Tree nap and first bite

I've been letting him climb trees and I sit and wait for him. It doesn't come natural, like you'd think. It's something they learn. He can go up a tree pretty fast, but, he's just recently learned to climb down pretty easily. I put a lawn chair under the tree and smoke and wait for him. He's pretty well hidden, isn't he?

There he is. He had a blast eating wild plumbs and pissing off Blue Jays. I let him play up there for two hours, then I got tired. I called him down, but, instead of obeying me, he deliberately stretched out on some high branches and went to sleep! I was irritated, but, not pissed. I said, 'I'm leaving Tooney' and I went and sat on the porch. When he realized I was gone, he got scared and came down to find me.

I could see him coming down from the porch so I walked over to get him. I reached up and he decided, fuck me, he was going up again. I said, no and took hold of his collar.

I could tell he was pissed. He let out a low growl and tried to get away. I knew what was coming, so this time it was no surprise. I tried to let go of the collar and throw my arm across him, so he couldn't climb and would bite my arm instead of my hand. But, I wasn't quick enough. With a swift twist and a growl he bit my finger. Hard. Oh, he's bit me lots of times when we play, he even draws blood. I have tons of scratches and bite marks on my arms, but, he has never really bit me. Not in anger. This was for real. I'd wondered when it would happen. It always happens eventually. It's my middle finger. The tip of it. The back, the meaty part is badly bruised, but, the front has one puncture mark that goes to the bone. He nailed me good and I HATE having my fingers bit. Anyhow, I cleaned and bandaged it after I took him in and put him in his cage. He's all sweet and lovey now. He's sorry and everything is back to normal. But, I know it will happen again and next time will be worse. This is how they put an emotional distance between themselves and their mothers when they get ready to be on their own. Oh, and mothers kick the shit out of them. I didn't, but, I didn't let him have his way either. You have to stand your ground with them, bleeding or not. That's being a good Raccoon mother. Next time I might slap him in the head. It's not out of meanness, it's just what they expect. Leaving mom is hard. It's hard to explain too, but, it's their nature. He's nearly ready to be on his own. He's a fine big healthy Raccoon and I love and admire him. There are no hard feelings.

Of course the chickens came and got down by the tree and tried to intimidate him. Tooney is not intimidated by them anymore. He doesn't like them. I don't know if he'd hurt them or not. Male Coons aren't much for hunting, they're sort of lazy that way. But, they really piss him off and he outweighs them by far. He's a heavy Coon. I've made sure he's well fed and fat. I know that will help him when he's out there alone. I also know he can find food just fine. He'll have a couple of months to find Winter shelter. If he can avoid predators, he should make it.


This is nearly the end of this Raccoon adventure. It's sad, isn't it? But, exciting too because he made it and he's ready to be a wild animal again.