Number 11
HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
Raccoons use a wide variety of
habitats, but generally prefer
areas interspersed with different
successional stages of growth.
Bottomland hardwoods provide
hard mast, insects, and aquatic
animal life. Fields and open areas
yield fruit, berries, insects, and
occasional small mammals and
reptiles. Raccoons depend on
wetland and aquatic habitats for a
large portion of their food and are
seldom found far from water.
Food
Raccoons are opportunistic
omnivores. When food is plentiful,
plant matter is consumed twice as
much as animal matter. However, this
ratio varies as food supplies change.
Raccoons are voracious eaters and
tend to return to the same location as
long as food is available. Raccoons
store fat throughout the fall in
preparation for overwintering.
Raccoons are not true hibernators, but
may sleep for extended periods in
colder areas. Favored raccoon foods
include:
Plants
Grape
Greenbrier
Cherry
Dogwood
Blueberry
Beechnuts
Grains
Persimmon
Blackberry
Eastern Redcedar
Serviceberry
Acorns
Pecans
Corn
Animals
Distributed in furtherance
of the acts of Congress of
May 8 and June 30, 1914.
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opportunities are offered to
all people regardless of
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University, North Carolina
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Department of Agriculture,
and local governments
Grasshoppers
Birds
Mussels
Crabs
Frogs
Fish Eggs
Small Vertebrates
Earthworms
Crayfish
Snails
Aquatic Insects
Snakes
Large Insects
North Carolina
Cooperative Extension Service
North Carolina State University
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
College of Forest Resources
Page 2
Cover
Both ground dens and cavity trees are used
for shelter and escape, but den trees are
preferred for raising young. Suitable ground
dens include old woodchuck or fox burrows,
rock crevices, downed trees, abandoned
buildings, and brush piles. Active den trees
can be identified by claw marks or worn
bark. Dens are usually located just below or
within the tree canopy. Preferred cavities
have 4 to 10 inch openings, are at least 15
feet from the ground, and are sheltered from
rain and prevailing winds.
Water
Raccoons must drink water daily.
Permanent sources of open water are also a
critical part of the habitat.
Home Range
Home ranges average about 200 acres and
vary from 1/2 to 1 1/2 miles in diameter.
Raccoons may move long distances when
populations are low and food is scarce.
Home ranges vary throughout the seasons
to take advantage of changing food
sources.
IMPROVING RACCOON
HABITAT
General:
Maintain stand sizes from 10 to 50 acres
Rotation:
Maintain long rotations for hardwood stands
(50 years or more)
Encourage inclusions of mature hardwood
within pine stands
Regeneration:
Any regeneration method appropriate to the
site is suitable
N.C. Cooperative Extension Service
Encourage a variety of stand age and
composition
Distribute cuts to encourage age, size, and
species diversity
Intermediate Treatments:
Avoid use of broad spectrum herbicides
Select and retain trees with potential for
cavities
Thin hardwoods to encourage crown growth
and mast production
Favor red oaks over white oaks by 2:1
Working With Wildlife # 11 - Raccoon
Page 3
Direct Improvements:
Protect identified den trees
Mark and protect large stream-side
management zones
Retain mature trees with large cavities,
especially those adjacent to water
Create snags
Leave small unharvested areas of
croplands adjacent to woodlands
Snag
Species That Benefit From Raccoon Management
Many game and nongame species benefit from raccoon management. Management efforts
should emphasize the communities of which which raccoons are a part. Common raccoon
associates include:
Wild Turkey
White-tailed Deer
Flying Squirrel
Pileated Woodpecker
Wood Duck
Great Horned Owl
Gray Fox
Gray Squirrel
Black Bear
Opossum
Common Flicker
Screech Owl
Red-shouldered Hawk
Cost share assistance may be available through the Stewardship Incentive Program for these
practices. See your Wildlife Biologist, Forester, or Extension Agent for more information about the
Forest Stewardship Program.
Prepared by:
Michael S. Mitchell, Graduate Research Assistant,
Dr. Edwin J. Jones, Department Extension Leader
Mark A. Megalos, Extension Forestry Specialist
N.C. Cooperative Extension Service
Working With Wildlife # 11 - Raccoon
Page 4
Raccoon illustration page 1 courtesy of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Other Wildlife Notes Available:
No. 1 - Endangered Species
No. 14 - Snags and Downed Logs
No. 2 - Eastern Gray Squirrel
No. 15 - Managing Edges for Wildlife
No. 3 - White-tailed Deer
No. 16 - Building Songbird Boxes
No. 4 - Songbirds
No. 17 - Woodland Wildlife Nest Boxes
No. 5 - Wild Turkey
No. 18 - Low Cost Habitat Improvements
No. 6 - Wood Duck
No. 19 - Pools for Amphibians
No. 7 - Cottontail Rabbit
No. 20 - Hummingbirds and Butterflies
No. 8 - Bobwhite Quail
No. 21 - Bats
No. 9 - Ruffed Grouse
No. 22 - Owls
No. 10 - Black Bear
No. 23 - Managing Beaver Ponds
No. 11 - Raccoon
No. 24 - Herbaceous Plants for Wildlife
No. 12 - Mourning Dove
No. 25 - SIP Wildlife Opportunities
No. 13 - Wildlife Terms
FOREST STEWARDSHIP
a cooperative program for
improving and maintaining all of the
resources on private forestland
N.C. Cooperative Extension Service
Working With Wildlife # 11 - Raccoon
