RE: Arvee was that you?

[Papaso]

 
Raccoon s never cease to amaze me, this past weekend we camped at Koreshan State historic site in Estero, Fl. (see review). DW forgot to put the eggs in the ice chest so I put them in a small zippered top ice bag we use to keep ice for drinks and for the kids to munch on. Well after we were all set up on our first night we decided to go into town to the super market and pick up some other thing we forgot (and a Bday cake for me) and we left the cooler with the ice and eggs at the site. Well you guessed it one of Arvee s relatives got into the bag, whats amazing is it very carefully unzipped the bag tore the ice bag ate some ice and then opened the egg box and took out 5 eggs ate 3 right there and made off with the other 2. Just got me thinking that he or she could get into any tent by just unzipping the zipper. Got any good coon stories?
 HAPPY CAMPING

[wahoonc]

 Papaso
I have had them open the older style Rubbermaid containers with the snap latches, tried duct tape they pulled that off, the only thing that stopped them was tying a small rope around the chest.  Another trip we left a bowl of 911 chili on the table, you could hear the bugger crying all the way to the river for water[] Bet it thinks twice before trying that again[8D]
 
 Aaron[]

[JemJen24]

 Papaso
We had a raccon (and it was just one, the same one over and over) get into our ice chest in Arkansas at Lake Catherine.  Out of EVERYTHING in there (beef, hot dogs, bacon, eggs, sausage, cheese, etc) he went for my deluxe, home made, from scratch, EXPENSIVE as heck to make, Greek Olive Salad!!!!  
 
 They re not just thieves...they re Crem-de-la-crem thieves!  
 
 To add insult to injury, I threw the salad away and the bugger ripped the garbage bag bottom open to continue feasting throughout the night.  That bag was on a metal pole approx. 7 to 8 feet off ground.  How he got up there, we don t know.
 
 Coons! []

[Turn Key]

 Papaso
Have a number of racoon stories but probably my favorite is the story of  " The Racoon Follies" !
 
 This happened about three years ago when we were camped at Tyler SP, Texas during the hight of a " burn ban" .  Not being able to enjoy a campfire at night many were looking for an alternative evening entertainment.  One really smart guy, who will remain nameless[], came up with a slick idea.  There are any number of racoons in this park and this guy knew that peanutbutter was something these little goobers just could not resist.  So, he went into town and got a big jar of the cheapest peanutbutter he could find.  That evening at dusk, he smeared the peanutbutter all over a log just in front of his camp site.  Everybody just sat back to watch the fun.  Sure enough, within about 10 minutes in come the racoons!  In short order there were 6-8 racoons crawling all over this log trying to get all the PB they could get hold of.  They were crawling over the log, each other, falling off the log and just putting on a great show!  After about 45 minutes of this, the biggest  coon I think I ve ever seen came lumbering in.  He must must have been the " Big Cheez"  because most of the others just kind of backed off and the couple that didn t were promptly corrected with a swipe of a paw!  They all just stood back while the " Cheez"  had his fill.  Got to say the whole thing was one of the funniest things I ve ever seen.  We could hear the racoons fussing over that log all night and by morning, all the PB and a good percent of the bark was gone!
 
 Now mind you, we all know that you should never feed the animals in a SP and that guy was really wrong for doing it.  In fact, he promised me he would never do it again and hoped that no one would turn him in to " Mr. Ranger" .  He said he was sorry and just wanted something fun to watch.  I let him get by with it this time as I know he usually doesn t do things like this.
 
 

[Opie431]

 Papaso
Friends camped near us last year and she watched a small black hand come in and begin to pull up the tent zipper.  
 I bought my husband a sling shot and some marbles to get rid of then at night when they are in the AAR.  Some pepper or chili powder covered peanut butter might work better.
 

[MommaMia]

 Papaso
While I enjoy reading stories about these endearing creatures, I must pop in here for a moment and make a unsolicited safety reminder!  (I am a  CT DEP licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Officer)
 
 In our area, as in most, raccoons are one of the greatest rabies carrying species.  
 While raccoons are the top Rabies Vector Species, other common rabies carriers include skunks, foxes and bats.  Rabies is found in other mammal species, although not as commonly as the previously mentioned. Rabies is NOT found in birds, reptiles or amphibians.  Only mammals.
 
 While most of the stories I hear do not involve direct animal contact, many people don t realize they have great potential for indirect contact and possible transmission of rabies.
 
 Rabies is most commonly transmitted through direct contact of infected saliva, usually via a bite from an infected animal.  It can also be transmitted via contact with infected brain matter or spinal fluid... less commonly by contact with blood from an infected animal.
 
 But you don t have to be bitten to be infected.  Simply touching a surface which is contaminated with infected saliva is considered a high-risk, potential exposure, especially if you have an open wound on your hand.
 
 The reason bring this up is that when you find a critter has raided your stash at your campsite, caution needs to be used when handling surfaces that may be contaminated with saliva.  Bags which have been chewed apart should not be handled bare-handed.  You should use disposable gloves to dispose of contaminated trash.  Double bagging is recommended.
 
 Any untouched food items that are in close proximity to items that may have been contaminated should be disposed of.  Even if it doesn t look like it s " dirty" .   For example... You had a dozen eggs, some are eaten, some are gone but there are a few " untouched"  left in the carton.  Throw them all away!!! As well as any other food in the raided cooler.  You really can t tell what what tasted and what wasn t.
 
 You should also make sure you disinfect non-disposables such as coolers and plates/silverware that has had animal contact.  Clorine bleach readily kills the rabies virus.  Washing with  soapy water isn t enough.  After washing (with gloved hands) wipe down the object with bleach and let air dry, without rinsing.  Once it is air dried, the object can be considered clean.
 
 Toothbrushes that are left outside overnight should be discarded!!!
 
 Sorry if this sound preachy but better safe than sorry!!!
 
 
 
 

[Miss-Teri]

 Papaso
Wow, Cindy - excellent advice, and information I didn t know.  Thanks!

[Papaso]

 MommaMia
Hi Cindy,
 I was concerned and did throw away the ice and washed off the remaining eggs and cooler I guess I should of thrown the eggs out too, but it s to late now they became an omelette on Sunday. I really appreciate your good advice and will always heed to your wisdom, hopefully nothing will come of it, at this point how would you deal with the omelette situation?[: (]

[MommaMia]

 Papaso
Don t even give it a second thought.  I m sure it isn t a problem, especially since the eggs were cooked.  As long as you had no open wounds... ie, cuts, scrapes that weren t scabbed over, open hang nails, etc and you didn t stick your fingers in your mouth after handling the torn and chewed bags you should be AOK.  If you have any concerns, by all means, speak with your doctor.  
 
 Just wanted to let everyone know about the risks.  Most people think you have to be bitten by an obviously sick animal.  And don t think that the animal is not sick just because he isn t walking in circles or acting aggressively.  Rabies has been documented as remaining " dormant"  for 6 months or more.  But more often than not, those infected are showing signs within 1 month.
 
 Keep it in mind in the future and spread the word!  All wild alnimals should be treated as potentially infected... stray dogs an cats as well.  Observe from afar and limit contact is a good rule of thumb.