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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Lcarlson on May 18, 2016, 06:23:11 PM

Title: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Lcarlson on May 18, 2016, 06:23:11 PM
Well, maybe not quite, but as close as I'd care to come. I'm sitting at a picnic table at a local roadside food cart scarfing a burger. One of the food cart guys yells "sir there's a raccoon coming". Does not compute, says I, but I turn around. WHOA, there is indeed a raccoon at twenty feet and clising fast, at least as fast as you can close when you're staggering sideways and your rear legs are collapsing (I would consider my rear legs to be my only legs, but this was a coon). Time to book. Abandoning my gear, but hanging onto my burger, I retreat rapidly, hoping the beast will not pursue me. Fortunately, he doesn't, but staggers off into a local swamp. RIP, Mr. Coon. (Guzzi content: I wasn't riding my Cali, I was riding my Beemer). A disconcerting experience.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Sasquatch Jim on May 18, 2016, 06:29:00 PM
 At least you weren't skunked.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: jackson on May 18, 2016, 06:31:44 PM
It's common in the area where we live to read/hear in the local papers and news stations about raccoons, possums and skunks that are infected with rabies that have come in contact with humans.  Glad to hear that he didn't continue to pursue you; the series of rabies shots if you come in contact are not a pleasant experience.  I know two people who've had to take them.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: RANDM on May 18, 2016, 07:04:12 PM
See Mr Deppe - THAT'S one of the reasons our Quarantine
Laws are there and even apply people like you.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Lcarlson on May 18, 2016, 07:10:19 PM
See Mr Deppe - THAT'S one of the reasons our Quarantine
Laws are there and even apply people like you.

I'm QUARANTINED?
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Rough Edge racing on May 18, 2016, 07:18:10 PM
It's common in the area where we live to read/hear in the local papers and news stations about raccoons, possums and skunks that are infected with rabies that have come in contact with humans.  Glad to hear that he didn't continue to pursue you; the series of rabies shots if you come in contact are not a pleasant experience.  I know two people who've had to take them.

 It's extremely rare for possums to have rabies. Number one is raccoons........
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: oldbike54 on May 18, 2016, 07:20:05 PM
It's extremely rare for possums to have rabies. Number one is raccoons........

 Yep .

 
I'm QUARANTINED?

 Not so much quarantined as we're just keeping an eye on ya  :laugh:

 Dusty
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Lcarlson on May 18, 2016, 07:24:19 PM
Yep .

 
 Not so much quarantined as we're just keeping an eye on ya  :laugh:

 Dusty

Whew -- I just hope I don't end up like Old Yeller....
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Guzzistajohn on May 18, 2016, 07:25:09 PM
The good news was that no beer was spilled during the incident :boozing:
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: JeffOlson on May 18, 2016, 07:40:11 PM
That's funny!

When I was a child, we had a pet raccoon, Tiki. He could open cupboard doors, get down a box of cereal, open the box, and eat from it just like we did, with his hands. He could also stand on a piece of furniture by the front door, turn the knob, and open the door. He was a lot of fun.

Today, we don't see many raccoons where we live, but we see a lot of "black and white kittens," you know, the ones our dogs like to play with. :wink:
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: yogidozer on May 18, 2016, 08:18:34 PM
I think you are overreacting. The raccoon just wanted a burger to go along with the beer ;-)
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Arizona Wayne on May 18, 2016, 08:52:52 PM
I think you are overreacting. The raccoon just wanted a burger to go along with the beer ;-)



When you're at Crater Lake, watch out for those chip monks.  1 time I stopped to look @ the Lake and take a picture............ .....set my ice cream cone on the rock ledge...........loo k thru my Nikon F lense and see a CM running for my IC cone  :shocked:  I yelled out, "hey you little fucker!!!"  He was smaller than my cone.  He didn't even stop, grabbed it,  and was gone!   I'd hardly licked it.   :cry:
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: sib on May 18, 2016, 09:29:48 PM


When you're at Crater Lake, watch out for those chip monks.  1 time I stopped to look @ the Lake and take a picture............ .....set my ice cream cone on the rock ledge...........loo k thru my Nikon F lense and see a CM running for my IC cone  :shocked:  I yelled out, "hey you little fucker!!!"  He was smaller than my cone.  He didn't even stop, grabbed it,  and was gone!   I'd hardly licked it.   :cry:
Technically, those critters running all over the place at Crater Lake are golden mantled ground squirrels.  But they are pesky.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Tom H on May 18, 2016, 09:36:29 PM
The good news was that no beer was spilled during the incident :boozing:

 :1: :1:
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Tom H on May 18, 2016, 09:42:09 PM
And to try to clear up what you were attacked by:


(http://thumb.ibb.co/iTJTTv/Coons_DSCN0429.jpg) (http://ibb.co/iTJTTv)

Tom
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: kirby1923 on May 18, 2016, 10:15:31 PM
When I was 10 one of my jobs was to shoot ground squirrels on the ranch near the house.

