How To Keep Raccoons Away From Campsite

Camping is all fun and cozy until some raccoons come knocking. Unfortunately, most people don’t get to enjoy camping in their lifetime because they are so scared of raccoons.

If you plan to camp in the woods, you should expect some critters to lurk around.

However, it is also possible that you won’t encounter any of them. If you plan an event requiring you to camp with your homies, you have nothing to worry about. We’ve got you covered here.

This guide will discuss some simple ways to keep these unwanted guests at bay.

In the next few headings, we will walk you through five guaranteed tips to keep raccoons away from campsites. We will also answer other common queries about avoiding the unwanted visits of these pests while camping.

Let’s get started!

5 Ways To Keep Raccoons Away From Campsite

Planning a little adventure with your family and afraid of raccoons from paying a visit?

We compiled some guaranteed tips that can help keep them away below:

1. Properly Manage the Trash

The goal is to keep your campsite so that you may consume a lot of food, but it will not be obvious. Before camping, you and your team or family would discuss trash disposal and waste management methods.

Trash bags are out of the question because raccoons can tear through them and eat what they find. With this in mind, the best thing to do is to have an air-tight container or dumpster where the trash will be put.

You can use the trash bags to tie the leftovers before putting them into the dumpster. Since you are in the woods, you may be tempted to assume you can dispose of stuff by the side. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Many animals are looking for food, and leaving trash around invites them. Raccoons particularly have a sharp sense of smell, so it won’t take long before they come around.

Burning your trash isn’t the wisest thing to do because it could get some attention. Raccoons can smell whatever is left and get curious to find out what it is.

Some communities may even have laws against the burning of refuse, so that is not an option. If you come with an RV, you can pack the trash properly and keep it there. When you leave the campsite, you will dispose of it.

2. Use Natural Repellants

There are some natural plants and spices that you can place around your tent to keep off raccoons. Some are onions, hot peppers, garlic, cinnamon, cayenne, and black peppers.

They are all effective against raccoons though hot peppers seem to do the trick more. Peppers generally repel raccoons by irritating and almost burning their skin.

Apply the repellants around your tent before going to bed for better results. If you have pepper spray, sprinkle it around the tent or dumpster.

However, attempting to use the pepper spray by moving toward the raccoon would be dangerous. In all your efforts, please avoid close contact with these wild guys. They can be unpredictable and attack you aggressively.

3. Avoid Strong-Scenting Items

Hiding the scent of certain foods and snacks is rarely possible, but you can control how far the smell goes. For example, even if you are grilling or barbecuing, you can later store the fish or chicken in an air-tight bag.

Bringing already-prepared meals to the campsite won’t be a bad idea. However, cooking in the open can attract raccoons and other critters, so it is best to prepare and adequately package it before coming.

Asides from the food, storing strong-scenting soaps, creams, and perfumes attracts raccoons.

Thankfully, there are alternatives to these items with no scents, and you can buy them instead. Then, you can continue with your old toiletries when you get back home.

4. Store Your Food Properly

You would have to be very intentional about keeping your food during camping. Little habits like leaving food unattended and leaving leftovers in the open aren’t the best.

You can plan with your team how to manage, distribute and dispose of food before arriving at the campsite. This planting would help control your team, have a tidy camp, and keep raccoons away.

Someone can also be in charge of the pet food and ensure that their food doesn’t litter the area.

Leftovers can stay in the car or keep in a cooler. The cooler should have a tight cover because raccoons are good searchers.

They are relentless when looking for food and are ready to make a mess of your camp.

5. Shine the Lights So Bright

Raccoons are nocturnal animals. So, they will most likely disturb you at night. However, you will see their actions when you wake up the following day. So, how do you avoid such?

It is best if you carry a big flashlight in your backpack. Then, you can keep the flashlight at the center of the tent or by the side when it is dark.

Raccoons hate bright lights and will run away in fear. You would also have to charge the flashlight fully for maximum efficiency.

Since there may not r a source of electricity, you can go with one that uses batteries.

Early in the morning, you can turn off the lights and continue the next night till you leave the campsite.

Conclusion

Enjoying camping without any animal interference is possible. If you take proper precautions, you won’t need to worry about raccoons or critters.

Generally, a neat and well-organized campsite deters raccoons. There should be a set time for meals, and clean-up should happen immediately.

Making noise will also scare them off because they hate sounds. But since you may not want noise, the above tips will yield good results.