How to stop raccoons from climbing onto my deck

Good luck ♥ We've had raccoon visitors during the night in my back yard several times over the years. They would catch the koi in my pond. Now it would be different if they would eat them, but they would just play with them and leave them all over the yard. I've tried animal control in our area, they said they wouldn't help us, but to get a Havahart trap, then release them at least 100 miles away because they travel that and more. An exterminator was way too expensive. Had a trap, tried, could never catch them...tried sardines, marshmallows, tuna, canned cat food and more. I devoured the web for info on how to get them to go. Tried criss crossing fishing line throughout the back yard, raccoons didn't mind it, the dogs hated it. Lit the backyard up like a runway – didn't phase them, Human hair, human urine, could have cared less about either, Tried "The Scarecrow" motion detector that hooks to the hose and sprays when it senses motion. Raccoons loved it,Dogs were scared of it and refused to go out during the day even when it was off. Tried coyote urine, didn't phase the coons one bit. Tried little red flashing lights around the perimeter of the yard, raccoons didn't notice them. Summer came and they stopped coming. We had no birdseed out for the wild birds, no dog food out, nothing. They came back the following winter and brought friends. Tried everything again to no avail. Got up one morning and they were still here! They were usually gone by then. One of my dogs slipped....pushed by me as I was trying to shoo them away. She was a Great Dane....they took her down. Now I love all animals, but don't come to my place and mess with mine. My sons stayed up the following night, shot 2 of them. They haven't been back since. It was horrid, the screams my poor dog let out as they were biting her. Please be careful. I wouldn't attempt to even catch it, You have to pick up that wire cage after all!. They are fierce and will bite. Be careful please.

Hi Theresa, my grandfather used to brew up a batch of garlic tea and spray the area. It helps to keep away moles, raccoons, and all kinds of annoying bugs like mosquitoes. You can also plant Allium sativum in pot plants and place them on your deck.

I had set a trap for the feral cats in the neighborhood, expecting to see them, they had been coming around and eating our cat food ( we adopted 2 ferals).

The bait was a trail of dry catfood leading to the inner end of the trap. The next morning I was surprised to see a raccoon, it was huge and must have weighed close to 30 lbs. Now what do I do with this,? The animal shelter informed me they do not have anything to do with raccoons. Then I called the non-emergency police number, they said we are on our own, no help there. Well, an animal control service would do the job but at a charge. It was anxious to be let go and had made a hot mess of the deck planks and fabric cover to the trap, along with the newspaper in the trap.

We opted to release it into the marshy park about 10 miles from here. So far no re-visits. All in all we captured 4 raccoons, finally I got the message to not set a trap overnight.

Perhaps this article will help:

https://regionalwildlifeservices.ca/raccoon-removal/top-ways-to-deter-and-get-rid-of-raccoons

Bears and Raccoons are always looking for food, make sure that your grill is super clean and closed up, you have to literally have no indication of food anywhere even the smell of a sponge will bring them, use a bleach cleaner every time. We are going to have to deal with that when we move to the mountains this year bear country. Pest control could work https://amzn.to/3ohsHJw

We have a family of raccoons living in the neighbors' tree. We have to make sure that we never leave any food around or garbage. We also have a pond with fish in it, which is essentially food. We have made a cap for it so they can't get to the fish at night. A pool is harder to cover, but you could lay down a solar cover. And I have heard the exlax trick works...but we've never tried it.

https://www.wildlifeshield.ca/blog/how-to-keep-raccoons-off-my-deck/

Buy a Pool cover on a Winder!

Hi Theresa: Here's a couple sites that may help:

Homemade Repellents to Get Rid of Raccoons Without Harming Them (healthnbodytips.org)

9 Scents That Raccoons Hate (and How to Use Them) - Pest Pointers

Raccoons on your deck? No bueno. Here's how to fight back:

Nix the snacks: Seal up trash cans, bring pet food indoors at night, and consider taking down bird feeders (or using special feeders they can't reach).

Make your deck un-climbable: Trim bushes near the deck, remove tempting climbing aids like grills, and install motion-sensor lights to give them a fright.

Physical barriers are your friend: A fence around the deck with a foot bend at the bottom can block ground access, and spike strips on the railing can make climbing less appealing.

There are some great ideas here: https://regionalwildlifeservices.ca/raccoon-removal/top-ways-to-deter-and-get-rid-of-raccoons

This video also has some helpful tips! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYjj8QNjP0A

What food are they washing off in your pool? The way I figure is to get rid of them either by trapping and taking them somewhere (catch and release) or the ex-lax method if you cannot trap them. Have to share with you, the trap is one of the best things we bought for animal control, it was reasonable priced at Tractor Supply Company.

Hi Theresa! You can try these:

1. Use light and sound. Raccoons are usually entering your yard to find a safe, warm and quiet place to nest.
2. Remove the Vegetation.
3. Plant cucumber.
4. Use ammonia or vinegar to steer them away.
5. Use garlic or cayenne pepper to make a repellant.
6. Use predator urine.
7. Close any access points.
8. Cover water sources.