Excerpt from
Legal ways to kill skunks, squirrels, raccoons, woodchucks, other pesky animals:Raccoons (protected species)*Regulations and a set hunting and trapping seasons govern killing them, what can be used for that purpose. There is no daily bag limit. During the hunting and trapping seasons, a
small game hunting or
trapping license is required. See the DEC website for more.
* During the off-season, a
free DEC nuisance permit is required.
* During the off-season, using a trap to capture and then euthanize is OK. Live trapping and releasing them elsewhere is a ticket-able offense. If taken during the closed hunting or trapping season, carcass must be buried or cremated immediately.
By the way, it DOES also start the article with this:
The first step is to analyze why the animal is on your property. Often, it’s there for food. Is could be attracted to your bird feeder your open garbage cans, your garden, or the dog or cat food on your porch.Non-lethal steps can be taken to handle those attractants, including removing your bird feeder, proper fencing, keeping your garbage cans closed, not putting pet food outside, etc