Raccoons....

[Montexan]

And besides, who says that's a myth? Looks like to me to be a lot of opinion mongering going on here. I'd like to see the evidence.
Anyway, and setting aside that awful mess: You speak truth, and you make a good point. You also artfully illustrate the full-color madness of the futile struggles we play at, keeping the beasties outta our precious keepings. Finally, and what's more... You had to mention Hantavirus?! (Shivers!) I'm from Montana, and I well remember that particular little delight. By way of mentioning Montana... We have there some magpies (also corvidae) that will drive a man to frustrated tears of desperation. Not raven-sized, but well and cruelly raven-minded! Okay, nuff said. I gotta mind my ramblings.

Well in that case, here's an article from the Billings Gazette that includes a PDF memo from the Yellowstone Bear Center on the subject. The PDF includes sources to larger research papers from authorities on bears.

But back on the topic of raccoons, scents need to be managed accordingly. They'll investigate new and unfamiliar scents: Did you spit your toothpaste onto the ground 10 yards from your hammock? *shrug* I know, a lot of people do. Multiple people have told me, mark or store things with strong human scent (e.g., dirty socks or even dog fur) because they don't like it. But I have not found that to deter them--anyone else? Since the OP is using a bear can, what they'll need to worry about next is shiny stuff. I have no idea why they steal foil. I'd like to think they make hats to protect themselves from the G-men. So you'll want to protect your mug, bowl, pocket knife and KEYS.

[cataraftgirl]

Since they are adept at carrying off large/heavy objects, do we need to somehow secure the bear canister so they don't make off with it? Or will they leave the canister alone because they can't smell the food inside it? Are the canisters 100% smell resistant? I'd hate to go to retrieve my canister in the morning only to find it gone. I just got a bear canister for kayak trips this summer. I have never used one before.

[SilvrSurfr]

A raccoon scared the crap out of me the other night.

My house is under construction from Hurricane Sandy: it's elevated but the stairs aren't built. There's a ladder to gain entry.

20150323_165639.jpg

I turned the corner of the house to go up the ladder and inspect the day's work. Mr. Raccoon was coming down the ladder. He ran back up the ladder and into my house when he saw me.

I told the wife about it and she asked, "What are you gonna do about it?" I told her we'd wait for walls, doors and windows. I'm not going in that house and trying to remove a raccoon! Let the construction workers deal with it.

It's pretty strange to see a raccoon using a ladder. Maybe they'll figure out how to use the backhoe.

[gmcttr]

SS...use a live trap with a cat food/tuna type can wired inside it so that a raccoon can't just reach in from the side to get the bait and bait it with a spoonful of canned cat food....virtually guaranteed to catch a raccoon the first night if it doesn't catch something else first.

[Rolloff]

gmcttr is right. We also due pretty well seining and gill netting for em too.

They come in waves!

[SilvrSurfr]

SS...use a live trap with a cat food/tuna type can wired inside it so that a raccoon can't just reach in from the side to get the bait and bait it with a spoonful of canned cat food....virtually guaranteed to catch a raccoon the first night if it doesn't catch something else first.

If I trap it I'm supposed to release it within a mile. I don't see the point. He'd be back tomorrow night. Been there done that.

There's at least three raccoons living in the neighborhood but they don't really bother me. I don't blame them for going into my house - it's abandoned. I could remove the ladder each day and that would keep them out but I'm too lazy. Once the windows and doors are in place they won't have access.

I put an addition on my house in 2008. The house was open for nine months due to a buried oil tank that needed remediation. All manner of critters were living in my house during that time. When the house was finally sealed up, a family of squirrels were trapped in the attic. They chewed their way out through the soffits.

[Shug]

Funny....I have never encountered a raccoon in the backcountry whilst backpacking. Only in car-filled state park campgrounds has the raccoon onslaught taken place.
Shug

[gmcttr]

If I trap it I'm supposed to release it within a mile. I don't see the point. He'd be back tomorrow night. Been there done that....

Yeah...not much value if you can't move them 10+ miles away.

Like Shug, I've never had a problem if I was away from heavily frequented sites.

[Montexan]

Since they are adept at carrying off large/heavy objects, do we need to somehow secure the bear canister so they don't make off with it? Or will they leave the canister alone because they can't smell the food inside it? Are the canisters 100% smell resistant? I'd hate to go to retrieve my canister in the morning only to find it gone. I just got a bear canister for kayak trips this summer. I have never used one before.

Oh, they'll certainly smell the food. Just from your own hands and handling the canister you'll put human and food stink all over it. But you should consider using a OPSAK, especially for garbage, to reduce the smells as much as possible. NPS and bear can companies (Bearikade and Garcia I know for sure) say not to attach anything to the canister as a rope would allow a bear to walk off with it. Place it in fairly open flat land, because it sliding out from applied weight and rolling around is part of the design and a canisters function. If possible, place it a 100 yards from camp and away from any cliffs, hills or water sources--so you'd want to keep it far enough away from shore that if it was rolled the highest tide couldn't sweep it out. And if you're really worried I guess you could put a big rock on it.

Funny....I have never encountered a raccoon in the backcountry whilst backpacking. Only in car-filled state park campgrounds has the raccoon onslaught taken place.
Shug

Same. If an RV can get there that usually means I can expect invasions of racoons, ants, wasps and seagulls. Backcountry I usually deal with swarms of mini-bears (they get down-right rowdy at alpine lakes) and a curious corvid of some kind.

[Gadgetgeek]

Silvr, might as well leave them the ladder, if they have to climb up without it, they will just get mad and wreck stuff.
I've never had troubles with raccoons while camping, just on the farm. They are one of the smartest, laziest critters I've ever come across. They will take the easy meal whenever it presents, so I'm not surprised they hang out where the food is easy to get.

The only way we could keep them out of places was to bar the entry with something they could not move. Even the cleverest latches only lasted a night or two, but a 20lb log did the trick. I'd try to hold the cannister down in some way, the racoons are just as likely to roll it away while they figure out how to open it, or will steal it out of spite.