Removing them from enclosed spaces is complex and risky.
Aggressive or Sick Raccoons: If a raccoon is acting strangely (stumbling, confused, aggressive, active during the day), it could be sick (like with rabies or distemper). Do NOT approach it. Call animal control or a wildlife professional immediately.
Mother Raccoons with Babies: Finding a den with babies is common in spring/early summer. Removing a mother might leave babies behind to die. Professionals know how to encourage the mother to move her babies herself or how to safely remove the whole family together. This requires expertise and sensitivity for humane raccoon control.
Persistent Problems: If you have tried multiple DIY methods (securing attractants, using deterrents, sealing entry points) and raccoons keep coming back or finding new ways in, a professional can assess the situation and offer more advanced solutions.
Structural Issues: Sometimes, damage caused by raccoons requires repair by someone who understands how to animal-proof the repairs.

What Wildlife Control Services Do

Professional raccoon removal services typically follow a process:

Inspection: They will inspect your property to find out why raccoons are coming, identify entry points, locate den sites, and check for damage.
Removal: They use safe and humane methods to remove the raccoons. This might involve live trapping (handled by licensed professionals), one-way doors, or other exclusion techniques.
Exclusion: After removal, they will seal off all entry points using sturdy, animal-proof materials to prevent raccoons from coming back.
Clean-Up and Repair: Many services also offer to clean up droppings and nesting materials (which carry health risks) and repair damage caused by the animals.
Prevention Advice: They can give you advice on keeping raccoons away in the future.

While hiring wildlife control services costs money, it’s often the safest and most effective way to solve a raccoon problem, especially when animals are inside your home or showing signs of illness. They are trained to handle wildlife ethically and legally.

Keeping Raccoons Away Over the Long Term

Getting rid of raccoons is great, but keeping them away is the real goal. This means keeping up with the preventative steps you’ve already taken.

Maintain a Less Appealing Yard

Consistent Trash Management: Always use secure lids on trash cans. Store them safely.
No Outdoor Pet Food: Make this a hard rule.
Secure Bird Feeders: Keep using baffles or bringing feeders in at night.
Regular Garden Care: Harvest produce promptly. Clean up fallen fruit.
Clean Grills: Keep your barbecue clean after use.
Manage Water Sources: Remove pet water bowls overnight. Cover or secure ponds if they become an issue.

Keep Up Property Maintenance

Check for New Openings: Periodically inspect your foundation, roof, vents, and outbuildings for any new holes or weak spots.
Repair Damage Quickly: Don’t let small issues become big entry points.
Trim Vegetation: Keep bushes and tree branches away from your house structure.

Continue Using Deterrents

Rotate Methods: If using deterrents, occasionally switch types (e.g., change scent, move lights) so raccoons don’t get too used to them.
Reapply Repellents: If using scent repellents, remember they wash away or fade and need to be reapplied as directed.

Educate Your Family

Make sure everyone in your household understands the importance of these steps, especially regarding trash and pet food. Consistency is key to keep raccoons away.

By making these practices a regular part of your home and yard care, you create an environment that is not welcoming to raccoons, greatly reducing the chance of them becoming a problem again.

Summary: Key Steps to Raccoon Control

Dealing with raccoons in your yard requires a multi-step approach. It starts with removing what attracts them – food and shelter. Then, you can use deterrents to make your yard less comfortable. For persistent issues or raccoons inside your home, professional help is the safest and most reliable option for raccoon removal. Humane raccoon control methods aim to solve the problem without harming the animals. Remember to check for signs raccoons yard to confirm their presence. Secure your trash cans (raccoons trash cans are a major draw), take steps to prevent raccoons garden visits, use raccoon deterrents, and know when to call wildlife control services. Taking these actions helps you keep raccoons away effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are raccoons dangerous?

Raccoons are generally not aggressive towards humans. However, they can bite or scratch if they feel trapped, threatened, or are protecting their young. They can also carry diseases like rabies, distemper, and a parasite called raccoon roundworm (found in their droppings). It’s important to keep a safe distance and never try to handle a wild raccoon.

Do raccoon repellents actually work?

The effectiveness of raccoon repellent products varies. Scent-based repellents can work for a time, but they need to be reapplied, and raccoons can sometimes get used to them. Physical barriers and removing attractants are generally more reliable long-term solutions than relying solely on repellents.

Can I trap a raccoon myself and move it?

In many places, it is illegal for homeowners to trap and relocate wildlife without a permit. Relocating can also be harmful to the raccoon and might spread diseases. It’s best to check your local laws or hire a licensed professional for trapping and removal.

What should I do if I see a raccoon during the day?

Seeing a raccoon out during the day doesn’t automatically mean it’s sick. It might be a mother looking for food for her babies, or its den might have been disturbed. However, if the raccoon looks disoriented, is staggering, aggressive, or seems unafraid of humans, it could be ill. Keep a safe distance and call your local animal control or a wildlife removal service.

How do I clean up raccoon droppings safely?

Raccoon droppings can contain harmful parasites (raccoon roundworm). Wear gloves and a dust mask. Use a shovel or scoop to collect the droppings. Put them in a plastic bag, seal it, and dispose of it in the trash. Clean the area with hot water and a disinfectant. For large amounts or droppings inside your home, consider hiring a professional cleaning service experienced with biohazards.