A total of 286 western Tennessee raccoons (Procyon lotor) were ear-tagged and released in portions of Blount and Loudon Counties, eastern Tennessee, over a 3-year period. Twenty-nine (10.1%) were recovered. Illegal kills comprised 41.4% of all tag recoveries. Seven of I I recovered females had produced offspring. Weight gains averaged 1.14 kg over 432 days. Average linear dispersal was 4.9 km. Dispersal distances for males and females were not significantly different and dispersal directions were randomly distributed. Home ranges of 14 radio-monitored raccoons were not significantly different than those of resident raccoons in the same area. The translocation of raccoons may be a valid management technique provided that suitable habitat exists, resident raccoon populations are low, animals are transferred from similar habitat types, and illegal or dog training mortality can be controlled.