One day  while shooting the critters, I picked off one and quickly went to retrieve the body but the critter was just dazed and bit me on the hand when I picked him up.

Long story short, I did not tell any one about it but my sister found out and ratted on me . The body an me and mom and sis  went to town (ASAP), to the Dr. and oops..rabid.

14 shots in the stomach, one a day! The needle looked like a sewer pipe.

My mom says after 3 days they had to find out where I was hiding and force me to the doc for a shot.

I figure that experience is what made me so mean in later life. Changed me forever.

I'm not sure they do it that way anymore.

:-(
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: ITSec on May 18, 2016, 11:39:05 PM
Topic: Attacked by a rabid coon!

Um, maybe I'm just old, but having been raised in the South, we don't use phrases like this anymore!
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Arizona Wayne on May 19, 2016, 12:44:51 AM
Topic: Attacked by a rabid coon!

Um, maybe I'm just old, but having been raised in the South, we don't use phrases like this anymore!


Really...........wh at part of the South were you raised in?
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: pehayes on May 19, 2016, 01:44:09 AM
When I was 10 one of my jobs was to shoot ground squirrels on the ranch near the house.

One day  while shooting the critters, I picked off one and quickly went to retrieve the body but the critter was just dazed and bit me on the hand when I picked him up.

Long story short, I did not tell any one about it but my sister found out and ratted on me . The body an me and mom and sis  went to town (ASAP), to the Dr. and oops..rabid.

Sorry you went through all that.  Who told you the Ground Squirrel was rabid?  The only way to know is to perform microscopic analysis on the animals brain tissue.

From the CDC "Small rodents like squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats, and mice) and lagomorphs including rabbits and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans."

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Kent in Upstate NY on May 19, 2016, 04:31:03 AM
It doesn't matter if the squirrel or any other mammal that bites you is rabid or not. If you can't capture the critter it is safer to assume that it is rabid and get the shots.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: yogidozer on May 19, 2016, 05:40:26 AM
Topic: Attacked by a rabid coon!

Um, maybe I'm just old, but having been raised in the South, we don't use phrases like this anymore!
What, they don't have rabies in the south?
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: sib on May 19, 2016, 06:18:38 AM
What, they don't have rabies in the south?
Either incredibly naive of a troll.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: yogidozer on May 19, 2016, 06:30:29 AM
Either incredibly naive of a troll.
Really? I wasn't the one who connected this to race. No one else brought up race either.
But let me get a violin to play a sad sad song
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: oldbike54 on May 19, 2016, 06:53:52 AM
 Easy fellas , hard to tell meaning sometimes in the written word . Maybe give each other a brief moment to explain things .

 Dusty
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: pete roper on May 19, 2016, 07:08:55 AM
 :1: An icon I hate but as an outsider I saw no problem with the term and my 'Bigot' radar is fairly highly tuned.

Sure there are unpleasant uses of the word 'Coon', it's used in a derogatory sense here too. But in this case it's simply an abreviation of 'Racoon' surely? To me it's exactly the same as using the term 'Roo to describe a kangaroo.

If it was part of some carpet chewing rant about people with more melanin in their skins I'd imagine the mods would be all over it like a rash but getting upset simply because a word's meaning could be seen as ambiguous if you were drunk as a skunk and didn't read the post in context does strike me at least as a bit 'Over The Top'.

YOMV.

Pete
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: oldbike54 on May 19, 2016, 07:17:39 AM
 I am an honorary "Registered Coon Ass" , a title bestowed on me by the Perry boys from Louisiana, no racism implied  :laugh: 

 Dusty
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: yogidozer on May 19, 2016, 07:27:58 AM
I guess the original poster should have used the name Procyon lotor so no one would have been confused.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: oldbike54 on May 19, 2016, 07:33:35 AM
I guess the original poster should have used the name Procyon lotor so no one would have been confused.

