After a gestation period of about 63 to 65 days, raccoons give birth to a litter of 2 to 5 young. The den is usually located in a hollow tree cavity, burrow, or other secluded site. Baby raccoons are weaned at 16 weeks of age but usually remain with the mother until they are about 9 months old. Coonskin hats were often worn by the pioneers and even in this century, during the 1920's, raccoon skin coats were a major fad. Today, raccoons are much less likely to be pursued for their meat and hides, although they continue to be a popular game animal.
Raccoon hunting is done at night when raccoons are most active.
Many modern day 'coon hunters simply like the thrill of the chase and the sounds of the baying hounds. Once treed, many of these raccoons are left to be pursued again another day. Regulated hunting of raccoons has much less impact on raccoon populations than other factors such as food shortages, parasites, and diseases. Many raccoons are also killed each year on our highways. Raccoons in our area often suffer from fatal outbreaks of canine distemper, especially in late winter, and are also one of the most likely wild animals to contract the deadly rabies virus.