Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-11-20
COON HUNT IN VERMONT.
Local Hunters Enjoy a Lively
Experience With the Game.
Thirteen Bagged in Four Nights Hunt
Some Characteristics OF This Willy
Animal and Methods OF War
fare against Him.


&, "A hunting ground to the Pine Tree |
STATE, so far as big game was concerned, |
but the state still provides some good
sport, was voted unanimously by
party of local huntsmen who recently |
spent a week in Wardsboro, VT, i'll search |
OF coons says the Springfield Republican. |
Something Of the fun they must have had
HAY be estimated when it is learned tina
they brought back 13 full grown raccoons.
of which six were captured in a night.
This is an annual outing for the party, !
and for the past five years they have not
failed to bag at least one of these ami
mails. and more often they have captured
al least half a dozen Vermont people
LOOK on with wonderment at the opera
tons If these invaders of their soil, for
tn!A spend many hours yearly i'll fruitless
search of coons, and 1t is myStfying how
tlpse aliens can come into their territory
uau carry away more skins than they.
'l..erc is a secret in this. which, If you
will agree not to tell your Green Noun
tain friends, shall herewith be told to you.
There is no particular charm about tho
local hunters which will attract a coon.
in fact, experience would teach that there
wele qualities about them which should
impel these animals to stink away into
their burrows when they scent the ap-
proaCh of the western Massachusetts hum
ter. 1t is possible, too, that they have no
more prowess with the gun than the ma
tiVe-born Vermonter
But the mystery is solved not In the
man out In ms dos' III is almost as use
loss to go hunting coons without gun
is without a dog. The dog does the great
er part Of the work. and it is as great
measure u watch mn" 10 ~ as 10 eaten
cue COOL liis 10 where tle Nerhol'er
fuses ms PiesuSc' lor so"n coon uus9
"lr muoh more rare IMAM the coons' Ana
jhis was the strong point with the local
hunters. who had such success in their
"''ratlons 'his year. only lui! plood'u
iouhd VIII serve the purpose ana otteh-
&c In, al in hon, 10 fri
49, H9'lNtS 10 lliS variety Oh game Mpst
"''-S cannot resist the temptation 10 take
ul' RABBIT trall' or that oil toX or
SKUNK Even the best trained MOUNDS can
icy resist the temptation 70 Tackle
hlGehog now ana then until they nave
HNrru inc consequences enough uines
L. ledch them better Inc only remedy
IN II can De apphed TO QoS Whlch mas
tackled one oil these ANIMALS Is TO ne MN
Gown ana get to work upon him Win the
tWcclers until the qullls nave all peen
RULED out Inc qulIIS are about three
l''Hcs long on an average, ana they VIII
l'erce the fiesh ike very sharp needle
tn" thoE VIII push thclr way on through
il1 HeSn untll they nave lclt the pody.
ne niue haihlct OF Naruspor" preS' htS
one OF the most picturesque sections OF
an Vermont IL Is SET nto the Green
l'uhtdlhs IN the peautliully lertlle val
ley OF the West river and is about % miles
northwest OF Brattlehore, h,lng reached
by the narrow gauge ROAD out OF Brattla-
poro' Ana tne people Oh TINS NIUE h@nllet
are lmbued with the hospitality which
IS typical OF the rural Nerin"nter' ana
one herd not be surprised IL he hnds mat
his pocket-booh is in quite the same CON
uIuoh when ne leaves the place as when
ne arrived NO one d'ScoNerel thdt TINS
S"cuoh OF the STATE apouhded III coons
ulitll rev years ago, Wnch a MHsSa' hu-
SOUS man went up there TO Visit a friend
ana incidentally TOOK hlsht out hunt-
NE Tor coohS' Inc VISITOR had dog
mat hao pcen framed In inc west Tor
H"huns thcst aiiii,dlS lana they were
furIllseu 10 mo that the coons were only
waiting TO be snot Since that time a
'e" Eoou dogs nave ncch imported INTO
,i' 9'"tc' anu Inc ho9's OF ule local
Huil''i9 MtIe III p"sscSS'o4 oI one Oh 'lie
"'sl Of lheSe' me farmers 90 not OBJECT
l" hdN'hs 'nese diiials srot IN as large
H'hl"UrS DIS one ueslIeS' LOT the var
minus steal ,tleir corn ana o'herWlse
IalS' havoc WIN tltlr crops ana th.re Is
10 pI3HpltIVe ii" III any season, some
gay "heh inc! Hllu IIat coois make ,he
state attractive 10 hunters the LeSlSla-
lure may Speid DAY OF Two framing
u law 10 prevent Such sweeping destruc-
tlon Oh the allIhaIs DIS lhdt accomplished
this year.
ne coon lies III MS purroW ana sleeps
thIouSh the DAY, ana ms hrst impulse
Wheh lie aWakcS is 10 get 10 the brook or
river ana quench ms thirst' whlch might
lhh'ate that ne spent the previous night
Out Alter ne mas sdtatod MS thirst lie
tnen makes ior the nearest cornneld FOR
ms evening meal AT TINS season OF the
wear 'ne cor Is Shochcu up awaiting the
ahnual huskms pee ana II is an easy
matter Tor corn. i-arller IN the season,
before the corn is ripe enough to suit his
Taste, the coon Will satisfy himself with
hocchnuts, but corn is his favorte dish.
ne local hunters started every coon
they got In large cornhold but, as is
hiways the case the field was not far
from big ledge, where the coon makes