Shooting, poisoning and/or trapping raccoons in your yard is probably illegal (depending on where you live), so you'll have to look at more humane options to get rid of those raccoons.
MAKE YOUR YARD LESS OF A PARADISE
Most raccoons that come to your yard are foraging for food. If they can't find food, they'll move on to greener pastures. It's hard to eliminate all food sources since raccoons are omnivores and will eat just about anything, but you should try to:
Keep food and water for pets inside as much as possible (especially at night).
Bring in bird feeders at night.
Make sure trash cans are always securely covered and sealed. Remember, raccoons are clever. Use bungee cords or other solid fasteners, or the raccoons will just open up your trash cans.
Rake up fruit that has dropped from trees.
PUT UP RACCOON DETERRENTS
If you have a vegetable garden, you can't very well bring in all your vegetables at night, so they're going to be raccoon fodder. To keep the raccoons away from this sumptuous buffet, you can:
Put a raccoon-proof fence around the yard, or at least the garden. Raccoons can climb, so make sure the enclosed area is fully covered, or the fence is electrified. (Not the best option if pets and children are around!)
Leave a radio on outside, preferably on talk radio. The raccoons may mistake it for actual human voices, and be scared away.
Install motion-triggered floodlights or simply leave lights on.
Sprinkle soap flakes throughout your yard and water thoroughly.
Spread mothballs around or try a commercial "raccoon repellent." These are usually made from coyote or fox urine, or something else that spells "danger" to raccoons. (And they don't always work.)
Get a dog. Ideally a loud and aggressive insomniac.
HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
You might not be allowed to set traps in your yard yourself, but you can hire a licensed wildlife removal specialist to do it. Of course, getting rid of one particular raccoon doesn't mean you'll be raccoon-free forever. You'll still have to make your yard unattractive for the next generation of raccoons, which will involve following the steps above.
Sources: Toronto Animal Services, Acme How To, eHow, How to Get Rid of Raccoons, Humane Wildlife Control Inc.
