Raccoon hunting seems to be making small comeback
It's a little surprising, sometimes, how a man can get caught up in a particular sport, pursue it with enthusiasm for long years, then gradually leave it and turn to something else. It happens, however, and for me raccoon hunting is a prime example. I hunted these little masked bandits in the early 1970s and well into the '80s, and in those days, it seemed everyone hunted coons.
Drive the country roads at night once the season arrived, and you'd find a pickup or two at half the woodlots passed, usually with an open-doored dog box. On quiet nights the lonesome chop of a hard-hunting black and tan or similar breed seemed to resound from all directions.
There was a peak in there when raccoon pelts started selling for $15, even $25 or more apiece, then everybody was out there hunting. The animals were scarce with such heavy pressure and two per night was considered better than average. Then furs went down to almost nothing, and many got out of the sport. These days, only a few diehards roam the midnight woods, and coon are thick as fleas on an old dog. There's no limit on how many can be taken.
I'm sorry the sport has gone downhill, because some of my finest memories are of nighttime coon hunts. It wasn't just a hunt, but a total experience, a blend of many sensory things. Like the smell of kerosene burning in a little lamp, and the rich odors of wet dog and stirred up leaves. I remember the crackle of ice as we walked through half frozen puddles and that first hesitant chop as a fine little hound opened on a hot track.
The stars -- I'll always remember because on a crystal clear, cold night -- shone like diamonds above, and the Milky Way flowed off to the horizon. I'll never forget the frenzied barking when a dog treed his prey either, and we hurried to the scene with flashing lights among the branches. Then at hunt's end, we often stopped at one friend's house who'd pour small treasured glasses of 10-year-old dandelion wine and make a cheese plate with crackers for a late night snack. We'd discuss the hunt, slip pieces to the little mountain cur at tableside, then go home to well-deserved rest. It was a great sport.
There's a chance raccoon hunting is coming back, at least a little. I talked to a fur buyer before the season opened Wednesday, and he said he'll probably be paying $3 to $15 for raccoon depending on size, whether they're prime or not, skinned or unskinned. He thinks that late coon, full furred from cold weather might bring more. That's enough to pay for dog food, at least. I'm also hearing of sponsored hunts again, which can be lots of fun.
We badly need raccoon hunters and trappers these days, and not just for sport, but to trim the animal's populations. They're so thick in places one trapper told me of taking 18 out of a single woodlot, and road kills are everywhere. When populations grow, chances for rabies, distemper and other diseases grow, too, and they can become a real nuisance when they move into your own garage, house, chimney or attic seeking warmth and dog food from Rover's bowl. But while they need to be thinned, that shouldn't be your reason for hunting. A clear night, a good dog, and wind rustling falling leaves should be enough.
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20101115/SPORTS/11150325
Drive the country roads at night once the season arrived, and you'd find a pickup or two at half the woodlots passed, usually with an open-doored dog box. On quiet nights the lonesome chop of a hard-hunting black and tan or similar breed seemed to resound from all directions.
There was a peak in there when raccoon pelts started selling for $15, even $25 or more apiece, then everybody was out there hunting. The animals were scarce with such heavy pressure and two per night was considered better than average. Then furs went down to almost nothing, and many got out of the sport. These days, only a few diehards roam the midnight woods, and coon are thick as fleas on an old dog. There's no limit on how many can be taken.
I'm sorry the sport has gone downhill, because some of my finest memories are of nighttime coon hunts. It wasn't just a hunt, but a total experience, a blend of many sensory things. Like the smell of kerosene burning in a little lamp, and the rich odors of wet dog and stirred up leaves. I remember the crackle of ice as we walked through half frozen puddles and that first hesitant chop as a fine little hound opened on a hot track.
The stars -- I'll always remember because on a crystal clear, cold night -- shone like diamonds above, and the Milky Way flowed off to the horizon. I'll never forget the frenzied barking when a dog treed his prey either, and we hurried to the scene with flashing lights among the branches. Then at hunt's end, we often stopped at one friend's house who'd pour small treasured glasses of 10-year-old dandelion wine and make a cheese plate with crackers for a late night snack. We'd discuss the hunt, slip pieces to the little mountain cur at tableside, then go home to well-deserved rest. It was a great sport.
There's a chance raccoon hunting is coming back, at least a little. I talked to a fur buyer before the season opened Wednesday, and he said he'll probably be paying $3 to $15 for raccoon depending on size, whether they're prime or not, skinned or unskinned. He thinks that late coon, full furred from cold weather might bring more. That's enough to pay for dog food, at least. I'm also hearing of sponsored hunts again, which can be lots of fun.
We badly need raccoon hunters and trappers these days, and not just for sport, but to trim the animal's populations. They're so thick in places one trapper told me of taking 18 out of a single woodlot, and road kills are everywhere. When populations grow, chances for rabies, distemper and other diseases grow, too, and they can become a real nuisance when they move into your own garage, house, chimney or attic seeking warmth and dog food from Rover's bowl. But while they need to be thinned, that shouldn't be your reason for hunting. A clear night, a good dog, and wind rustling falling leaves should be enough.
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20101115/SPORTS/11150325
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