How to Keep Raccoons Away from Campsite? (10+ Easy Tricks Revealed)

Raccoons are somewhat cute, and can be innocent for many of us. However, the funny part is their appearance which can be innocent but they really are cunning when it comes to food or valuables. They do not leave a second in destroying food and making them of no use.

That’s why you must know how to keep raccoons away from campsite if you want to have a peaceful camping experience. It isn’t hard either.

You just need to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, avoid scented toiletries, use smell proof bags, use any natural raccoon repellants or a bear proof cooler, we will be able to keep them at bay.

It’s obvious that we carry food while we go camping. Racoon’s great smelling power pushes them towards the edibles. Camping is great when there is no raccoon or any wild animals all around. There is an obvious question on how to tackle this situation?

So here we will assist you to learn how to keep raccoons away from campsite. Raccoons are afraid of light and love darkness, so there should be one surety that there is not enough darkness. Doing so might help all of us in our camping.

Raccoons are not just responsible for destruction of foods but also trouble the team who is on camping.

So here we will be sharing some techniques of how to keep raccoons away from campsite for you to enjoy your camping more and worry less about the wild animals available there.

I have learnt these tricks by actually applying while camping. I have been doing this for a decade now, and trust me these irritating creatures had managed to trouble me a lot. That’s why I was forced to gain this knowledge to keep them at bay.

I thought of sharing this with yo all here, so that you don’t face the same problem in your camping expeditions.

Safety of Edibles/Drinks:

Raccoons really have no interest in people around them, they are usually attracted towards the edibles and anything that has a smell. When you bring the edibles and drinks to camp, always ensure they are safe or stored safely and at places where no animals can attack them.

Store all the edible in a tight wooden box that’s strong enough to be broken. Also, if you have tight containers to keep foods, keep edibles in them. If you are travelling by car, cars are one of the best options to store edibles.

Carry Odor Proof Storage Bag:

Raccoons are well known for their strong senses, especially in smelling anything. And this is the major factor of Raccoons’ attraction towards food. They have such a strong-smelling sense that they can smell anything from miles and run towards the smell.

So to avoid such a thing happening, ensure that the storage bag in which food is carried is odor proof.

In other words, packing extremely spicy foods or any smelly toiletries into odor proof bags before you throw everything in a raccoon-proof container is a smart idea while camping.

Dispose of Your Trash Frequently:

Till now, we only talked about preserving the edibles. But, now it is more important to dispose of the trash frequently after eating. Raccoons are attracted towards the trash as they find them too tasty by smell.

 It is very important to carry fewer boxes at camp. Doing this starts when you plan packaging. Always make sure to avoid extra packaging while packing your stuff. As this lessens your burden of carrying heavy weights. Also this will add on to making less trash. This will enlighten your mood.

As you can now enjoy the trip more than worrying about raccoons. Try limiting the things to bring at camping. Always try to throw the trash away right before sleeping. This will not let raccoons stay by your side.

Also, you can throw the garbage in a raccoon-proof garbage bin at the campsite.

Maintain Cleanliness and Hygiene:

Maintaining cleanliness and hygiene at the campsite is not easy, but this will help as there will be less interaction with the wild animals and raccoons.

Always remember to clean the area where you are camping. Wash your used utensils before sleeping and maintain the surroundings clean. If you catch trash leftover anywhere, throw them and dispose of them carefully where raccoons cannot find them.

Maintaining cleanliness is a vital thing during camping. This will not only keep animals away but also will let you enjoy camping merrily and happily.

Try Using Unscented Toiletries:

Toiletries that do not smell don’t attract the animals. So one should note that while travelling or camping, always use the soaps or shampoos that have no smell in them.

Also there are toiletries available in the market which are unscented. Animals are majorly attracted to something with a great smell, so unscented toiletries will help you.

Use a Bear Proof Cooler:

Listening to this, you would probably ask, “what’s a bear proof cooler?” Well the answer to this question is here.

Bear proof coolers are specially designed to keep bears or any such wild animals away. These coolers store the smell of any edibles inside them and do not let the smell escape out from it. It will keep your food protected and also you throw trash in them.

Do not Burn or Bury Trash:

Burning the trash is something that makes animals reach out to your place. Smells produced from burning will spread to miles away from places and invite wild animals and obviously the raccoons.

You may find burning easy as it destroys the trash. But, no, this is absolutely not recommended. So it’s completely advised to throw or dispose of the garbage in bear-proof coolers or any tight wooden box.

Always ensure that the garbage is perfectly disposed of at the places where raccoons cannot attack them before sleeping.

Make a Barrier for the Raccoons:

The easiest thing which everyone does for staying away from wild animals is to create barriers. Barriers of any kind can help keep animals away.

The barriers are made of something that may harm the animals or is an enemy of wild animals. You can use cinnamon, which is considered a natural way of keeping the raccoons away while camping.

There are many raccoon repellents available. Also, chilli powder and pepper are the most common ingredients that everyone carries. These should be scattered everywhere around the camp. This will let no wild animals inside the zone of the camp.

Use Natural Raccoon Repellents:

 There are many natural raccoon repellents available in the markets these days. But you can make one, with commonly available spices you already have.

To make one for yourself, add onion and cayenne pepper in boiling water. This is a harmful poison for the raccoons and all wild animals in general. Its smell and taste is something that raccoons never want to look at and so will help them stay away from your camp.

Also, as mentioned earlier, you can use pepper and chilli powder or cinnamon powder. All these powder’s mixture will act as a tough barrier and discourage the entering of the raccoon to the camping site.

Make Some Noise:

Well, who doesn’t know that animals are scared of loud or strange noises? Yes, wild animals fear any such kind of noise which is new for them. They feel like something is surely coming to harm them, and so they run away from the place from where the noise or loud sounds come from.

Try having a radio or wind chimes with yourself on the camp. Have a speaker with various sounds that can scare animals. Raccoons usually get frightened by different sounds, and they will never come to the noisy place any time again.

Enjoy loud music yourself and smartly make the animals stay away from it. Well done, you are doing two in one.

Conclusion

Raccoons as animals are hungry. It is also the main reason why they get attracted to most edible items. Camping is all about enjoying and is adventurous.

While camping, everyone carries food, and this is the ideal scenario for the raccoons who love food and can destroy our camping. They don’t sleep or hibernate, and so they can even destroy your winter camping.

Using raccoon repellents, fire, loud noise, bear-proof coolers can all help you in making your camp a memorable one. As this thing won’t let raccoons disturb you. Always preserve the food perfectly in tight and strong boxes so that they can be kept safely.

Obviously, when it’s camping, it will be fun. But with some risks of wildlife, it’s just a matter of smartness and cleverness. Enjoy your best moments while also being aware with the tricks of how to keep raccoons away from campsite. Stay safe and adventurous.