If you live anywhere near the woods, river, creek or just out in the country, more than likely you have raccoons getting into your garbage and spreading it all over the yard. Now if you don’t have a live trap or access to one, it is possible to catch them by hand. I have tried this myself many times before and have yet to get bitten.
First of all, you have to gain their trust by luring them with food. This might take a few nights as they are skittish around humans at first. I have found that raccoons cannot resist the flavor of Cheetos. Sit somewhere nearby in a lawn chair about twenty feet away from your garbage cans with a bag of Cheetos in your hand and a small pile in front of the cans. If you do this a few nights, or sometimes just one night depending on their curiosity, they will smell the bag of goodies you have in your hand. Every time they come closer to you, just toss them a Cheeto out of the bag.
Once they get comfortable enough to start eating them out of your hand, quickly grab them by the nape of their neck like you would a cat. Wear a leather glove just in case something goes wrong, remember safety first. If you get them by the nape of the neck it is less painful for them they can’t twist their head around to go in for the bight. Once you have them, put them in a spare empty garbage can.
Usually if you catch one, he’ll be screaming his head off, detouring any other coons from coming back to this location for a “free meal” again. If they do just keep catching them. Either call the Humane Society to come pick up your catch, or dispose of them yourself in a nearby nature preserve. It’s a no-kill solution to your pesky coon problem.
