MEET THE TURKEY HUNTER'S WORST ENEMIES: RACCOONS AND OPOSSUMS

Ah, the circle of life. It means there will always be predator and prey. But for the turkey hunters, selfishly, we’d really prefer that two of those turkey predators – the raccoon and the opossum – would stop ravaging nests and killing poults.

The Vulnerable Nesting Season

During the nesting season, hens often find themselves defenseless against the many eager predators seeking an easy meal. If her eggs survive incubation, new poults can’t fly for about ten days after birth, and they become easy targets. Even the hen herself can often be killed by a raccoon or opossum while attempting to protect her posse.

Racoons have an especially keen sense of smell and opossums have a natural gift for scavenging, so it’s easy for both to track down delicious nest after nest full of eggs. Ultimately, by ravaging turkey nests across your land, these predators will leave you with a much smaller population of turkeys to hunt next season.

Inside the Mind of a Raccoon & Opossum

Raccoons and opossums are the thieves of the forest. They are drawn to turkey eggs, chicken eggs, and just about anything they can scavenge. They sneak into garages, attics, and porches; and wreak havoc on trash cans, bird feeders and dog food containers. A raccoon’s intelligence and almost human-like dexterity gives them the ability to open doors, bins, screw-on lids and even latches. Similarly, opossums are incredible scavengers. But it’s both mammals’ curiosity that makes them prime for trapping.

How to Trap Raccoons

Raccoons are most vulnerable during their mating season, between January and March, which is the best time to aggressively start trapping. Place box-style or cage traps along the edges of roads. Bait the trap with sweet foods like cookies and candy or fatty meats like sardines or old fruit. Be sure to move the traps regularly so that your presence isn’t concentrated to one area. Secure the trap to avoid shifting or moving – a brick or weight on top will do the trick.

How to Trap Opossums

Where there’s one opossum, there’s usually a lot of them. You’ll find them in eastern, central and west coast states. Opossums average around a dozen young (called joeys) per litter.

Fortunately, there is a long list of other predators that keep the population under control. Breeding season depends on the region, but can fall between January and July, which is also when they’re most vulnerable for trapping. And here’s some good news – they’re far less leery of traps than racoons.

Set traps along fences, trails and road ways, and be sure to include fruit, old meat or fish, cheese, etc.

The key to trapping is managing the raccoon and opossum population, not wiping them out completely. This practice will give hens a chance to lay their eggs and raise poults.

*A note on trapping

Always check local game laws before trapping for any animal.