O f all the mammals in your field guide, not many are distributed over a larger area than the raccoon. Also, raccoons, like opossums, have learned to survive in urban and suburban environments. One reason hunters like chasing raccoons is that raccoons are a real challenge to catch.
Raccoons have a bag of tricks to throw predators off their trail.
While being chased by hounds sniffing their trail on the ground, a raccoon may enter a stream where its scent is quickly washed away, walk in the water a distance, and then escape on dry land. Or it might climb a tree, follow a long, low-lying limb, and then jump back to the ground, thus breaking its scent trail. Or it may climb a narrow fence and run along the fence's top where most predators can't follow. Their ability to survive in towns only confirms the impression. On the other hand, when a raccoon is surprised rummaging in your backyard and you very quietly cast a beam of light onto it, it very well may ignore the light and continue its nosing about.