My cheap feeder hook trick after the raccoon raid

Last month in Dayton, a raccoon tore down my suet feeder twice in one week, so I hung it from a bent wire coat hanger on a shepherd's hook. Has anyone else found a simple rig that keeps bigger critters off without scaring the chickadees away?

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mason_ward11d ago

Hell yeah, that bent hanger trick is a classic, but here's a thought nobody's thrown out yet. You're fighting the raccoon's reach, but what about their grip? Try greasing the pole itself, just a thin layer of vegetable oil or even cheap shortening on the shepherd's hook below the feeder. They hate that slick feeling under their paws, and it doesn't hurt the birds one bit since they just perch on the feeder itself. Chickadees don't care, they'll still land like nothing happened, but that raccoon will slide right off and give up after a few tries. Just reapply after a rain, it's a ten second job. And if you want to get extra evil, hang a little tin can half full of pebbles near the base so it clanks when they touch it, that spooks them good.