What are your experience doing raccoon exclusions using the Coontroller? Are raccoons ripping their way back inside?

Yes. Especially if there is young inside.

What about if you let the young grow up to a point where they can exit themselves?

If you do not remove the coon or squirrel living there, they will find a way to get back in. That has been my experence.

Good topic Dave,

Folks that are saying they usually come back and reoffend, are these homes that can be properly and fully sealed, or are these where the repair spot is still obvious to the local raccoon who was evicted?

I do know that raccoons can rip open siding and everything under the sun, but if we sell any exclusion with any warranty, do we only base this on a novel raccoon or skunk or other?

In other words, if we trap and remove no exclusion, of course the hole is still open, but if we upsell exclusion as most do, what is the exclusion and warranty based on for future incursion?

I think this is a good post for some good open sharing about how, why, what happens, etc...

Since we know there is more business in exclusion along with the other services, how do we back exclusion if the local raccoon could re-enter, can't another one do it to, or do we assume that the other raccoon doesn't have that affinity to the home site?

Justin

I hav never used the controller. Seems pricey. A funnel set seems better
and you can remove that problem animal. I bet you can scavenge parts Tom an old trap and make one of those controllers.

HD - good thoughts. Perhaps, it is all in how the warrenty is worded. I just fear having a coon do further damage.

Around here you don't even have to worry about the same raccoon coming back and ripping the house apart. They follow each other. Ask Rob Erickson some time how many raccoon he caught going through a single second story window!

I can't even imagine excluding raccoon. What would be the purpose?

Paul,

I think we are all talking but aren't acknowledging some phrasing clarification.

Exclusion as allowing the animal to pass thru and exit, followed by closing the entry point.

Versus trap, remove/relocate then fix entry.

Either way most sell the fixing of the entry so for me the operative question would be does exclusion (sealing entry)
work on raccoons or not?

If it only works on chimney caps or openings of solid structure, does this mean you shouldn't seal the entry?

Or do you tell the client, this one I'm removing but any that come along later will likely rip thru my repair?

Just asking, because I think we gloss over some of these points about what we sell and why and how we stand behind it.

Justin

If we exclude a raccoon (without a litter)...and secure the hole...will it rip a new hole in the roof/house in a different location? Or, will it be lazy and choose a different home with easier entry?

Once the original however many raccoons are removed, we have not had any ripped through repairs that I am aware of. I do remember a customer excluding a female with her babies still inside. There is no use explaining the damage because I didn't take pictures and no one would believe what that raccoon did, without the photos.

Let me start by saying , Exclusion should never be done during baby season (for any animal). Exclusion is a very important part of my business. It allows me to solve customer problems without having to return to the property numerous times. It is the least impact to the animal and it makes it easier to give the customer a flat rate bid. Now that I've given some of the benefits of exclusion I'll say that there is a time and place for it. I will only choose to use a One Way Door when the customer has approved all of the vulnerable places on their roof. For example, if there is a one inch gap around the entire roof line, I will suggest flashing the entire area. All attic vents, all soffits flashed and any other place that might be vulnerable. There are other examples of when exclusion is not the best choice, like a shake shingle roof or from underneath a mobile home. I put a lifetime warranty on all of my repair work and in some cases on the entire roof. There are always going to be people that say it can't be done and I say, these people just haven't really given exclusion a shot. We don't have Grey Squirrels here so I can't speak on behalf of them. But when it comes to Coons, IT CAN BE DONE!

Thanks, Jake. Can you venture a guess on how many you have done?

I've done a few dozen or so. The only time I've had a coon cause damage to a different spot on a roof was during an eviction fluid treatment. I covered the hole with a towel with Robbs brand of eviction fluid and she tore a different hole to get out

I chase coons out of attics and crawl spaces quite often,,,,,,, never had one get back it.....



If there is a litter you just move them outside also,,,, if you put the coon litter in a bucket, 99 out of 100 times she will come get them

The most damage I have ever seen was when a mother squirrel was locked out by a home owner

Vinke and Jake,

What type of home exterior do you do the one way or eviction type on?

Folks talk most often about siding being ripped apart, I have stucco more than any other siding so the only vulnerable
places are soffit or vents as the stucco is usually "bomber."

Do you market eviction, over trapping, or play it depending on situation and client?

I'm glad to see this discussion going on, because though I live in the sandbox and our raccoons are localized to waterways in greatest
pops, I'd like to be doing exclusions with one ways, but if everyone who tries that sees them rip the house apart (I'm not talking when
litters are left behind, as this seems obvious to everyone as the root of many of these failures), then I'd rather not sell that service.

Thoughts?

Vinke and Jake, also what are your state G&F regs in your states of WA and CO for raccoon work?

In mine, raccoons are a protected furbearer and must be relocated to mandated release sites currently, all under permit only.

Justin

I don't mean to be a wet blanket but I have enough customers telling me that "YOUR RACCOON CAME BACK" now. ( Even after I euthanized it ) I can't even imagine what would happen if I ever evicted one! I guess what it all boils down to is that while you guys have 4 raccoons per square mile, we have 4 raccoons per square inch!

Most are "siding",,,,,, generic for "all" products



A raccoon can not pull it apart until he can get the first piece loose,,,,,, ,,,,,everything runs down hill,,,


A Raccoon can only reach so high,,,,,,,

All improperly applied material must be removed and replaced.........



For me it is Demographics,,,,, It can be done on "most" jobs within a hour,,,..... No long distance trap checks,,..
It is also business smart with the no w crowd and?/?????????
It is also Continues income??



released within the property boundaries or E.......

