Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-08-09
HUNTING THE COON.
Exhilarating Sport which F1ourished In
the Days Preceding the War.

nal he was OF no particular strain OIL
blood, but he united the keen scent of the
deer-hound with the intelligence Of the
shepherd dog and the tenacity of the bull
dog with the stealth Of the panther. With
less accomplishments than these he might
have been good on a fox or deer trail; the
lowing herd would have probably been safe
in his keeping; he might have been able TO
hold his own in a fight, or have stood a
chance Of succeeding as a sheep stealer,
but he couldn't have been a coon dog.
For your coon is cute and tricky Gus
toner, and crammed with patience. More
over, he leaves behind him the coolest, most
scentless trail Of any animal that runs. He
leads you through the tangled swamps and
deep, stony hollows. He crosses and re-
crosses swift running streams. He frisks
along the top of rough stone walls as silent
and swift as a shadow. He stops within a
dozen feet of some convenient wall, clears
the intervening space at bound, strikes
tree and glides up the longest limb, runs to
its extremity, and leaps a dozen feet be-
yond it to the ground again, breaking his
trail abruptly on one side and beginning it
as confusingly on the other. He invents
tactics for emergencies, and brings to
every consideration of his welfare and that
Of his family a large and level head. He
plays his cards well and the dog that would
beat him must needs hold both bowers and
ace, with strong cards to back them.
These the coon dogs Of our fathers always
had.
There were, twenty-five years ago, the
still-hunting coon dog and the coon dog who
let you know at every step that he was get
ting there. There was mixed up with the
methods Of the still-hunter an element Of
greater certainty that you would get your
coon than there was with the more melodi-
Gus system of the dog that mouthed his
presence in the shadowy chase; but the
style Of the latter put more tingle INTO your
blood and buoyed you up with sweeter ex-
pectancy. There was something weird and
uncanny in all the turnings and windings
Of the former through the gloomy woods at
night
1t was different with the dog that gave
tongue as he hunted. He made music in
the night-not the silvery treble of the fox
hound, floating down from the hills on the
frosty air and drawn out in sweet cadenza
by every willing echo, nor yet the mellow
bass of the deer hound, swelling over the
ridges, clear and far-soundng as a bugle-
note, but pleasant though staccato song of
his own, half bark, half bay, cheerful
mngling Of melody with business.
Once in the rare old days of coon hunting
a new preacher was settled in the back
woods district of Pike County, Ill He was
not wise in the way of the woods Early in
his first autumn on his charge he began the
usual protracted meeting season. BY and
by he noticed that on moonlight and starlit
nights his congregation was made up of
women only. Finally he asked the reason
of this. A sister arose and said:
"Its cause the coonin's bettn it's in the
dark % the moon, Dominic. Soon ez the
moon darks the men'll jine ye."
Sure enough, when the "moon darked"
the brethren were all in their places in the
meeting g-house, joining heartily in the pro
ceedings. The pastor demonstrated with
them publicly.
"While you have been idlng after coons,"
said he, 'there may have been those in this
district who do not hunt coons, and whom
you might have led here and saved their
lsn
Deacon Brown rose up In the meeting and
sad:
Dominic, il thez any one in this deestric'
OF don't hunt coons his soul hain't wuth
sayin'."
Coon hunting as pastime went out of
fashion with the war, and the old race of
trained coon dogs gradually became ex-
tlnct Why the coon has come to be de
spised by the sportsmen in these days is
one of those things about which the re-
mark has once or twice been made that no
fellow can find out. He is as cunning as
the fox aud more difficult to trail. Heis,
moreover, the leanest of animals, and eats
only the most wholesome food He should
not be despised, surely, because he can be
hunted only at night, for in threading the
woods in the darkness, following dogs that
OF 4 h,..
breaks the stiffness, there is most singu-
lar enchantment.
Even when coons are most abundant,
nine out of ten OF the present generation
never see one, and few people know any
thing aUout them or their habits. Although
the coon prefers the vicinity OF civilization
as his habitat, he plans to keep aloCf from
the eyes OF men, and his habits render this
an easy task BY day he lies close in out-of-
the-way retreats, in the depths Of hollow
trees or isolated crevices and holes in the
rocks. He wanders forth only at night,
aud although his foragug expeditions
may bring him 10 the very doors of the
farmers, and even within the boundary
lines OF villages, he never betrays hls pres
ence II more than one coon is brought TO
bay in "a tree they will invariably be females
or "A mother coon with her offspring. The
iSuldlo pIlhgs lortu uer ultef only once IN !
two years, and from the coming of the litter
To the arrival OF another she and her young |
are never separated She keeps her little |
family together until they are two years |
old, and in protecting them viii fight the at |
tacking dog or hunter until she dies.
While the female coon is social aud do |
nestle, the male is the reverse. He is soil |
tary, ranges entirely alone and gives no |
care or attention 10 family matters. II two |
males meet in tho woods or fields they fight |
and not infrequently 10 the death. |
The male makes his range for forage much |
wider than the female does, and having no
one 20 look after but himself more frequent
ly escapes the hunter In spring aud sum
mer the margin Of brooks and ponds and the
soft mud in swamps and bays are thlckly
ndented with the graceful footprints OF the
'oon, for in these months he spends his
aights in catching frogs, hsh, lizards, grubs
and mussels, which are then his chief sub
'lstence, Later on he ranges among the
and blackberry patches and
'easts ON the fruit
When the milk comes in the corn is the
Noon's gala time, for he loves the tender
grains, as n farmer knows To his