Species authority page

Raccoon

Procyon lotor · Furbearers

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) can be identified as follows: Stocky mammal with a black facial mask and a ringed tail. This biological profile does not establish whether hunting or trapping is legal.

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: New Brunswick. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Raccoon
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash
Scientific name
Procyon lotor
Family
Procyonidae
Range context
North America
Biology

How to identify it

Stocky mammal with a black facial mask and a ringed tail. [1]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Woodland, wetlands, farmland and urban areas, usually near water or cover. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Mainly nocturnal; family groups forage together at night and den by day [2][3][4]

Omnivorous: crayfish, corn, fruit, nuts, eggs, insects; raids garbage in towns [2][3][4]

In the north dens through winter on stored fat (not true hibernation) [2][3][4]

Handles food with the front paws, the source of the 'washing' reputation [2][3][4]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

North America

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. BIOLOGICALRaton laveur

    Gouvernement du Québec · reviewed 2026-09-20

    Gouvernement du Québec

  2. Hinterland Who's Who (Canadian Wildlife Service / Canadian Wildlife Federation) · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Hinterland Who's Who (Canadian Wildlife Service / Canadian Wildlife Federation)

  3. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

  4. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe