Recent rumors involving a toxic mixture of fly bait and soda pop to poison raccoons has prompted Daviess County Department of Conservation Agent Alan Bradford to caution people about the illegal use of pesticides.
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“Using a fly bait to control raccoon population is illegal,” said Agent Bradford. “You can’t poison any type of wildlife.”
The product suspected of being used is a common fly bait sold over the counter and used around barns and livestock pens. It has an active ingredient called methomyl, which is highly toxic.
“What people need to remember is it kills anything — dogs, cats, birds, whatever is going to get into it,” said Agent Bradford. “And it kills within a matter of seconds. Once they drink or eat it, it doesn’t take long for them to die.”
He said the potential that the mix could attract pets, or even children, is out there.
There are about two million raccoons in Missouri.
“There’s a lot of raccoons in general and I and agents from the surrounding counties have had a lot of raccoon complaints this year, especially later into the summer,” he said. “More than usual.”
Agent Bradford thinks one reason for the high number of raccoons is the lack of raccoon hunters and trappers around anymore to manage their population. In Missouri, trapping is a major tool used to keep raccoon numbers in line with the carrying capacity of their habitat.
A trapper’s viewpoint…
Donald W. Veirs, a fur dealer out of Unionville, said he has seen about a 35% decline in raccoon furs this year.
“It’s partly because trappers aren’t going after them,” he said. “And it’s partly because people are poisoning them.”
Mr. Veirs said a lot of trappers are farmers (he is a farmer himself) and when the fall is nice they are usually working in the field and don’t start trapping until the weather gets bad. He also said the weather could throw the catch off somewhat because raccoons lay up when its cold and there is snow on the ground. But he doesn’t think those factors are the main reason for the decline.
“The raccoon population is good and we were expecting a record catch this year,” he said.
He said he knows of trappers who are used to getting as many as 12 to 15 raccoons in one ditch, who are now catching only two or three. “In that case it was because they were poisoned,” he said.
He said he has heard of up to a 100 raccoons being poisoned on one farm sight.
Mr. Veirs said the problem is not just in this area. He and his son run routes that go south of Chillicothe and up into Iowa. “The numbers are off everywhere,” he said.
Local ordinances must be followed…
Agent Bradford realizes that some people are plagued by destructive raccoons in their vegetable gardens and sweet corn patches and field corn and want to get rid of them.
“I know they are a menace at certain times,” he said. “But there are other ways to do it than poisoning.”
He said it is legal to kill raccoons that are causing problems on your own land, but only by trapping or hunting methods. However, people taking these animals must follow local ordinances.
If a person doesn’t want to try and handle the nuisance problem themselves, they can hire private or commercial hunters and trappers. The Department of Conservation has an area wildlife control biologist who can also assist the landowner.
The department has printed pamphlets with advice on controlling nuisance wild animals. The best deterrent to a raccoon is an electric fence. He noted that wildlife violations are a Class A misdemeanor and can amount to up to a thousand dollar fine and up to one year in jail.
Agent Bradford said some people may not realize that the use of fly bait to kill critters other than flies is illegal. “He knows of somebody else who’s doing it, so he does it, and it all adds up,” he said.