restrictions and solutions for Residents in Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol Who Need to Trap Raccoons 

Properly removing a raccoon from your property in Bristol, Kingsport, or Johnson City is not as simple as just dropping a trapped raccoon off in the country so Wildlife Company LLC has several non-relocation options for customers in this area. This is because all three of these cities, are in a no relocation zone which covers all rabies prone species. Infected raccoons do not show symptoms of rabies at the beginning of the disease, so relocating raccoons risk moving an infected animal to a new area and starting an outbreak there. This can be a problem in any area, but this is an especially serious problem because we live in an area that is geographically sensitive to this problem.  

Our region is Geographicaly Sensetive to rabies

Rabies has different strains and each rabies prone species has its own strain. The Tri-Cities region lies in the mountains between to separate rabies zones. West of the mountains is the skunk strain and between the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean is the raccoon strain. This is in part because the mountains have helped separate the two strains, but also because the USDA has worked very hard to stamp it out in the past with air dropped rabies vaccine packets in our area. So, moving one strain or the other across the mountains would be serious.

Solutions to Your Raccoon Problem tailored to our region 

Getting Rid of Raccoons Under Houses and Sheds with one way doors

We can set traps for our customers, but fortunately some of the best options for getting rid of your raccoon problem don’t even involve trapping. One way doors are special devices that can be attached over the entrance that the raccoon is using to enter the home. They allow the animal to exit the home but not to return. This is a very humane option and allows the animals to relocate into an alternate den site. One way doors reduce trauma to the raccoon and do not separate mother raccoons from their babies. This is detailed in the One Door Trap Alternative video shown here on this page. It also eliminates the need for the trap to be checked and emptied. This saves fuel which cuts cost for the customer. Using a one-way door is an excellent option as long as alternate exits are sealed up. Installing a one-way door and not closing all the “back doors” will result in failure.  

If Trapping is Necessary

Sometimes safety dictates that trapping and removal of a raccoon is necessary. If a raccoon in a crawlspace or under a shed is trapped, it is important that trapping is done correctly. Wildlife Company LLC never sets a bait trap near the entrance to catch an animal inside a building. Bait traps catch hungry animals and it is not guaranteed that the animal in the trap is the same animal that was under your house or shed. Instead of using standard bait traps, Wildlife Company LLC uses double door traps with a vertical “swing trigger” in the middle. These traps are mounted directly over the entrance that the animal is using. Any animal caught in the trap was either coming out from under the building or going in. The animal in the trap was not a random animal that happened to be passing through the area.  

Deterrents for attic raccoon Removal

Raccoon deterrents are an excellent option when dealing with females that have decided to den in an attic to raise their young. A good raccoon deterrent will make momma raccoon relocate her babies to an alternate den site and saves the trouble of trapping and hauling the raccoon away altogether. Wildlife Company LLC focuses on removing the family unit with as little stress to the raccoons as possible and has an entire page on Attic Raccoon Removal .

Removing Food Sources

Let's not forget the simplest and cheapest option for dealing with raccoons: don’t leave food out. When my customers first call with “raccoon trapping” situation I always suggest this option if it is applicable. If you secure trash cans, trash dumpsters, bird feeders, and put up outdoor pet bowls at night your raccoon problem will often just melt away. Eliminating unnatural food sources helps on a regional level to reduce overpopulation which in turn helps reduce future nuisance raccoon problems and disease outbreaks which more important here than other regions.   

You May still Have to Trap - When is it necessary?

Some raccoon situations may require trapping due to safety concerns. Raccoons that are sick and/or aggressive, invade homes to rob food, or that are overly friendly present a higher risk to the public and may need to be trapped. Wildlife Company LLC tries to minimize trapping whenever possible. Often there are better solutions for the customer and the raccoon. If there are, we always suggest them to our customers. Below is a break down on some recommendations and options to help you through this crisis.  

Removing a Sick Raccoon 

Raccoons that look sick can have rabies or they can have another disease, but it is impossible to tell unless the animal is tested. Leaving sick animals loose only makes it more likely that they will infect other animals. Distemper is common in Johnson City, Bristol, and Kingsport areas and it can show similar symptoms as rabies. Anytime I have a questionable animal, I try to get it to the local USDA for testing so that they can monitor our local situation. Keep in mind that, as a wildlife controller, I am vaccinated for rabies and can handle sick raccoons without the same risk as the general public. 

Raccoons that Come Inside to Take Food 

A raccoon that has learned to invade homes to rob food often enters through a cat door and later has to be trapped or hand captured. Though my customers make me aware that blocking the cat door defeats the purpose of the cat door, a good solution to this problem is to block the cat door at night.  

I have had fielded several calls like this in Johnson City. I remember a visit to the Tree Street area where I think a raccoon had begun to explore further and further into the home night after night and had made it to an upstairs bedroom. A small family unit of raccoons in the same neighborhood a few years later found their way to a backroom storage area and were hiding behind a mattress that was leaning against a wall.  

Just a few weeks ago, I had a raccoon just off Paty Drive on the opposite side of ETSU from the tree streets, which was under a table in a TV room looking very relaxed when I arrived. This was a very portly raccoon. After talking to the customer, I learned that the raccoon had been coming in through the cat door for some time eating the cat’s food.  When I was loading that raccoon on the truck, I could smell cat food on the raccoon. 

Raccoons that become acclimated to humans become more relaxed over time and this raccoon had become accustomed to sneaking inside this lady's home until it found itself shut inside her living room upstairs. The longer an animal does this the more relaxed, it will become and the likelihood of a bite increases.  

I would like to repeat that feeding raccoons in any way only increases their desire for human food and increases the odds of incidents like this. Please keep this in mind if you decide to purposefully feed raccoons. The raccoon that you feed today may become someone else’s problem and have to be trapped tomorrow.  Also, it is not a good idea that a raccoon that sneaks inside a home be relocated. This is a learned skill and the animal is likely to apply this skill in its relocation zone. You may be moving your problem to someone else’s kitchen. 

Trapping Overly Friendly Raccoons 

It may not seem like an overly friendly raccoon is a risk, but it definitely is. Raccoons that are in the habit of coming in close contact with people are likely, at some point, to lash out. The raccoon may have just been feeling cranky, but you do not know exactly why it bit you.  Once the animal runs away there is no way of telling if the animal was rabid or not and the victim will have to have rabies shots.  

Years ago, I had a call from Elizabethton where a family had been feeding raccoons on the back porch. Raccoons regularly came and went on the back porch of this home.  The father stepped out on the back porch to smoke a cigarette with the raccoons, and a big male raccoon walked right up to him and bit him on the leg for no reason whatsoever. Then the raccoon ran off. The man called asking me saying “I need you to catch a raccoon”. I told him that I could catch “a raccoon”, but that I couldn’t guarantee that it would be “the” raccoon. I advised him that he should call the Carter County Health Department which he did. They advised him to get his shots. Please do not feed raccoons.