The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-07-05
A SCIENTIFIC
COON HUNT.
How 1t is Done by an Instructor in
Harvard University.

| university, ana locally rs Reulai Soeu ftilOH.
| That's all well enough. One must earn a liv-
ing and get along with people somehow. His
real aim in life however, would seem to be to
| hHnt coons, and whoever has talked "coon
with him, or better still, has barked his shins
on a coon hunt alongside the champion, recos-
Dizes the fact that he is an expert.
Lathrop never goes outside of New England,
and rarely so miles from Boston. Yet his
string of trophies is as long as the moral law.
He has records, of course and they chronicle
! yearly portentious list of cOOns that have
| succumbed to his skill. He has photographs
| by the score. Coons in the forest in the past
| ures with factory chimneys and other marks
of Puritan civilization in the background ;
| coons in the garden, by the roadside, coons
everywhere, till the wonder grows that We
| poor mortals have room to live.
Or course the average man, that bugaboo OF
the scientific imagination, pooh-poohs this,
says the Boston Herald. But let him talk with
Lathrop once, and he is a convert Like all
specialists, Lathrop's field is somewhat mar
| rowed. He was born in northeastern Con-
necticut, and most of his coon hunting has
been within few miles radius Of Putnam, in
that State. As that is rather far away, he ex-
plored the Cape district of Massachusetts for a
more convenient hunting ground. and, Of
course the coons came at his call. The north
ern and western portions of this State are still
unexplored, and signing for new worlds to
over during the Summer vacation. There is
some uncertainty as to where to begin, but
there need be no worry about his finding coons.
| With his faithful pack of coon dogs and a tip
from native the coon may as we'll give 1t up
His correspondents in older fields keep him
posted, and any man who has ever been on a
coon hunt with LathrOp will never miss an
other chance to run down the wary planti-
grade. To get the coon you give Lathrop the
tip, and he does the rest. Just unearth your
toughest outing suit, and wait for him to show
up. There is rare evenings fun in prospect;
for coons are hunted at night. That's the fun
of it. His coonship is far too cunning to get
caught in broad daylight. Brer" Fox. and
quail and partridge. Bob Whites" aud all
other cute" wild folks can be circumvented
in the daytime. At the coon man stops short.
man can beat every other animal on even
terms, hut must have handicap to catch the
coon. There is lot Of fun, of uncertainty.
aud fill of adventure on the hunt; but of that
later.
To catch coon, says Lathrop, you just find
him. Clear as mud. You assent to the propo
sition, and he goes on to tell how he marks
them down." Every Spring during the brief
vacations he hies him to the huating grounds
and looks into the likely places. The breeding
holes are located, new fields, the character of
which gave promise of new coons are explored
and coon traces noted. All this knowledge is
carefully recorded in book but his coonship is
let severely alone. He won't be hunted till
Summer or Fall, but LathrOp has done half the
bunting, and has had incidentally half the
fun-he has found the coon. The wary old
sinner, for all coons are born with the charac-
teristics associated with wary old FOUNDERS, is
not a nomad; he believes in staying by the old
home, where he knows of all the juicy corn.
berries and grapes. the choicest stores of nuts;
and where all the delicacies OF the coon menu
are boarded by laboring man for his especial
benefit. He knows too much TO gad about.
Mark him down in the Spring, and in the Fall
he will be found within mile of the spot.
Then, says Lathrop get dog; and up to this
point your education has gone on without
hitch. But at the dog question you are clean
stumped. Needless to say the coon dog must
have all the dog virtues none of the dog vices,
and must do everything. into the bargain, in
the dark. Lathrop has'em-the dogs-but wild
horses aud an Astors millions could not take
away his good ones. They are short haired
breed. rather large, weighing about 60 pounds,
and woe be unto the coon who shows his nose
or leaves track in their vicinity. Their train
ing is a long process of selection. Some dogs
will start hunting coons all right. but wind up
hunting every blessed thing in the land. Some
have poor SCENT more cannot get the knack
of worming their way through underbrush, or
they can't swim or climb, or keep quiet at the
right time, or make a racket when necessary.
and know when the time comes. In short, the
coon dog is q rara avis and should have a vote
he knows enough.
Then, some bracing Autumn evening or even
one of Summer vacation days start over Cape
prospect with Lathrop and his dogs. The sun has
been down half an hour or so. There is too much
light thus far, but some time must be allowed
in which to reach the quarry. The mighty
hunter knows within a mile or so where coon
family was in the Spring, and experience has
taught him they will be somewhere near now.
ride or a tismp Of a few miles takes US
into the woods, broken here and there with
clearings and ledges SO common in New Eng
land. AS the ground is neared, the twilight
fails, and more careful step is needed. Noise
is at discount, but what can a fellow do who
unwarily steps over the brink OF bog-hole?
muttered blessing. and the stalk is renewed.
The dogs have been unloosed and are beating
the uDderbrush for 'signs." They are SILENT
patient persistent. and nothing breaks the
stiffness but the voices of the night the insects
the whippoorwills, the occasional hoot of
owl startled by the unwonted sound of the
prowling dogs. From the distance comes the
mournful cry of the loon. Suddenly one of
the dogs gives sharp yelp, and we all scramble
toward him as best we can. He runs along
easily, occasionally giving tongue, and the task
Of keeping him in hearing-for sight is out of
the question-becomes momentarily more diffi-
cult.
A quarter of an hour goes by of Jumping,
trrdging, scrambiing by turns, the course re-
lieved at intervals by clearing, where a long
breath may be taken and new bearings noted.
The woods are fairly alive now. for the wild
life is more or less aroused, and, despite their
instinct Of silence in danger. the shifting of
place and the first incidents Of surprise make
some noise. The dogs, too, instead of being
scattered wide, are now following the lead of
the oldest coon dog content to rely on his
sagacity and to learn new lessons. -a..
A break comes in the tenor of the hunt His
coonship's trail to this point was easy and un-
disturbed But the far cry of the hounds
canght his ear and his wits began to work.
Other animals would make rush in some di-
recton, leaving an even stronger trail but not
SO the coon. He doubles On his tracks, Jumps
to log. runs along one way while. jumps
into tree, out on the branches, swings to the
ground, and straight an arrow scampers in
the most unlikely direction.
Now that the dogs have reached his turning
point comes the science of the hunt No fool
of dog resolve the problem laid on the
ground, and the wisest may have to give it up.
Lathrop OF course. counts for something, and
years of coon-hunting give some hint on the
old rascals ways. clnmp of saplings on the
edge of a swamp near by is deserted, and the
old dog is working toward that neighborhood.
Lathrop leads the way, and we follow MS best
we can, and, reaching the clnmp, anxiously
study the prospect overhead. Here another
wrinkle comes in. point must be chosen
where tho trees relieved against clear
Impure Blood