THE ANGLER AND HIXTSMAN 155 



law of self-preservation would dictate to that dog the idea 

 that if he would sustain life he must satisfy his hunger by 

 chasing or stalking whatever game he could find, no matter 

 what kind of game it chanced to be. And so the dog is 

 strictly a creature of environment, as is every other living 

 creature. We do not doubt that if away back there in the 

 ages of long ago the setter or pointer had lived in a country 

 where there were no birds, he would have become whatever 

 kind of dog the game in the region compelled him to be, and 

 we think it is just a matter of accident that the hound will 

 chase the fox, that the setter and pointer will just point a 

 covey of birds, or that a pit bull will not hunt at all, but just 

 fight. Why is it that the pit bull will not hunt? Simply 

 because he has never had occasion to hunt game for food. 

 Usually he is the pet the house dog or watch-dog,, and his 

 mission (and he fulfills it well) is not to leave the yard, but 

 to bar the approach of all starngers and undesirables. 



COON HUNTING: 



Gang around, boys ! For here is a sport worthy your 

 attention. The scent of the coon is identical to that of his 

 big brother the bear hence a good coon dog works well on 

 bear, and a good bear dog, likewise, works efficiently on 

 coon. 



The coon is a masterful fisherman, hence he is usually 

 found living in close proximity to streams. 



For trailing his ring-tailed majesty, give me a mixed 

 pack, part still-trailers (Airedale terriers preferred) and 

 sonic good old-fashioned coon-hounds. The reason I sug- 

 gest Airedales to run with hounds is because they are great- 

 er fighters, while the hound possesses the coldest nose, that 

 is, the most ability to track a cold trail. Together, this 

 sort of a pack is invincible and will put any old coon up a 

 tree in short order. 



In the North, most hunters hunt the coon by day and 

 with a shotgun, with which the raccoon is shot from the tree 

 the minute the dogs tree it. 



