Raccoon reports in Missouri rank fourth and lean toward wetland refuges. Mingo National Wildlife Refuge protects one of the state’s last large bottomland swamps, and Big Oak Tree State Park preserves old-growth timber nearby; both combine water, den trees, and the muddy edges where raccoon tracks are easiest to confirm. Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, in the north-central marsh country, offers the same shoreline-and-woods combination on the opposite side of the state.
The monthly record count stays fairly steady but climbs into a May and June plateau, which likely tracks warmer nights and more people outdoors looking, rather than a raccoon baby boom. All 1,427 records come from GBIF rather than iNaturalist, so this reflects structured data collection more than casual photo submissions.
