The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-12-15
HUNTING THE RACC0ON.
Exciting Sport In the FAN on the
Western Reserve.
Am Exceedingly Tricky Animat3 That Can
Captured 0Hiy by the 'Assfst-
ance of Trained
- Dogs.

/ .
The corn is fully ripe in the shock II
many fields on the western reserve
and the season for raccoon hunting, o.
"cooning, as it is more often called
has arrived, with it's attendant scenes
| of sport and excitement. He who has
never experienced the pleasures Incl
dent to night in the woods with a
trained coon" dog during the month
of October can only learn what he has
missed by enjoying such an outing at
the earliest opportunity, says the
| Cleveland Leader.
To hunt the raccoon at night with
success, a trained dog is indispensable;
for the scent, disposition and coon"
education of the dog are directly re-
sponsible for the number of pelts
which are brought in at sometimes
early hour in the morning. In the se-
! lection of dog for the sport 1t is. not
best to choose = hound, as the ability
and persistence of these dogs in ssgiv-
ing tongue warn the raccoon of his
danger and give that crafty little
animal ample time to seek safe seclu-
sion in the hollow Of some large tree,
which size and value prevents the
hunter from cutting down. If the
dogs education has been neglected,
and he manifests an inclination to
follow the trail of rabbits rather than
that of the raccoon, the hunter will
not be likely to carry anything home
further than the remembrance of a
midnight ramble in the woods.
However, many dogs about whose
ancestry there clusters an imperish-
able halo of mystery, develop into re-
marlable coon dogs. Some Of them
are very keen-scented, and will follow
the trailsof a raccoon over the ground
where the scent of rabbits and other
animals is encountered every few
yards A well-trained dog will take
large circles and skirt along the edge
of woods that border corn-fields, never
giving tongue" until their approach.
to the coon is so close that the viva
cious little animal finds escape by
flight impossible and scales the near.
est tree. Then the frantic and pro.
longed notes of the dog proclaim to
the hunter, who may be some distance
away, that the game is up and a
coon has been sstreed." If the tree is
small one so much the better. The
animal is either shaken out of the
branches and the dog given an oppor-
tunity Of testing his metal, or else the
coon is shot while in the tree and the
dog allowed in at the finish. 1t often
happens that the tree is large one,
and then the scientific part of coon
hunting is brought into requisition.
The hunter resorts to what is called
shining the coon.H This is done by
placing a lantern upon the head and
walking around the tree until the re-
lion of two small balls of fire de-
notes the location OF the game. some
times several pairs of cleaning eyes
are revealed by the rays of the lantern,
and then the hunter knows that the
nights work will be good one. The
explosion of heavily-charged shot
gun is the means employed to dislodge
the coon from his lofty perch, and he
falls to the earth with substantial
thud.
The coon is an exceedingly tricky
animal, especially so if he be an old
timer Of the swamp variety-one
that has encountered steel traps or in
Vulnerable dogs or been filed with
bird shot He will take to rail fences,
cross streams, run along the bottom of |
shallow creeks for long distances, and
jump anything but freight train |
when thoroughly alarmed If the dog
is inexperienced, the coon is usually |
able to battle his pursuers, and is safe |
from furtherannoyance for the time be- |
ing. But ofttimes the sagacity of the dog
will resurrect the trail that suddenly |
terminated at the creek. and the gem
eralship Of the pursuer proves him mas
ter Of the situation.
A favorite haunt Of the coon in Octo-
ber is In the cornfields that skirt the
largest tracts of woodland. They visit
the cornfields to feed as soon as dark !
ness settles, and win sometimes 70
several miles to a favorite locality
They are hunted for their pelts, which
may bring from one dollar to one dol +
lar and fifty cents in the market. and
for the rare sport that it affords at this
season OF the year. Not infrequcntly
on these expeditions the dog blunders
On to one Of those odorous animals that
have large. bushy black tails, and a
white stripe running down the back.
the acquaintance so sudden
y formed 10 Of a lasting nature. In this
vent the faithful companion of man in
IN exciting chase is forced to. abandon
us favorite rug by the fire that he has
oeen wont to lie and dream upon, and
inds himself securely fastened TO a
arge airy shed at satisfactory dis
ance from the house. If he is sensi-
i've and refined the dog takes the os-
racism TO which he has been subjected
md the pronounced coldness on the
part of the family circle to heart, and
not again known to bark up the
wrong tree -"
There are two distinctive species of
he North American raccoon. The
laliforiria or Texas ANIMALS differ
rom those found east Of the Missis-
ippi river in that they have black feet.
The fnr Of the prairie coon Of the west
5 Of lighter color than that Of his !