All my sweetcorn is gone.

Sidekick · Jul 21, 2011

Yeah, the damn coons destroyed the entire patch last night. Not a single ear left. But I can take a little joy in that they won't ever do it again because I tried the flybait and coke trick and although it was a little late it worked. I found three dead ones all right next to each other, two of them still had their faces in the bowl. I even had 5 strands of hotwire around it too and they knocked one of the lower wires down and popped the insulator off the post. There's probably more of them and even though my corn is gone I'm going to leave them another present tonight. It's really disgusting because this was one of my best looking crops I've ever had. A storm blew it down several weeks ago but it came back just to be eaten by varmints. I've declared total war.

RLA · Jul 21, 2011

This is the reason why we hafta plant 5 times
as much corn as ya need to have some to freeze.

Fly bait DOES WORK!!!!!!!

mark in boonville ny · Jul 21, 2011

i have that problem to.

Ken-Pa · Jul 21, 2011

Please fill me in on using what you call flybait & coke for coons . I"m having problems with them in my garage after my chicken feed & bread . Thanks & God bless

Sidekick · Jul 21, 2011

I like to use the little aluminum pie plates because they're disposable but any small bowl will work. Pour about a half inch or so of Golden link_disallowed flybait which is available at most farm and feed stores and then top it off with some Coca Cola. Leave it where they can find it. They'll be dead within feet of it. It also works on most any other critter and it's nonselective so use some sense when doing this. You don't want to get your dog or cat by accident....well maybe the cat....

rustyfarmall · Jul 21, 2011

(quoted from post at 06:08:14 07/21/11) Yeah, the damn coons destroyed the entire patch last night. Not a single ear left. But I can take a little joy in that they won't ever do it again because I tried the flybait and coke trick and although it was a little late it worked. I found three dead ones all right next to each other, two of them still had their faces in the bowl. I even had 5 strands of hotwire around it too and they knocked one of the lower wires down and popped the insulator off the post. There's probably more of them and even though my corn is gone I'm going to leave them another present tonight. It's really disgusting because this was one of my best looking crops I've ever had. A storm blew it down several weeks ago but it came back just to be eaten by varmints. I've declared total war.

What kind of fence charger are you using? If it is one of those wimpy Zareba's the farm stores sell, the 'coons will just laugh at it. You need one that is hot enough to burn weeds.

randallnMo · Jul 21, 2011

SIdekick, be prepared for a long war. One or two nights ain't gonna begin to touch the population. My neighbor and I live about 1/2 mile from each other. He's gotten 23 so far this year, me 10. Last year I got 60 with traps.

Sidekick · Jul 21, 2011

Yeah it's one of those little wimpy chargers. Dad has an old 15 mile AC Blitzer weedburner from back when we had livestock. I might see it he's using it. That thing put the hurt to you if you bumped it. I know this will be a long war. A friend of mine had trouble with them getting his ducks and I think he trapped and killed around 30 before the action slowed down. I expected to lose some to the coons but I didn't think they'ed get the whole thing in one night!

kyplowboy · Jul 21, 2011

They are get'n thick around here too. Fur market went to pot and then every who hunted got old or tired around here.

Only good thing is I don't get many around the house. I have a lab/chow mix 10 year old dog. His favorite thing in the world is kill'n a coon. For some reason a little hole in his ear makes him act like a pup again for a week or so, it's really something to see. He just can't keep'm off the whole farm.

Dave

Charlie M · Jul 21, 2011

I get some raccoon damage in my corn but in my area deer do more destruction - you can't shoot too many of them as far as I'm concerned.

tjdub · Jul 21, 2011

I haven't had (much) coon problems with my sweet corn for years. I keep chickens and ducks so I usually keep the "live" trap set every night. The problem I have is with birds. Every single year a swarm of blackbirds shows up the day before it's ready to pick and eats the top half of every single ear. I've tried owls, pans, foil, a full scarecrow, but nothing scares them off. I'm going to try some Bird-X tape this year, but I'm guessing it won't help one bit. I think the only solution would be to take off work for a few days and sit out there all day with the shotgun

rustyfarmall · Jul 21, 2011

(quoted from post at 06:56:01 07/21/11) Yeah it's one of those little wimpy chargers. Dad has an old 15 mile AC Blitzer weedburner from back when we had livestock. I might see it he's using it. That thing put the hurt to you if you bumped it. I know this will be a long war. A friend of mine had trouble with them getting his ducks and I think he trapped and killed around 30 before the action slowed down. I expected to lose some to the coons but I didn't think they'ed get the whole thing in one night!