Regardless of what a coon might or might not do. My customers want them removed and gone. Either dead or far away. So thats what I do.

bluebill, while your answer may not apply to everyone and every job, it certainly fits the vast majority of mine.

Thanks Vinke,

Your thoughts on the why and such are in line with my thinking, along with some other thoughts I have.

Regarding the idea that the clients want them gone, dead or removed, I'm going to sound like a nut here
but I'm going to say it anyway.

It is my job to educate my clients about wildlife and about the FACT (in caps because it is a fact) that they
will always have more around them whether I remove 1 or 10 or 20 from their home or yard.

Too many clients believe when you arrive that when you eliminate that skunk or raccoon or squirrel that
they are done, no more problems, issues are over for life.

They often take a few minutes to realize that that one skunk under the shed will be replaced by another if
the hole isn't plugged and that even if I remove / relocate / euthanize that skunk, they live in skunk habitat
and they will have another eventually.

So I guess I'm just on another side of the coin when it comes to which way I'm swimming in this current. I
don't mind spending extra time with clients to try to bring them around to what I feel should be done.

Could I set a trap and remove the animal when they ask for it? Yes I could, but do I have to? Nope.

Do I want my business to grow? Yes I do!

Do I feel I have to do what the client tells me they think is right to do that?

Nope, and I see examples of my "style" moving forward every day for me.

I'm not saying it is for everyone, but when I hear someone say, "I do it because they tell me to," I can understand
it because it is a service business, but if it can be done another way with the same result but a more educated
public, then I'm going that way.

I don't mind killing wildlife when necessary, have done it for more than 14 years as a private guy, as a g-man and
in many states. However, I now live my own way, drive my own wheels and run my own ethics and what I feel I
want to do each day, as any other guy or gal does on this forum I suppose.

Every week I have people wait for our style rather than go to company "X" so I believe that I'm going the right direction
and really enjoy my day because of it.

I like this thread because it tells all of us more about this type of service. Raccoon exclusion has been discussed on other
threads, but I think we see many aspects more discussed in this post.

Hope it keeps going, wherever it leads!



Justin

Excellent thoughts....lets call it modern adc.

In some states it is mandatory to either release the raccoon on site or destroy it. I'll bet you the guys in those states where killing is the law, don't have as many customers coming up to them and saying "Your raccoon came back!"

When you have 4 raccoons per square inch like we do, I don't think what you do to them really matters.

If you have 4 raccoons per square inch...and you euthanize...you probably get many customers saying the coon is back....right?

Matters how? Matters ethically or maters to the client or to the resource as a whole?

I think it is far more a business model for most and that's fine but no one calls a spade a spade.

I'm pretty sure Boulder, CO has more coons (big ones) per square mile than the average U.S. City and I don't have the same problems you have Paul. It could be because there are a lot of bleeding hearts in Boulder that will give the exclusion a chance with little persuading. I agree with HD in the fact that there are more positives in exclusion for me than trapping. Outside of baby season, exclusion is always our first preference if it fits the criteria.

Here in CO we can relocate a Coon up to two miles away, with the permission of Parks and Wildlife, the land owner where the coon is to be released and the permission from the owner of the property where the coon was trapped. Or euthanized/released on site.

First of all, everyone know this: Not only are Justin and I good friends, but Jake and I are really good friends. But until I have walked in their shoes and they have walked in mine, it is absolutely ridiculous to criticize one another for they way we do business!

I happen to know that both Jake and Justin have a business going that some of you readers may covet. Take all the things that are printed on Trapperman and use what is suitable and save the rest in the back of your mind for those problem jobs. I have said before that you young guys are so lucky to have all this information at your fingertips but you know what? even us old dogs benefit from new tricks!

I second what Paul said in regards to always learning. I don't know it all, far from it, I'm taught that every day now in this new business.
I do like tradition, but I also look at things that challenge tradition and see what I want from it and what I don't, or what I need and what
I don't.

I do consider Paul a buddy and a colleague along with the rest of this crew on here, though most of you I've not met like I have Paul and others
in the industry.

I hope no one sees any disrespect in anything I write, unless I say it is meant to be taken that way. I respect anyone with passion and a point
of view, sometimes I lean too hard on my passion and don't ever want to be polarizing, though it may happen sometimes.

I like this discussion, because it has lead to me getting a few more folks who are doing things in a manner I'd like to and they are succeeding
which shows me it can be done. As my wife says, she can always tell me it works, but until I see it work, I have a hard time selling it to someone.

So as Paul said, take what you like, and leave the rest, or join the debate, this forum and .info and others are invaluable for education and information
exchange in our industry, likewise WCT and other publications as well!



Justin

I work a neighborhood 4 years ago and removed too many raccoon,,,,.... I just started having calls again in that area,,,

Speaking of which, are your coons fattening up a little early this year? Caught a coupla hog boars yesterday. It's getting to the point that I can tell they're males from 50 feet away.

You bet Dave! And not only the boars; even the young of this year are hitting the cages. When you have an adult male in one hand and a young female in the other, you walk with an obvious tilt!

I'm still pulling babies out of peoples attics/crawl spaces. There have been some lunkers though.
One question. How do you exclude a toyota tundra and a honda crv? These coons over here are reaking havoc on a car lot.

Aaron, I don't think exclusion will work there. I had a Ford dealership with the same problem. Caught and removed about ten raccoons ( right on the lot ) and their problem was solved. I think I was more surprised than they were!

What are they doing in the cars - are they destroying stuff?

This is a weird year on the west coast,,,, I saw the smallest set of fawn today,,,,,



roll up the windows?????????????

On a side note,,,,,,,, Ford use to use peanut oil on there wire harnessed.........