Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-05-14
A 'POssllm Hunt.

II
negro than q I" coon bake or "'pos-
sum-roast. Sportsmen say that, in
making up the bill of fare for q game
dinner" baked raccoOn and roasted
opossum should always form two Of
the dishes. The coon." if fat, has a
wild gamey flavor, while the roasted
'possum has a taste similar to that of
roast pig.
But a coon-hunt is more attractive to
the negro than even q COON bake.
The best season for a hunt is during
the bright nights of September and DC.
tober. when the moon is approaching
its full.
The raccoon is sly animal, and
seldom shows himself in the daytime.
He is night-walker, who frequents
corn-felds and hen-roosts. He loves
the newly glazed corn, and an occasion.
al chicken or good fat hen suits his
appetite. He also frequsnts swampy
tnickets, where he hunts along the
small water course.
An opossum generally turns up in a
coOn-hunt, for he also is abroad at
night. He loves the darkness, for he
is noted cAicken-thief, and in the art
of cheating, excels the fox. Playing
'possum is the phrase which expresses
the negro's estimate of this animal
power of counterfeiting.
Though lighted pine torches are used
in the hunt, yet the bright moon great
ly assists the hunter, as he threads his
way throsRh corn-tiell and thieket.
The coon takes, when pursued, to @
tree. A rihe-shot will bring him down,
and thus save tie labor of cutting the
tree down, or of climbing to shake him
off.
A shotgun, unless coarse shot arc
used, is useless. SO thick and woolly
is the fur of an old coon, that no will
stand half-a-dozen discharges of fine
shot. The negroes, however, carry only
an TX and pine knots.
A dog who is up to the coon's tricks
must be taken. An old coon will mount
tree, run on the branches from tree
to tree, and either conceal himself in
the top, or descend aid make off.
A party of coon-hu tiers in Ohio went
out one moonshiny night in October.
They carried two axes, a lot of pine
torches, but no gun. Reachinga corn.
field, the dogs started large coon.
After n short run, he took to large
tree on the border of swamp.
This was cut down. but, as it fell, tAe
coon scampered off through the thick
brush and ran up another tree. One
of the men climbed up this, shook hin,
off on the ground, while the dogs killed
him.
Striking another track, the dogs led
the party, waving their torchlights,
though a swamp, and over fallea trees.
Part of the way, the trail led on the
fences, which compelled tie dogs to
move cautiously, lest they should lose
the scent.
Finally they stopped at the foot of a
saplirg, yelping in chorus. and jump
ing in concert at what proved to be an
He was soon secured, land then the
party learned lesson in the art OF
playing 'possum. Although unin-
jured, he pretended to be dead.
A lighted torch was applied to his
nose to test him. He moved not a
muscle. Some raw brandy was poured
into his mouth, but he neither tswal-
lowed nor sneezed. He was pricked
with knife, but there was not the
slightest quivering of the flesh. p
One of the party, somewhat skeptlcal
Of his death, knocked the opossum on
the head. He was carried along by the
tail. The dogs soon tracked another
coon, which ran into mill-pond to
swim across.
The man who carried the opossum
threw him in the road, and started for
the pond. just then the willy animal
notwithstanding the usage he had 70
ceived, started to run, and did run
some distance before he was caught and
killed.
The hunters should have spared his
life, for he had "played possum 30
we'll as to deceive them, experienced as
they were.-Youth's Companion.