Yes, that Blitzer is the one you need!!

Anonymous-0 · Jul 21, 2011

What part of the country are you guys in? I live in western NC and I coon hunt with english red tick hounds and we don't have near the coon population like ya'll are talking about, would love to come there and do some hunting sometime.

Eldo case · Jul 21, 2011

A real hot electric fence and a radio playing stopped my coon trouble. Last year I did not have a ear but this year was good. I also trapped some too.

Rootsy · Jul 21, 2011

The coon haven't been too bad this year, I've only trapped and shot 9 this year. Deer on the other hand are out of control and have NEVER decimated a crop like they have this year. They pull tassels before the emerge and knock ears and stalks over. Generally a small amount of damage, this year there are a couple of enterprising or very hungry ones I guess... DNR has been slow on issuing a block permit and it's just about too late... Might as well wait until hunting season to take care of them now as my 4th planting is currently tasseling, 2 more to go.

If the deer don't finish it off, the lack of rain and high temperatures & humidity sure will...

jackinok · Jul 21, 2011

coons and corn,the perfect combination!what really makes me mad is they wait everytime until its just ready to pick and you got your mouth all set,then they call in all their kinfolks and have a party at your expense.yours did better than mine though,so hot and dry it dried up before it even made ears here.neighbor who had a drip system on his ,had it looking good until the grasshoppers found it,they took every leaf off overnight.

Fergienewbee · Jul 21, 2011

I found a couple of tracks in my garden this morning. I'm sure they're writing in their book to come back in two weeks. My corn is just starting to make ears. I plan to try the Connibear/catfood combination be fore my corn gets ripe.

Larry

PDRuff · Jul 21, 2011

I started having trouble with coons about a week ago, I used grape juice and fly bait and got one after 2 nights, figured they weren't too bad. 3 days ago I see most of my early corn is gone (about 1/5 of what I planted) I went with coke and flybait. I experimented with small (tuna tins and 6 oz yougurt) containers I put about 2 -4 tablespoons of bait and 1/2 full of coke, first nite 4 containers/ 4 coon no more than 1 foot from each container. 2nd night used less fly bait got 1 coon but he drank 2 of the stations before "going to disneyland".
I am keeping the dog and cats locked in the house at night and pick up containers and unused mix and putting in plastic tote with lid in the barn with doors closed during the day... I might get 2 to 3 dozen ears from the ruined corn from the 2nd ears.

In the past what I have done with electric fence is to put a grounded wire 1 or 2 inches from the ground below the energized wire. with the lack of rain it seems to work somewhat better than without.

Sidekick · Jul 21, 2011

The grounded wire sounds like a good idea. Next year I'm going to try what a friend of mine did this year. He energized a roll of chicken wire and wrapped it around his garden effectively making a two foot solid barrier that can't be crawled through or climbed on. I'm not sure how he insulated it or hung it but I think it might work pretty well.

PDRuff · Jul 21, 2011

find fiberglass poles

Nancy Howell · Jul 21, 2011

Birds were destroying my peaches until I hung plastic snakes in the trees. Never lost a peach to birds after that.

The snakes don't even have to be in a "natural" position. I just tied a piece of string around the tail of the snake and then tied the other in the tree. Left them dangling there. No more pecked on peaches.

fixerupper · Jul 21, 2011

Last year the chocolate Lab kept the coons out but this year he's laid up with a broken leg and half amputated foot. I'm stocked up with flybait but I don't have the Pepsi yet. Jim

Deere Scotty · Jul 22, 2011

Deer got mine last year. About 500 row feet, & all I was able to salvage was about 40 ears. It took one night for the destruction. Entire stalks jerked out of the ground when they couldnt break the ears off. Looked like 300 head of cattle stampeded through it, & I slept right through it!!! A cousins dogs will have watch the week leading up to harvest this year!

All my sweetcorn is gone.

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