I have found five dead raccoon kits along one of the rivers I lure hunt in the last two weeks. All of them have been found near the water edge. We haven't had any flooding or anything like that. The weather has been in the upper 80s low 90s for the last several weeks which has led to a big algae bloom in the water. Any ideas what they could be dying from? They all look to have been healthy prior to death - not emaciated, coats look fine, etc.

We had a disease go through here 8-10 years ago and there were room laying along the river like that.
I forget what it was called?

Could be a 'blue green algae' bloom?

Years ago we went to a lake that had warnings to not swim or let your dogs in the water.. Bad stuff. Very toxic.




Charlie

Distemper. Quite a few years ago we had a lot of coon dead along the Black River.

Moosetrto

rather early for that isnt it? here it doesnt usually rear its head till fall

Is it odd that they all died so quickly and in such close proximity to one another? I feel like a disease process is different for every being.

Agreed. Normally don't see that 'til October. But it sure sounds like distemper.

Any chance it was poison? I know a guy (big jerk about it IMHO) who gets great joy out of killing summer coons with poison.......although in his case, they don't get far.

Distemper kills a lot of coons when it hits hard but they die in random spots never seen them in those numbers close together like that.

I dont think he's saying that there were 5 kits found dead in the same spot. saying there's been 5 in that area within two weeks.

It was relatively widespread in the areas I trap. Found them along the Black when I was pre-season scouting so figured I would switch and go over to Halfway Creek, maybe a mile away. A week or so later I found a few big adults dead there. Did not target coons that year and I think a year or so after that.

Moosetrot

Rabies makes an animal very thirsty, and the close proximity of a new litter can spread any disease quickly.

Last time it went through here it’s was kind of spooky they popped up in many places barns, old houses, small water areas the usual haunts I never ran into a sick one all were dead, some just fur and bones but the majority were in the early stages of decomposing. I did notice an increase in possums that might be because they had less competition working sets.

This^^^ or Algae

Thanks guys. I found them in relatively the same area ( a mile or two) not all in one clump. My thoughts were distemper or rabies.

Years back i found several dead coon along a small waterway on the farm I used to deer hunt on in Buffalo cty. This was in October. The farmer had the DNR biologist investigate and found they died from distemper if I remember correctly.

Might help the wild turkey population.

The city and surrounding areas are overrun with turkey to the point they're a nuisance. We need more raccoons in town, not less!

Seen a coon in the summer walking down the middle of a paved road kind of lost looking I stopped to look it over the eyes and nose was crusted over badly if had a gun I would of put it out of its misery it looked like the walking dead.

In the area of Halfway Creek I mentioned before, one time I was heading to work and saw a mini-van stopped in the road ahead of me. A woman was out of her vehicle looking at a coon that was staggering around in the middle of the road, slobbering drool. When I walked up she said "It's hurt. We have to help it." I said "Maam, that coon is sick and the best thing you could do is to run it over. Please get back in your van." She repeated that we had to help it and I replied "Maam, you are on your own." and headed to work.

Moosetrot