Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-03-21

A Most Fascinating Sport on a Moonlight
Night,

A COUN HUM LIN JERSEY.
A Most Fascinating Sport on Moonlight
Night.
RaccoOn hunting is sport confined
almost entirely at present to the south
ern section of New Jersey. There was
time when the coon, as the Southern
negro invariably called him, could be
hunted all over the Middle and in most
of the Southern States. But now South
jersey has what is left of the common
coon. The black-footed raccoon still ex-
lists in Texas and California to certain
extent, but he has not been the object
of the huntsman's gun and skill in those
states. Coon hunting hereabouts, how
ever, is one OF the 81 eat sports. Not only
is tie chase OF the coon rare fun, but it
pays to trap the frisky animal and dis
pose of him to those who use the BODY
for various purposes. The average coon
weighs about ten pounds, but it is not
uncommon to Kill coons weighing as
high as eighteen pounds. The flesh is
solid and sweet, and the meat is regarded
as a dainty dish by epicures. There are
caterers to cultivated palates in New
York and Philadelphia who are always
willing to pay well for fat coon. The
smart coon hunter not only gets paid for
the coon's meat, but but he also sells the
tallow Of the animal to druggists and to
at least one house that converts it into a
salve that is understood to have rare
qualities in the curing OF cuts, burns and
scalds.
The cinnamon coon is a grandneph-
ew. so to speak, ofthe brown bear. His
appetite much resembles that of bruin.
He is very fond of choice rabbit steak
and bit of juicy squirrel. The COM
mon coon may be aptly described as a
cross between dog and cat. His tail
is his own peculiar property, however.
1t has long fringe of brown fur, striped
with black bars, and is big enough to
Wag the coon, when occasion requires.
Every reputable coon has pair of side
whiskers. Dundreary like in aspect,
through which the wind need never
cease blowing. His one companion is
the Opossum The coon and the pos
sum are the Damon and Pythias, the
David and Jonathan of the brute crea-
ton. They both wage relentless war
on the rabbit and squirrel. They both
love holes in the ground and both pros
per because they are so 'devilish sly"
These cold moonlight nights are the
best in the year for coon hunting. Hun
dreds of men and boys in Atlantic and
Cape May Counties are out everv night
noise of their guns can be heard over
region of nearly sixty miles. Dogs are
used to trail the creatures. When these
dogs, which are usually the little keen
scented beagles, are started out at night
they know that 1t means coon or moth
ing, and that no variation in the chase in
the way ofrunninga rabbit is permitted.
With short, shattered, crescendo barks
the hounds dash into the woods after
perhaps indulging in a brief scrapping
match or two on their own account. If
there be coon within a quarter of
mile of them the hounds are quick to
find it out. The coon at once begins to
double and twist in the hope of throw
ing bis pursuers off the trail. But the
hounds, as unerring'y as the hand of
fate, follow him in his woodland pill
grlm's progress here, there and every
where. Once in a while, with almost
human intelligence, the coon will take
to the tree-tops and travel from limb to
limb for mayhap fifty yards. Then it is
likely that the hounds will search in
vain for the missing animal. Again
the coon will Chamber up a big
bush, and, clutching a hanging branch,
swing backward and forward few
times until he.has gained enough mo-
mentum to cast himself across a wide
brook. But old coon hounds know
these little tricks.
The leading doy regains the trail and
the others scatter on each side and run
abreast of him. 1t is not long before
the dogs get close up to the fugitive
animal. The coon soon reaches it's
abode and has hardly whisked it's tail
in out of sight before The baying dogs
are at the foot of the tree. There they
sit and bay until the arrival of the hunt
ers. Sounding the tree by striking it
with an axe, the men are able to tell
how far down it's trunk the hollow ex-
tends. At the Ease is the coon's nest.
Just above it axemen begin to cuta hole
and the coon, frightened by the noise,
deserts his nest, takes to the dead limbs
above and is readily picked off with
shot from skilllul marksman.