Raccoon help, dont know exactly where to start

[Pete112288]

I have always wanted to get into some coons. I have shot one and it made a pretty good stew. That was just a chance encounter while rabbit hunting. I don’t have dogs so that’s out. I have ample calls and recorded sounds for trying to call them in. I also have a cheap scope mounted red lens spotlight that’s good to 50-100 yards depending on fog and such. I just don’t know where to start in locating a good place to try calling them. Of course growing up in the country I have seen tons of them, mostly on the roads. There has been next to no rhyme or reason for where I have seen them though. Some are near water, some are far from the closest creek or pond. I have seen them in and around thick brushy areas and once I saw a couple in the middle of a couple mile wide stand of big timber. And even saw one huge one in the middle of 200 acres of open fields. Any tips for locating spots that would be good to try calling blind? How long to call for raccoons in a setup? Just call constant or have pauses in calling? I really don’t know much about raccoons. I would much rather have snow and try tracking them to a tree but enough good snow to do that here is rare (I am at less than 1500 and mostly even less than 1000 ft).

[lokidog]

Find someone with chickens/game birds and some woods nearby, I'm sure they'd be happy to have someone relieve them of some predators.  The calling part I can't help with other than to tell you to try chicken in distress calls as they will stare right at the chicken even with a flashlight on them from 30 feet away.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Racoons are primarily nocturnal creatures, and don't seem to come to calling very well.  They do frequent places where they can get an easy meal; cat food out on the patio, garbage cans, chicken coops--you get the picture....  My neighbor stopped feeding their cat outside, because every night a family of Racoons would come for a free meal.  I never saw them around my place, two houses away, because I had nothing for them to eat! 

[drysideshooter]

They will come to calls.  Get a racoon fight sequence.  They seem to be unable to resist a good fight.  Works best at night with lights,  but some times they will come in during daylight hours. 

[scout/sniper]

I punch holes in a can of tunafish and set it on my burn pile.
Just after dark they come in looking for food and I shoot them from the front porch.
After a shot they scatter but return after a few minutes.
I used to have a lot of them but haven't seen one in a while.

[Heredoggydoggy]

They will come to calls.  Get a racoon fight sequence.  They seem to be unable to resist a good fight.  Works best at night with lights,  but some times they will come in during daylight hours.

I played a raccoon fight/distress sequence on my e-caller trying to get neighborhood raccoons to come to my back yard.  All it did was scare the Mexicans in the house behind me to run into the house and pull down the shades.  I think they thought the Chupacabras were coming to get them!     

[sebek556]

They will come to calls.  Get a racoon fight sequence.  They seem to be unable to resist a good fight.  Works best at night with lights,  but some times they will come in during daylight hours.

I played a raccoon fight/distress sequence on my e-caller trying to get neighborhood raccoons to come to my back yard.  All it did was scare the Mexicans in the house behind me to run into the house and pull down the shades.  I think they thought the Chupacabras were coming to get them!     

Sounds like you have a new fun game.

[Heredoggydoggy]

They will come to calls.  Get a racoon fight sequence.  They seem to be unable to resist a good fight.  Works best at night with lights,  but some times they will come in during daylight hours.

I played a raccoon fight/distress sequence on my e-caller trying to get neighborhood raccoons to come to my back yard.  All it did was scare the Mexicans in the house behind me to run into the house and pull down the shades.  I think they thought the Chupacabras were coming to get them!     

Sounds like you have a new fun game.

Well, one good thing--I don't have to worry about them calling the cops on me.  If the cops come and see all the stolen stuff in their back yard, they'll be in more trouble than me!