 Careful now , we simply won't allow that type of ... Say what ? Oh sorry , my sister says that is the scientific name for a raccoon , sorry .

 Oh , and no , we don't go for racism here , thanks for that  :thumb:

 Dusty
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: yogidozer on May 19, 2016, 07:53:46 AM
Careful now , we simply won't allow that type of ... Say what ? Oh sorry , my sister says that is the scientific name for a raccoon , sorry .

 Oh , and no , we don't go for racism here , thanks for that  :thumb:

 Dusty
THAT'S IT!!!! I'm going to report you to the moderator..... oh wait :wink:
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: oldbike54 on May 19, 2016, 08:07:25 AM
THAT'S IT!!!! I'm going to report you to the moderator..... oh wait :wink:

 It's alright , I report myself at least once a month  :embarrassed:

 Dusty
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: rdbandkab on May 19, 2016, 08:13:30 AM
Quote
It doesn't matter if the squirrel or any other mammal that bites you is rabid or not. If you can't capture the critter it is safer to assume that it is rabid and get the shots.

My wife feeds wild birds behind our house..  Unfortunately, that means she feeds all types of wildlife back there.   She got nipped by mom raccoon a few years ago and had to go the rabies shot regimen.  She still feeds the birds, but maybe has a bit more respect for the wilder beasts. 

Quote
One day  while shooting the critters, I picked off one and quickly went to retrieve the body but the critter was just dazed and bit me on the hand when I picked him up.  Long story short, I did not tell any one about it but my sister found out and ratted on me . The body an me and mom and sis  went to town (ASAP), to the Dr. and oops..rabid.  14 shots in the stomach, one a day! The needle looked like a sewer pipe.

Poor kid..   I only wish that karma on the older folks...


Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: kirby1923 on May 19, 2016, 09:11:37 AM
Sorry you went through all that.  Who told you the Ground Squirrel was rabid?  The only way to know is to perform microscopic analysis on the animals brain tissue.

From the CDC "Small rodents like squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats, and mice) and lagomorphs including rabbits and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans."

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA



Sure wish you had been there to tell them that!
It was unknown if it was actually rabid but the decision was made (I had nothing to say about it!) that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: sidmonsters on May 19, 2016, 12:02:11 PM
Raccoons certainly can carry and transmit rabies, though if you see one off its rocker it is more likely to have distemper.  Solution to either is .22LR, but not in the head if anybody has potentially been exposed, as brain analysis in the path lab is the only certain diagnosis.  And it doesn't make sense to aerosolize/splatterize the potentially infective gray matter anyhoo.  As a DVM, I am more worried about this nasty roundworm they carry asymptomatically that can do awful things if humans become infected.  So wash your hands after handling, bleach soiled areas, and for the love of all things Holy cover your (grand)kids sandbox.  Even cat and dog roundworms occasionally go off the rez and end up in eyeballs, brain tissue, etc.  Oh, and don't allow raccoons into your cereal boxes.  drool.gif  I appreciate raccoons, and even brake for them in my car.  And even leave them alone even when they are causing a commotion around my deer stand.  But when our paths cross at home, I invoke my own "castle defense" and send them to Jesus.  I remember once they moved into our garage when we were gone for 7 days.  Ate all our cat food.  And all that business about washing their food...please...the y crap everywhere, even where they sleep.  Lots of rubber gloves and Clorox upon our return, especially since my kids were quite young then.  Trapped a whole family, one per night, for 6 nights in a row.  All were reunited at the pearly gates...yick.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: rodekyll on May 19, 2016, 01:31:19 PM
I chased a HUGE brown rat through the neighborhood when I lived in Aberdeen, WA.  I didn't have to chase it hard because it was staggering and weaving from whatever made it sick.  It had been seen for a few days in the area and everyone was in a panic because it was so obviously unwell.  We really wanted to bean it with a shovel instead of the gun but it kept to the hedges and culverts and other places where we couldn't swing a stick.

