coons

[backtobasics]

I live in a rual area, nearest city 80 miles. But I live right in town. I baught a live trap because there is a coon and some cats that keep getting into the garbage. My question is would it be bad to eat a coon thats been eating out of the nieghborhoods garbage cans?

[Rick]

They eat just about anything whether its in the garbage in town or scavenging in the woods. They should be fine. Pigs ate garbage for decades. 'Nuff said.

[backtobasics]

Good point Rick

[oldtrap59]

Having trapped for many years I'd say it wouldn't bother me at all. I've seen coons eat some things that would turn the garbage man's tummy out in the wild. Like Rick said. Nuff said. :>)

Oldtrap

[RandyRhoads]

Nope. Makes them taste even sweeter than they already do. I normally don't get them until after a nice can of dog food or some compost like trash. Man i'm getting hungry for coon now.....


As far as safety- Be very careful with any GI parts. They almost always have worms and can and will give you worms if you ingest any under cooked, or get any in your mouth while cleaning. A big danger is being around their dried feces, where egg containing particles can become airborne. I always glove for this and am VERY paranoid and careful.

I talked to my pest control guy because we have poison traps for rats out here they like to get into. He said even if they ingest the poisons it wont taint the meat, most likely just make them sick or kill them.

[BENESSE]

Leave the coons and the cats alone. It ain't TEOTWAWKI, yet. So much stuff to do and eat before you get to that point.
Relax...pour yourself a drink and stay out of the garbage cans.

[Rick]

I would never eat any animal I know had died of some poison. Depending on the poison in the rat stuff things like anti-coagulants can take time to work and will be prevalent throughout the body of the animal. They bleed out at even the capillary level.

It's my understanding that Phosphides don't accumulate in the tissues (Crash?) by I still wouldn't ingest an animal's meat.

There are a lot of other poisons out there and I don't know enough about them to know any more than the animal died from it so it's probably not going to be good for me. I've never been that hungry.

[your_comforting_company]

Raccoons also carry rabies. Handle them with gloves on for your own safety. Use care around the claws too as a simple scratch can give you a really bad infection.. who knows what they've been digging around in.
That said, coon is good to eat.

[edr730]

I've ate good ones and bad ones. Take the time to cook it right. I've taken my share of coon sandwiches to school. It's an animal that's possible to knock out of a tree and kill it...takes some cajones. It has lots of fat that could be used in a survival situation. But, the fat is the nasty tasting part. Don't expect it to taste like rabbit or squirrel by a quick roast over a fire.

[RandyRhoads]

I would never eat any animal I know had died of some poison.

Me either. I asked him because I was a little worried about eating any around my property on the chance they may have previously gotten into and eaten a little poison. If it showed any signs of poisoning I wouldn't touch it.

[backtobasics]

Thanks guys. This is not a survival situation, jut tryin to get rid of some varmits. The cats will not be killed. I'm just tired of them.

[jake abraham]

I grew up eating coon I like it if cooked right

[RandyRhoads]

Smoke the cats too. If they're feral cats, and not a neighbors. They don't like that.... apparently....

[backtobasics]

I'm on the fence about the cats. I do hate them tho. My dog does not run the street doing property damage why should a cat be able to. When I lived in the dessert I had a couple of cats but that was different. They were not pets, they had a job to do. Plus I had no neighbors.

[newzealandsurvival]

what does Racoon taste like, or is it one of those things that has its own taste and cant be compared ?

[Rick]

The only coon I've ever had was BBQ'd so I can't really tell you.

[RandyRhoads]

Uhh depends on what your palate is like. Are you one of those people that tries something new because someone tells you it tastes like chicken, and it does? Or can you taste subtle differences ? The main thing would be the greasiness and sweetness. Tastes almost like it's sugared.

[newzealandsurvival]

damn sounds like it might be pretty good then I love sweet meat, I have eaten possums and they taste very strong and feral like rats with to much testosterone ( not that I have eaten a rat )

[natertot]

I have never ate a coon, but cat is pretty tasty. I clean them just like rabbit, then slow cook in a firepit. Add a little hot sauce and enjoy!

[RandyRhoads]

I haven't tried possum yet.

[wholsomback]

Just remember with coons you have to look for roundworms in the flesh after you clean them.Down here in Texas thats one of the issues that infest our furry friends.We eat lots of coons but ours eat a diet of corn and veggies from our feeders we set out for hogs.They do taste good though when cooked properly.

[RandyRhoads]

I've never heard of that. Only roundworms in the trachea, which has no effect on the meat, and isn't in raccoons. Only thing I no of with coons is Thorny-headed worms
Acanthocep-halan, and Larva migrans
Baylisascaris procyonis. Neither of which if dangerous if you cook the meat and don't eat entrails...

[Sparky93]

My Dad said he tried raccoon once and it didn't taste very good..... but his was cooked on a pitch fork over a fire in the state forest lol.....

[wholsomback]

Well that is what they say but I have found them up to 9 cm long migrating from the gut to the surrounding meat,therefore it does pay to be on your toes.Also we have a large problem sometimes with distemper and rabies.

[RandyRhoads]

Yes, I said i'd never heard of that, not that it wasn't true. Good to know, i'll keep an eye on the meat too. Any idea if that problem is anywhere besides Texas?

[wholsomback]

Not that I've heard but we have a real overpopulation problem here where I hunt,we have thousands and the weather has been extreamly warm this winter.I remember when I lived in Floridia I saw it in a few there but not many.A good rule of thumb if you eat any wild game is to do a parasite cleanse every 3-6 months with wormwood capsules.2 a day for 30 days should take care of any issues and protect you for a couple of months,also for more microbial protection using Cumanda and Samento in a glass of water every day during trapping season can reduce your exposure to flea and tick bourne bugs.I trap for a living all year around so I try to protect myself as much as possible.

[your_comforting_company]

I have heard of the problem with the worms locally (South GA), but I haven't actually seen any. Since I cook all my meats, I would be much more worried about the rabies, but it is always a good idea to watch for parasites in any and all animals you intend to eat.

[rockriver]

We have a serious population of racoon around here. I always snipe them off and freeze the cleaned meat right away. Then it's off to the frying pan. I figured the freezing/frying would kill anything that could harm me.

[RandyRhoads]

Has anyone ever had them smell so bad you were gagging while cleaning, even after years of gutting animals? I'm thinking it was because it sat in my cool garage for 12 hours without tending to it, but just curious if it could be something else, like a disease or parasite infection, or even just a bad smelling one because of it's diet?