The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-26
WILD TURKEYS As COON BAIT.
"Reminiscences of George Pitts. a Famous
Indiana Hunter n Generation Ago.


Indiana Hunter n Generation Ago.
Il can remember when wild turkeys were
SO plentiful that YOU could buy them for u
shilling apiece. and the most profitable use
they could be put to was In trapping coons."
said John Bemus. an early settler in Indiana.
That sounds rather queer In these days when
there isn't anything In the animal line much
more worthless than the coon and when wild
turkey is worth almost Its weight In silver. |
have trapped coons ard shot wild turkeys
within gunshot of what is now the home of
ex-President Harrison in Indianapolis. In
those days the turkey was not marketable.
while coon skins were worth anywhere from
81 tc So apiece.
1T didn't use TO he any trick to trap n fox.
but a man who could catch a coon In a trap
had to know how. and using wild turkey meat
for bait. and setting the trap on the bottoms Of
creeks. swhere coons are in the habit of fish,
ing for rawflsh. were about the only ways
they could be caught. l had been hunting
and trapping a good while around indianapolis
before l could trap accom-. The only person
who had any success In trapping coons was a
young chap named George Pitts. He was a
professional hunter and trapper and used to
come in every day with more coons. foxes.
otter and ether animals whose.skins were
worth taking than all the %traprers on White
River and Tale Creek put together. l could
get quite a nice showing OF coons by hunting
them among the m OF the river bot
toms at night. but set my traps for them any
way / might. / never succeeded in fas-
tening one OF the willy little beasts until l ac-
cidentally discovered one Of Pltts's traps and
found that he baited with wild turkey meat.
] tried the same bait and never had any trou-
biz sf PfssIT as to IN m srsRPP1pe ef fitts used to get
twice AS, many OF them in his traps as any one
else. l knew he must have a bait OF his own
him On his trapping trips. but one day / shad..
traps. lie had a secret bait sure enough. but
L was a simple one; being q piece of parsnlp.
rats were crazy after rarsnips. and he took ad-
vantage OF the discovery. ! adopted the par
snip bait myself. and never betrayed the secret
and caught Just as many muskrats as Pitts did
But ,pitts's strong hold was coons. and he
trapping them to mighty good advantage. lie
not only Paid his way through a cOmplete
course In the old Marion County Seminary by
hours. hut saved several hundred dollars be.
s,des I from 9TH the oRHre9sc ese &C. OF this trapping to
Der that once Pitts fell in love with a famous
coon dog owned by 9 man that lived twelve
he saw q small fortune In him. cows were
as good o one as there was within a days Jour
ney Of Indianapolis. The cow had a heller
calf by her side that promised to be as good a
cow as her mother was. Pitts had made the
owner OF the coon dog several Cffers for the
cur. and his friends thought he was crazy for
making them. while the friends OF the dogs
owner thought the latter was Just as crazy Tor
refusing them; but when the young trapper
actually drove his COW and her CALI the twelve
miles 10 where the coon dog lived, and insisted
on trading them for tho dog. the people felt
sure he must be q hopeless l~unatic, .,
the estimation OF the community by making
the trade. 1t turned out that Pitts knew what
he WAS about. The very FIRST night he hunted
with the dog he baGged thirty coOns and sold
every one OF them next day for a dollar apiece.
In one season Pitts gathered In. with tho help
of that dog. 200 coons. and there is no telling
how much money the dog would have netted
him II it hadn't made O miacalculation one
night and tried its mettle on a porcupine.
The dog killed the porcupine. but the porcu-
pine filled the dogs eyes. mouth and head SO
lull of luilIs that he was ruined and was Killed
to put him out OF misery.
This same George Pitts in 1917 killed tho
last deer eyer seen on the Indianapolis hunt