I'm trying these for the first time this year. I hope they do well in the spring.

does the stuffed raccoon actually work at keeping critters at bay? If so i may make a trip to the taxidermus (I know spelt wrong,spelling wasnt my strong point...lol)

mytime -
You should have better luck with it as a spring crop in Alaska. Around here, in the spring, they get about half as big and half as much red starburst in the middle, as in the fall.

gardenman101 -
The first night the mount was dragged about six feet away, so it doesn't keep all of the critters out. I like to think that he makes at least a few squirrels avoid the area, but I don't recommend buying one. They're pretty expensive and would just get ruined outside. I haven't seen any new holes dug up but I think the broken ends of straw hurt the squirrels' feet.

I put the raccoon into the shed Wednesday evening because rain was in the forecast. Saturday morning was dry and a squirrel had dug where my Sweet Treat carrots were planted. The raccoon came back out and today (Sunday) I heard a squirrel making a racket in the far corner of the yard. He seemed upset about the raccoon being there. I think I will leave him out even in the rain from now on.
On a side note it looks like a pair of hawks has moved into an abandoned rooftop across the street from me. I think they're Cooper's hawks but they seem rather large. It will be interesting if they nest up there.