The best way that I have found to keep those little bandits out of your sweet corn patch is an electric fence around the perimeter of your patch! My sweet corn is in the field with the "field corn" about 100 ft long 12 rows wide so it isn't just a small garden patch. The first pics show it in tassel, the field corn isn't tasseling yet.
This picture shows the electric unit that we used to use to keep our hogs in the pasture field, you can buy them at any farm supply store.
Make sure that all the weeds and vegetation is away from the electric wire, or it will ground out the wire.
Oh by the way, mine was pretty hot!!! I found one of our tomcats tangled in it,dead!!!
This works for me, I have lots of family, and it only takes about a half hour to plant, and a little longer to put up the fence. Before I put up the fence, the raccoons would really tear into the corn,not an ear lost now!!!
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Should be a convenience store, not a government agency!
Grandpa used to study where they were going into the field and put a tub of water out for them.Then he would sprinkle a little Lye on the trail into the field.They always would stick their paws (hands) into the water then step on the lye,it burns so they lick it and one dead coon or more,they can strip a field in a matter of 2 or 3 knights.Yea I know it sounds crule,but nothing or no one messed with Grandpa's sweet corn.
GUNZABLAZIN...Good solution! My brother did the same thing...put up an electric fence. However, he said that sometimes those critters would get shocked badly and still head on to the corn.
I don't grow corn in my small garden, and probably because of the coons it's a good reason. They do pull off tomatos, though.
Thanks! I trapped another coon for my neighbor last night. This was the third one. I'm guessing he gives them a chewing out, explains why it's wrong to eat his corn and then relocates them!
We got some BIG coons living up in the old chicken operation roof system. guess with all the field corn they never have bothered my sweet corn. I think they avoid the garden area behind the house since the dog is right there.
__________________ Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted
I have had the same problem with my gardens in the past... I sat out on my nights off and shoot the coons as they tried to enter my garden.... I got about 7 this way then they stopped coming around... or I killed all in the area.
i had a problem with coon 1 time ... i fond this stuff called fly bait .. you put some in a small can and mix coke in it . and then you put out a pan with water. no more problem ...
The last time we had a problem with Raccoons, they were coming up on the back porch in broad daylight and eating the food we put out for the cats. And snarling at family members when they open the back door.
I went outside with a friend, and between the two of us, 5 Raccoons did not have a good day! Haven't seen one since.
I finally caught medium sized racoon with a live animal trap, baited with tuna fish that was using my chimney flue to sleep in during days. Darned thing infested my family room floor carpet with fleas is how I finally knew something was funny. Used a strong light to look down the flue and saw those two eyes looking back up to me.
So...next morning I found it really unhappy trapped inside an animal trap on top of my bedroom dorm which was next to the flue. Called my local animal control officer who picked it up and "relocated" it somewhere, supposedly far enough that it wouldn't come back.
With that happening I immediately installed two flue caps...which have solved the problem.
As a youngster we did the same thing and used the planter to run a strip of sweet corn on the back side the corn field ran sixteen rows just to get a taste of corn (passer's by could tell the different tassles and raid the patch by the road) we did live trap and re-located the coon (marked with orange spraypaint) the critters came back when moved 7 miles away to a different creek bottom, if your trapping them dont kill em (pelt isant prime and a shame to waste) they have to be moved further than 7 miles for shure!
Another thing is white tail deer love corn too, might want to run a top the post wire. them deer are smart and have seen them clear the top wire on a 3 strand barbed wire fence.
also ran 2 rows of popcorn as I remember.
Between the corn smutt,corn bores, possums, coon and deer and grass hoppers that corn had it tough.
We got some BIG coons living up in the old chicken operation roof system. guess with all the field corn they never have bothered my sweet corn. I think they avoid the garden area behind the house since the dog is right there.
Coons seem to be a problem around here this year for some reason.A friend is having problems with them getting his chickens and this hasn't happened to him in ages.
sevin dust on the ear silks will keep them off. they don't like the taste. 20 gauge shotgun works great also. they don't like the taste of buckshot, either. a big dog is a great detterant.
I have had problems with raccoons when I lived out in the sticks:
1) Getting into the hen house in the middle of the night and dragging off a hen.
Defending the hens with a flashlight and a shotgun kept me on high alert 24-7. The electric fence is better.
I have problems with raccoons now in the suburbs:
1) Nesting in a chimney. I have Stainless raccoon chimney guards now.
2) Raccoons come into the house for cat food. I put the cat food in big metal can with a tight lid. The cat is only fed as much as she can eat in a few minutes. I put a live trap on the porch, baited with a few pieces of cat food. There is no safe way to release a raccoon. Put dead raccoons in a plastic bag and put bag in the garbage can.
looks like your gone but for other members that show up to this thread.
conibear trap in a 5 gallon bucket w/bait, shall do the trick! LOL
just dont place them out if you know other hunters are using dogs there or at least let them know you have traps out. dont tell them where cuz they might destroy them but give them warning they're out there.
IMO hunters with dogs should carry trap bars to work the springs on conibears.
