How to Scare Raccoons and Keep Them Away From Your Yard

Raccoons are adorable until they litter your front yard and dig up your grass. They'll never stop if you let them get away with it.

Raccoons are one of the most tenacious—and cunning—suburban pests, with a diverse set of athletic abilities. They can easily climb, swim, jump, and run, and their ability to break into garbage cans is unrivaled in the animal kingdom.

Helpful Hints to Keep Raccoons Out of Your Yard

Raccoons are looking for three things when they enter your yard: food, water, and shelter.

They'll have no incentive to stay if they can't find any. As a result, the easiest approach to keep raccoons out of your yard is to make sure they can't find what they're looking for.

However, if you already have raccoons on your property, you can use various odors and other measures to deter them.

Make Them Feel Uncomfortable

Make Use of Light and Sound

Raccoons frequently approach your yard in search of a safe, warm, and quiet spot to build their nest. Making your yard the polar opposite of that can help deter them from staying.

To frighten the raccoons away, use bright lights, music, and foot traffic. However, this strategy is questionable, so give it a shot but keep in mind that it might not work.

Remove the Vegetation

Raccoons will search for food anywhere they can, so having a garden makes life easier for them! Planting a garden will help keep them out of your yard, but if you must, make sure it is securely protected.

Remove any branches that could assist them in climbing to your attic, and give leaves as cushioning for a den under your deck or shed.

Fix the Fence

Any interested and devoted raccoon will have easy access to your chicken coop or garden if your fence is destroyed.

If your property is surrounded by a fence, make sure to inspect it for damage on a regular basis and repair any holes as soon as possible.

Raccoons will try to reach through mesh cloth with wide enough openings, so use (and repair) the suitable type of hardware cloth for your chicken coop in addition to securing the furthest boundary of your land.

Use galvanized mesh hardware cloth with openings smaller than one square inch to keep raccoons at bay.

Take Care of the Trash

The creation of a scent-free zone is another simple raccoon repellant. To put it another way, keep any appealing scents (such as the powerful garbage stew) hidden.

Raccoons are attracted to even the smallest food odors, and they like foraging for trash and fallen fruit wherever it is available.

Raccoons will not raid your waste bins if you secure your trash can so that the lids stay snugly in place even if it is tipped over.

You can consider purchasing new garbage cans with animal-proof latches.

Also, keep an eye out for and pick up any food in the form of fallen fruit (or scattered pet food if you have outside pets) before raccoons decide to make your yard their nightly snacking destination.

Get Rıd of Them Naturally

Homemade Pepper Spray

Because raccoons dislike spicy scents, a cayenne pepper spray can be a simple and efficient raccoon repellant.

Combine a small bottle of cayenne pepper and a bottle of the spicy sauce in a gallon of water, then shake vigorously. Spray your plants, bushes, and other garden flora with this pepper solution.

If you want to keep raccoons away from your chicken coop, sprinkle it all around the perimeter.

Epsom Salt Sprinkle

Epsom salt, which has an unpleasant odor, is another natural deterrent that keeps raccoons away.

Sprinkle Epsom salt both inside and outside your food garden for the best protection. Racoons will normally stay away from your garden and coops if they detect that odor.

Make it Harder For Them to Obtain Their Desired Outcome

Any Entry Points Should Be Closed

Seal any entrance spots to your home, under your deck, or in your shed with wooden planks, wired mesh, netting, or newspaper. Keep an eye on these areas to make sure the raccoons don't find a way in.

Cover Water Sources

Raccoons are usually looking for water, so make sure you don't leave any for them. Cover any ponds and pools, empty any rain barrels, and don't leave any water dishes out for them.

Pet Food Should Not Be Left Out

Raccoons are attracted to pet food the best way to keep them around. Having a consistent food source encourages them to make your yard their home.

Bird Feeders Should Be Mounted on Thin Poles

For a raccoon, your bird feeder is the ideal food source! The raccoon cannot climb it since it is installed on top of a narrow pole rather than a thick one.

To Finish Up

We hope that this article has been helpful in making your yard as raccoon-proof as possible.

Please share your thoughts and experiences with us; we'd love to hear them!