I was chasing it and shooting it with a Walther PPK in .32.  I couldn't just hose it on account of it was a busy neighborhood and a lot of folks were spectating.  We didn't want extra drama, so my shots had to be careful and planned -- most from about 4-6'.  I could see the bullets hit it and one even rolled it over.  But it kept waddling on.  We finally got it trapped in a corner of someone's foundation footing and dispatched it.  The darn thing had six holes in it.  You'd think the weight of the lead would have stopped it.

That was the last time I used a .32 on anything.  Useless darn round.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: ITSec on May 19, 2016, 01:36:01 PM

Really...........wh at part of the South were you raised in?

St Louis - and in the early sixties, it was definitely, culturally, still a part of the South!
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Rough Edge racing on May 19, 2016, 01:46:50 PM
I chased a HUGE brown rat through the neighborhood when I lived in Aberdeen, WA.  I didn't have to chase it hard because it was staggering and weaving from whatever made it sick.  It had been seen for a few days in the area and everyone was in a panic because it was so obviously unwell.  We really wanted to bean it with a shovel instead of the gun but it kept to the hedges and culverts and other places where we couldn't swing a stick.

I was chasing it and shooting it with a Walther PPK in .32.  I couldn't just hose it on account of it was a busy neighborhood and a lot of folks were spectating.  We didn't want extra drama, so my shots had to be careful and planned -- most from about 4-6'.  I could see the bullets hit it and one even rolled it over.  But it kept waddling on.  We finally got it trapped in a corner of someone's foundation footing and dispatched it.  The darn thing had six holes in it.  You'd think the weight of the lead would have stopped it.

That was the last time I used a .32 on anything.  Useless darn round.

  You were pretty drunk? 
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: rodekyll on May 19, 2016, 02:39:08 PM
I was pretty, but not drunk.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: normzone on May 19, 2016, 02:49:52 PM
Hey, we could divert the thread even further by engaging in caliber worship !

" That was the last time I used a .32 on anything.  Useless darn round. "

And you know what they say about a .25 -

" If you ever shoot me with a .25 ... and I find out about it ... "
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: rodekyll on May 19, 2016, 03:02:45 PM
 . . .or not.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: wildebube on May 19, 2016, 05:29:15 PM
Raccoons certainly can carry and transmit rabies, though if you see one off its rocker it is more likely to have distemper.  Solution to either is .22LR, but not in the head if anybody has potentially been exposed, as brain analysis in the path lab is the only certain diagnosis.  And it doesn't make sense to aerosolize/splatterize the potentially infective gray matter anyhoo.  As a DVM, I am more worried about this nasty roundworm they carry asymptomatically that can do awful things if humans become infected.  So wash your hands after handling, bleach soiled areas, and for the love of all things Holy cover your (grand)kids sandbox.  Even cat and dog roundworms occasionally go off the rez and end up in eyeballs, brain tissue, etc.  Oh, and don't allow raccoons into your cereal boxes.  drool.gif  I appreciate raccoons, and even brake for them in my car.  And even leave them alone even when they are causing a commotion around my deer stand.  But when our paths cross at home, I invoke my own "castle defense" and send them to Jesus.  I remember once they moved into our garage when we were gone for 7 days.  Ate all our cat food.  And all that business about washing their food...please...the y crap everywhere, even where they sleep.  Lots of rubber gloves and Clorox upon our return, especially since my kids were quite young then.  Trapped a whole family, one per night, for 6 nights in a row.  All were reunited at the pearly gates...yick.

Aren't they also a vector for leptospirosis?  Yet another nasty bug that can be fatal to humans.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Bill929 on May 19, 2016, 07:19:20 PM
I've been through the rabies - series twice.  I was a wildlife biologist in my early days and worked regularly with raccoons.  The vaccines are no big deal, a series of six shots (the first time, less next time!) in alternating arms that are no worse than a tetanus shot.  Raccoons do get feline distemper and the symptoms are very much like rabies (staggering, etc.), so if the offending raccoon tested negative for rabies, it is highly likely that it had feline distemper.  As stated above, it is extremely rare for opossums to be infected with rabies.  Their low body temp may be the reason, but it is not known for sure.  The more alarming fact is that, in the south, as much as 50% of the raccoons may carry rabies.  They have the ability to carry the disease for quite some time without showing ANY symptoms, so if you come into contact with a raccoon (i.e., any type of saliva or bodily fluid) , even one that appears normal, you need to see a doctor and probably should go through the - series - it is a pain to make six trips to the doctor for shots, but that is one hell of a lot better than the alternative as rabies is 100% fatal.     

