Illegal Raccoon Poaching in New Richmond Ohio

Those that know me personally know there is no love lost between me and Procyon lotor, also known as the North American Raccoon.

In my decade plus in this industry, raccoons have been the antagonist in many of my “war stories” from my time as a technician, to the present day as an owner. I have had a female raccoon corner me in an attic protecting her pups causing me to misstep and put my foot through the client’s ceiling. I have had a big male boar raccoon charge me in a crawl space under a mobile home causing me to get a nasty scar, not from a bite, but from scraping my leg on the flashing around the entry to the crawl space as I tried to rush out. I have even had the pleasure of having to “fumigate” my service truck after euthanizing an injured raccoon and putting it back in my truck when I didn't realize had fleas. 

All that being said, I still am heartbroken when I see a raccoon improperly and inhumanely trapped by a fellow trapper or wildlife professional. 

I was made aware by one of my neighbors this past weekend of just such an atrocity. My neighbor had the unpleasant experience of finding a deceased raccoon on her property, still in the paw hold trap. Upon further investigation of her property she found a second paw hold trap with a raccoon paw in it, but no raccoon. This is unacceptable and is a horrible reflection of my industry as a whole. 

I can not say for sure if this was a hobbiest trapper, or a wildlife professional who is responsible for this inhumane trapping. I will even go as far to give credence to the possibility that the trap with only a paw and no body could have been the result of an opportunistic coyote that found herself an easy meal. But the fact that neither of these traps were properly secured or anchored to prevent the captured animal from further movement and injuring themselves or others is alarming.

All animals deserve to be humanely trapped and dealt with swiftly, be it releasing or euthanizing. Huntsman Wildlife is dedicated to this core principle. We understand that these animals can and often are a danger to humans. We understand that it is not always in the best interest for the animal to be released after capture. But that is why the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has created regulations pertaining to the capture and release or disposal of nuisance wildlife or furbearers. 

Our company is committed to a strict adherence to the ODNR regulations, even when the client requests are not in line with the state regulations. It is our responsibility as a professional to educate and inform our client why the regulations are put in place, and why the actions we take are necessary not just for their safety, but for the safety of the animal.

The traps and the animal my neighbor found have been collected by the ODNR and an investigation has been started into the improper and illegal trapping done in my neighborhood. I can only hope swift justice comes to the individual who had no regard for the safety and well being of the animals they were hunting, or the safety and well being of the community in which he was setting his traps in.

If you believe that illegal or improper wildlife trapping is happening, please do not hesitate to reach out to the ODNR through their poaching tip website at http://www.ohiotip.com or by calling 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437). 

Till next time… see ya folks.