Raccoon makes den under deck.

I can't blame the raccoon for thinking it was the perfect place for a den. It was dry, the entrance well hidden by a weeping maple, and near an ample supply of food. If I was furry all over and sported a mask, I might share the same sentiment. However, I happen to own the deck which allegedly houses the creature and I had to do something about it.

I discovered it about two weeks ago. It was time to prune the herbage around the house. This involved using both a hedge trimmer and large pruning sheers to force the sprawling vegetation into an acceptable form. I do this on a small scale once or twice a year, but it was time to go to town as things were starting to get out of hand. One of the worst offenders was a red weeping maple I have in my front garden. Its branches were touching the ground and engulfing other plants. After giving it an extensive "haircut" I noticed a mound of fresh dirt just underneath. Further inspection revealed a large hole providing access to the large cavity underneath my front deck.

If you have followed my blogs you would understand that I love wildlife and have a deep desire to nurture it. The creature living here has to be fairly big, which means it is either a coyote or raccoon, possibly even a skunk. While taking my dogs out one morning they saw a large raccoon walking along the top of the back fence and went absolutely berserk. I witnessed it on a few other occasions too. Animal spoor was also frequently found about my place, its nature strongly suggesting that something was residing nearby. It made sense that the culprit that had taken up residence under my porch was none other than a masked member of the mustelid family.

From reading and conversation with others, I know raccoons to be formidable animals. My dogs, under 15 pounds each, would be so much fodder for one. They also potentially carry rabies, fleas, lice, and possibly even parasitic worms. Add to that the destruction of property and the risk to children and other pets and there was only one possible course of action; the raccoon had to go. But how?

A Burnaby company would capture and relocate it for the mere cost of $400. A local company suggested using bear spray, but I was concerned about it causing issues in the neighbourhood. So I turned to Google, which advised me to use cayenne pepper. I also picked up a container of "Critter Ridder," it touted the ability to encourage such unwelcome guests to leave. Apparently its main ingredients were hot peppers and black pepper, all in granulated form. I poured copious amounts of both substances between the decking boards and waited a couple of days.

Yesterday I started the process of ripping off deck boards. There are five sections of the deck and I will tackle each one separatley. The boards come off and the exposed ground gets cleaned. Nails are removed and the boards are returned upside down - the deck is nearly 20 years old and could use some refurbishing. I am attaching them with screws and will sand and treat the entire structure afterward. I haven't come to the place where the entrance was excavated yet and am unsure what I will find. I will put the outcome of that in another blog if it is a topic worthy of expressing in written form. It will take me another couple of days to complete my project.

The last thing to do will be cover the entire side of the deck with stout wire. I have to dig down a foot or so and secure the wire with metal poles, long spikes, and staples. It will mean digging out the back part of the garden; when I am finished there should be no risk of rodent, raccoon, or any other creature getting access to it. That's the theory, anyway. Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen