Damage is usually controlled by removing the offending animals. Relecation of damage-causing raccoons is often preferable to killing them, particularly in urban situations. However, relocated raccoons don't compete well with established residents and have poor survival rates. Raccoons sometimes prey upon the nests of ground-nesting birds such as ducks and pheasants, and on the nests of cavitynesting birds such as bluebirds. However, predation is among the checks and balances of life in the wild.
Severe predation is usually a symptom of other problems, such as a lack of suitable nesting habitat.
The raccoon is an important and valuable furbearer in Nebraska. From 1941 to 1989, more than 1.7 million raccoons were taken by fur hunters and trappers in Nebraska. This represents over 50 percent of the average annual value of all furbearers harvested in Nebraska from 1980 to 1989. Pelt prices for raccoons influence the harvest of all other furbearers. High raccoon pelt prices stimulate harvest of raccoons and other species.