And yes, raccoons are a vector for leptospirosis, but that is a much greater risk for your dog or cat, especially if you keep a water bowl outside as the raccoons will drink from it at night, which could infect your dog or cat the next day...
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Rough Edge racing on May 20, 2016, 05:49:33 AM
Hey, we could divert the thread even further by engaging in caliber worship !

" That was the last time I used a .32 on anything.  Useless darn round. "

And you know what they say about a .25 -

" If you ever shoot me with a .25 ... and I find out about it ... "

 Not exactly off topic because people, some who are here, may use a firearm on a racoon...If you think small caliber isn't deadly, think again..President McKinley, Mayor of Chicago and Robert Kennedy were all killed by 32 caliber pistol shots. I believe President Reagan and Brady were shot by a 22 pistol.....I know for a fact a 22LR head shot will drop a large eastern coyote at 75 yards...
   
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: redrider on May 20, 2016, 06:28:37 AM
This discussion illustrates precisely why I have no tolerance for the "Bambi Bimbo" mindset. Nature is a cold place with danger everywhere. Be wary and carry a firearm. That new "Explore the Forest" PSA is not based in reality, IMO.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Rough Edge racing on May 20, 2016, 06:44:13 AM
This discussion illustrates precisely why I have no tolerance for the "Bambi Bimbo" mindset. Nature is a cold place with danger everywhere. Be wary and carry a firearm. That new "Explore the Forest" PSA is not based in reality, IMO.

  Wary is not enough, a person needs to have knowledge of the animals that comes from experience . We walk often through dense wood known to be inhabited by coyotes ,snakes and maybe black bears. I always carry a small folding knife and never carry a firearm...However there are areas with potentially dangerous animals that should be avoided.....Never fear nature but always  respect it...
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: oldbike54 on May 20, 2016, 07:53:10 AM
 Hell , I lived in the forest for years , never had any woodland creature threaten me . The big bad wolf was a children's cautionary tale .

 Dusty
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Lcarlson on May 20, 2016, 08:25:42 AM
I grew up amid the forests of northern Massachusetts and spent lots of time in the woods -- never gave it a thought. Nobody was armed, anywhere, except during hunting season. Of course, New England doesn't have any Grizzlies (think The Revenant) or mountain lions.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: yogidozer on May 20, 2016, 11:22:46 AM
I grew up amid the forests of northern Massachusetts and spent lots of time in the woods -- never gave it a thought. Nobody was armed, anywhere, except during hunting season. Of course, New England doesn't have any Grizzlies (think The Revenant) or mountain lions.
No mountain lions in Ct.? Don't bet your life on that
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Lcarlson on May 20, 2016, 11:30:57 AM
No mountain lions in Ct.? Don't bet your life on that

Well, one WAS killed on the Wilber Cross Parkway last year....  Anyway, they're not common, at least for now.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: oldbike54 on May 20, 2016, 11:39:51 AM
Well, one WAS killed on the Wilber Cross Parkway last year....  Anyway, they're not common, at least for now.

 We have a few roaming Eastern Oklahoma , mostly along the Illinois River basin . They don't ever seem to bother anyone due to the abundance of deer .

 Dusty
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: kirby1923 on May 20, 2016, 12:23:37 PM
Hell , I lived in the forest for years , never had any woodland creature threaten me . The big bad wolf was a children's cautionary tale .

 Dusty

You resemble that remark!

:-)
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: oldbike54 on May 20, 2016, 12:30:48 PM
You resemble that remark!

:-)

 Well of course  :laugh:

 Dusty
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: Arizona Wayne on May 20, 2016, 12:37:57 PM
Wild animals, if feel threatened, or their offspring, you better get the hell away or have a weapon to protect yourself.

A few years ago a female runner on a trail in a norCal forest didn't know it but she came upon a mt. lion and her cubs.............th e runner was killed.   She was on private property and wasn't supposed to be there.  It cost her her life.
Title: Re: Attacked by a rabid coon!
Post by: rodekyll on May 20, 2016, 01:29:42 PM
In Alaska we've had four bear maulings and three kayak fatalities so far this year.  Three motorcyclists killed too.  None of these people were where they were supposed to be.  None were following the rules.  All thought they were magically impervious to the natural order of things.  And they were all dead wrong.

Be safe, not a statistic!