How To Hunt Raccoons

Are you interested in hunting raccoons? Do you want to learn how to hunt raccoons? Raccoons are scavengers and nocturnal animals. They have a very healthy appetite that can be used as an advantage when hunting them. In this article, we share information and knowledge to improve your chances of successfully hunting raccoons.

How To Hunt Raccoons

1. Scouting

Raccoons are nocturnal and are most active during the night. Raccoons are always looking for food. To find raccoons, look for possible food sources. Look for wooded pasture with fruit or nut-bearing trees and nearby water sources. Raccoons eat fruits, nuts, plants, berries, insects, rodents, frogs, fish, livestock troughs, feed bags, etc.

You will often find raccoons around these food sources. Keep your eyes open for hollow trees, wooded piles, and their burrows. They will remain in these areas during the day and come out at night.

2. Predator Calls

Use predator calls to call raccoons. “Squaller” calls bring out aggressive males during the mating season which takes place in January and February. Chittering and purring calls can also be used to lure out raccoons or entire families.

3. Hunting Raccoons With Dogs

One of the popular methods of hunting raccoons is using dogs. Coonhounds are dogs that are used to hunt raccoons because of their ability to trail a scent. There are 6 coonhounds, namely the black and tan coonhound, the redbone coonhound, the English coonhound, the bluetick coonhound, the treeing walker coonhound, and the Plott hound.

4. Spotlighting

Spotlighting for raccoons involves shining a light beam into trees in search of raccoons. You can find raccoons in fruit or nut-bearing trees near a water source. Red or white beam spotlights are the common light beams used for spotlighting.

The white beam is great for locating raccoons at longer ranges, but they spook the raccoons. However, the red beam light can be used to spotlight raccoons in trees without spooking them.

5. Bait

You can bait raccoons with almost any food as they eat anything. However, marshmallows, hard-boiled eggs, watermelon, and fresh fish are attractive baits for scavengers like raccoons. Leftover food scraps can also be very enticing for raccoons.

6. Weapon of Choice

The type of weapon you use for hunting raccoons depends on the reason you are hunting them. Use smaller calibers if you want to preserve the animal as the home decor for your hunts. However, if you are hunting raccoons to get rid of the scavengers, then you can use larger calibers like a shotgun. A .22 caliber rifle or shotgun will work if you want the pelt or want to keep the raccoon as a trophy.

Raccoons are tough and you may be in for a surprise if you use the regular bullet to hunt raccoons. Use predator and varmint cartridges that can penetrate tough hides if you want to take down larger and more aggressive male raccoons.

7. Traps

If you are hunting raccoons to just get rid of them on your property, you can use traps to get rid of them. The downside of traps is that they can pose danger to kids in your home who may see them and be curious to find out what it is. Additionally, a trap can only be as effective as the type of bait you place in it and where it is placed.

There is also the possibility that the trap may catch the wrong animals. Moreover, a trap can only catch one raccoon at a time. If you have a family of raccoons on your property, it could take some time to get rid of them with a few traps.

8. State Laws

In most states, raccoons are classified as open-season animals. This implies that it can be hunted all year round. However, there may be some states that have other laws regulating the hunting of raccoons. Get to know your state laws regarding hunting raccoons before hunting them. You can read your site hunting laws on this website.

How To Hunt Raccoons At Night

1. Hunting Areas

When hunting raccoons at night, you want to locate areas where raccoons are often found during the night. Raccoons are most active at night and will go search for food during the night. Look for food sources that raccoons will be in search of during the night. Fruit or nut-bearing trees that at in the vicinity of water sources are prime attractions for raccoons searching for food.

2. High-Quality Optics

Use high-quality binoculars, riflescopes, or spotting scopes to find raccoons during the night. With visibility reduced, you will need good optics to clearly see the raccoon you want to take a shot at. We reviewed the best hunting riflescopes and the best hunting binoculars on the market today which you can read them here.

3. Spotlighting For Raccoons

When spotlighting for raccoons, you want to locate fruit or nut-bearing trees with raccoons and use white or red beam spotlights to find raccoons. The white beam spotlights are great for locating raccoons at long distances, however, they will spook the raccoons. The raccoons will run down the tree to seek cover in the tree trunk or its burrow after the white light is shone on it.

However, a red-beam spotlight can locate a raccoon in a tree without spooking it. After locating raccoons in a tree with a spotlight, you or a hunting partner must be ready to take a shot at the raccoon.

4. Trail Cameras

You can set up trail cameras in an area to collect information on raccoons. The information you collect about their movements and patterns at night can help you plan where and how to hunt raccoons at night. We did a review of the best trail cameras on the market today that you can read here.

5. Predator Calls

Use predator calls like squaller calls or a mouse squeaker to lure raccoons out of their dens. Chittering and purring calls can also be used to lure raccoons or entire families out of their dens. We reviewed the best predator calls on the market and you can access it from this link.

How To Hunt Raccoons At Night Without Dogs

1. Trail Cameras

Set up trail cameras in an area you suspect raccoons frequent to get information about their movements and behaviors. This information will help you know where to set up your hunting spot and how to hunt them. You may also learn how many of them are in a family, what they eat in the area, and where are their food sources.

2. Bait

You can use bait to lure raccoons out of their dens when you hunt without dogs. Raccoons eat almost everything and have a very good appetite. You can use food scraps, fresh fish, fruits, nuts, watermelon, etc. to lure them out. Find bait that is smelly. The smellier, the better. Once raccoons pick up the scent, they will come out to the smelly bait.

3. Predator Calls

When you are hunting raccoons without dogs, you can also use predator calls to lure curious and hungry raccoons out of their dens. Squaller, chittering, and mouse squealer and purring calls can be used to lure raccoons.

Raccoon Hunting Tips

1. Raccoons are nocturnal animals and are most active during the night.

2. Raccoons eat fruits, nuts, berries, insects, rodents, frogs, fish, livestock troughs, and plants.

3. One of the best places to hunt raccoons is in a wooded pasture with fruit or nut-bearing trees with a water source close by.

4. Raccoons live in hollow trees, wooded piles, and burrows. These are the places they can be found during the day.

5. Raccoons are the least active on a full moon.

6. Springtime is the best time to call raccoons with electronic or hand calls.

7. Spotlighting for raccoons involves using a light beam to locate raccoons in trees at night and take shots at them.

8. You can use just about any food to bait raccoons. Smelly bait works great to lure raccoons out of their dens.

9. Raccoons are tough animals and a regular bullet may not take down a large and aggressive male raccoon.

10. Get a high-quality scope to hunt raccoons during the night. Spotting scopes, binoculars, and riflescopes can be used to clearly see raccoons during the night. We reviewed the best spotting scopes on the market and you can read it here.

11. The type of weapon you use to take down a raccoon depends on the reason you are hunting it. If you want to keep it as home decor, then use small caliber firearms. Use larger caliber firearms if you want to get rid of raccoons that are a nuisance to your home or farm.

12. Use trail cameras to collect information on the behaviors and movements of raccoons. This information will help you plan your hunt for the raccoons.

13. You can use a trap to also hunt raccoons.

15. Check your state laws concerning hunting raccoons. They are considered an open-season animal in many states but may not be for all states.

The Bottom Line

Hunting raccoons is challenging as they are tough pests that are most active during the night. Raccoons eat almost anything and this voracious appetite can be used by hunters to bait these scavengers.

With good scouting and planning, you can successfully hunt raccoons. In this article, we share information and knowledge about hunting raccoons to help you hunt them. You can read how to hunt groundhogs and how to hunt beavers,