How to Kill Raccoons

I guess you found this web page because you have a raccoon problem and want to kill the raccoons. Here is an analysis of various methods

NEED LOCAL HELP? We have wildlife removal professionals servicing 95% of the USA. Click here to hire a local raccoon removal expert in your home town. Updated 2018. But read the below advice first!

Shooting: If it's legal in your area and you own an effective gun and can responsibly use it, this is an option.

Lethal Grip Traps: These are used by old-timey raccoon fur trappers. They are hard to find and purchase, they are very difficult and dangerous to set properly, and they most certainly require a lot of experience. Also proper trapping licenses. And they're currently illegal in most states. I don't think you're going to be using this method to kill your raccoon.

Knifes or swords: If you are extremely skilled in sword or knife fighting, and are lighting quick and super stealthy, you can use a blade. Of course, no one will actually successfully accomplish this.

Drowning, lethal injection, CO2 chamber: If you trap the animal in a cage, and want to kill it, there are several options. Some people will dunk the cage in a pool or lake and drown the animal. Please don't do that. It's redneck, and inhumane. Professional wildlife trappers use lethal injection or carbon dioxide chambers, which are far more humane options. Or, why not drive the animal 10 miles away and release it?

Poison: If you want to how to kill raccoons, there are actually several more effective and humane ways to do it. Poison is the absolute worst thing you can do. I have written a full analysis of various types of raccoon poisons, which you can read. Bottom line, as illustrated in the below picture, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE POISON - it's the cowardly, inhumane, half-assed way to do it, and you're likely to face a lot of problems. For example, the smell of a dead raccoon in a house is unbelievable.


Kill those nasty raccoons with guns, knives, grip traps, poison, whatever works!

Okay then, clearly I wrote this page about killing raccoons. You want 'em to die, right? Well, maybe you actually think they're okay animals, so long as they don't mess with you and your kin. You just don't want them messing with your garbage, intimidating your pets, getting in your attic, pooping in your pool, etc. Well, it turns out that killing them is pointless, since there are way easier ways to handle the raccoon problem. Please consider raccoon prevention if you can, and a much better and MORE EFFECTIVE way to get rid of the raccoons is by raccoon trapping and relocation or humane euthanizing.

You can also call a professional from my listing of hundreds of professional raccoon removal experts serving every city in the USA, and they will be able to do an EFFECTIVE and humane job, way better than poisoning.

For raccoon trapping, you may want to read this article about - raccoon bait. You can also be interested in this article about How to Make a Raccoon Trap, or How to Hunt Raccoons.

Will warfarin kill a raccoon - Warfarin is the active ingredient in most rat and mouse poisons. Under no circumstances should it be used to kill a raccoon. Raccoons are not like rodents; they live in our homes but also spend a considerable amount outside. If you poison a raccoon and it dies in the woods, something else is going to come along and eat it, spreading the poison through an entire ecosystem. It’s because of unscrupulous use like this that poison is not approved for many other pest animals beyond rats, mice, and moles. If you’re having an issue with a raccoon the best method to get rid of the pest is to have it trapped and removed. If you have the license to do so, you can take this job on by yourself. If not, leaving it up to the professionals is not a bad idea. One of the most common complications with a raccoon in your home is that it is usually a mother with babies. If you can find the babies easily, you can use them to lure the mother into a trap. Sometimes, however, the litter is hidden cleverly inside your walls somewhere, making it impossible to get to. In this situation, you’ll have to get to the young through an exterior wall or another wall inside the home.

Will antifreeze kill a raccoon - Possibly, if the animal will eat it. Antifreeze can kill just about any mammal. The liquid is sweet to the taste and causes severe kidney damage until death is inevitable. Many people think antifreeze poisoning is a humane way to take care of nuisance animal, but that is not true. While antifreeze itself is tasty and appealing to mammals, the damage the toxin causes is what creates the eventual suffering the animal experiences. Once the kidneys start to shut down, the body is flooded with toxins. This septic state can cause extreme pain, vomiting, lethargy, seizures, and brain damage. It is a horrible way to die. There is no reason to poison a nuisance animal, and it is even more difficult to target just one raccoon. If you leave antifreeze out in your yard, you take the risk that a dog, cat, or other mammal is going to drink it and get sick. Some people have learned the hard way and have put out antifreeze only to see their child later drinking out of the pan with the dog. When it comes to raccoons, you must trap them and remove them from your property. If you’re not willing to put the effort into it, call a professional.

What to use to kill raccoons - If you’re not a hunter, and don’t own a gun or a body gripping trap, you should not be thinking about killing raccoons. The raccoon that is a pest animal needs to be dealt with differently than the animal that is being hunted for its fur. In a home, the raccoon often has a litter of babies, and these kits need to be found and removed just as much as does the adult. Chances are, if you’re trying to read up on how to kill a racoon, you’re wondering about the use of poison. There are no poisons on the market approved for use with racoons. The reason for this is because a raccoon is outside of a home just as often as it is inside, creating a high risk of being eaten by another animal after the poison goes to work. You don’t want to be single-handedly responsible for killing a food chain, do you? Poison is also a terrible way to die, and that’s assuming the animal eats enough of the poison to actually die. If you want to get rid of a problem racoon, call a professional or look into using a cage trap. Cage traps are humane and effective, and the local law will indicate what must be done with the raccoon after capture.

Actual Situation: Hi david, i emailed you i saw your website and i am having trouble with raccoons in my house that is a rental. i just moved out of state and my sister lives in my house in cleveland. i have called a couple people but noone seems to show up. can you help? i need to remove the raccoon (s) and repair anything i need to keep them out. and i would like it taken care of as soon as possible (this week?) because this has been going on for some time. can you please email me back with some recommendations? I have at least two, probably three, raccoons that live in my attic. I've seen them, and i know where they are getting in. My neighbor said she had three of them eating from her bird seed bowl last night so that's why i'm thinking there are three. Anyway, what do you charge to remove them? I am a huge animal lover and don't want them killed. Thanks! Jan

My response: Jan - Thanks for not wanting to kill them. It's easier to solve the raccoon problem without killing them than to dry to cause their death. Your best bet is to call the