406 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



\3mm 19, 1884. 



unable to defend themselves, this lack of scent is most appar- 

 ent, and through the month of September and the early- 

 weeks of October it is a good dog that can successfully follow 

 their blind and puzzling track. Later, the scent becomes 

 stronger, and in the months of November and December it is 

 comparatively an easy matter for the dog to follow them, 

 though then the track is cold compared with that of other 

 animals. 



_ We think the 'coon prefers to live in the vicinity of civiliza- 

 tion rather than in a wholly wild country. In sparsely settled 

 districts, in the large tracts of forests which we still have left, 

 the 'coon makes his home. His domicile may be a secure and 

 cosy cave in some ledge on the hillside, but perhaps it is more 

 likely to be in a hollow tiee; and here, when the storms of 

 winter come, the whole family go, to sleep the long sleep of 

 winter; to sleep free from the cares and dangers of their little 

 worl i, to sleep forgetful of invading foes, the battle with the 

 dog or the stern race for life. The warm thaws of February 

 awaken them, and in obedience to their mating instincts, they 

 travel long distances on the snow, and it is claimed by some 

 that they then perish in great numbers if the weather becomes 

 suddenly and sevei ely cold. This may be the mo&t probable 

 theory of accounting for their great scarcity in some years. 



In general, the 'coon has many means of self-defense and 

 self -protection ; he is sly in his travels, even in the night; never 

 emits a noise or any kind that may disclose his whereabouts; 

 his extremely puzzling track protects him at all times fi om 

 random, untrained dogs; seldom visible, in the daytime, he is 

 safe from all day hunters; and though foianed more for 

 strength than speed, by adopting many a cunning ruse he can 

 run far before the fastest hound; he will .jump from a tree 

 into the very midst of hunters and dogs, and lead them all a 

 long and wearisome chase, and sometimes escape them entirely. 

 The dog can undoubtedly run much faster than the 'coon in a 

 fair race, but he is greatly retarded by being obliged to un- 

 ravel as he goes the cold," almost scentless track, and thereby 

 the latter has a great advantage. 



The young 'coons appear about the middle of April, from 

 four to six in a family, and long afterward they are under 

 the control and faithful guardianship of the mother. In the 

 hunting season she is with them, and under her guidance they 

 are oftentimes saved when the hounds are on their track. 

 She carefully guards them in their tender, helpless age, de- 

 veloping in them the instincts by which they are to live and 

 protect themselves. Unless disturbed and broken up by an 

 enemy, the little family continues together for a long time; 

 through the summer, autumn and winter they occupy the 

 same home, and by some it is claimed that they breed but 

 once in two years, and that the floem is not separated until 

 the young are fully grown, which is at about two years of age. 

 If this is so, and there are reasons for thinking it may be, 

 then the 'coon is without doubt the most faithful parent ani- 

 mal we have, for we know of no other which cares for and 

 retains the society of its young so long. Unlike the female, 

 the male 'coon is an unsociable, unf atherly, ascetic old fellow ; 

 solitude and silence best suit him; he ranges far and alone. 

 To tree two old males together, or one with a female or young 

 ones is a thing of the most rare occurrence. 



Their food in the spring and summer consists of frogs, fish 

 and nearly all kinds of animal life that exists in and around 

 our streams; and in meadows, bogs and marshes their tracks 

 are often seen; here they will dig for grubs, lizards, frogs and 

 snails. They are fond of berries hi their season, and in Sep- 

 tember their track is often started in a blueberry or black- 

 berry patch. Black cherries they are exceedingly fond of, 

 and they will go far to get a meal of this favorite food. The 

 cornfield they sometimes visit early in the season when the 

 young com is sweet and tender; thi3 they are fonrt of, 

 and when once the field has been discovered it is sure 

 to receive repeated visits, until the farmer discovers 

 "signs of 'coons in the corn," and then there is great 

 preparation among the boys for a 'coon hunt; the neighbors 

 are invited to the soiree; the family dog, whose recommenda- 

 tion is that ''he's great on woodchucks," is drafted into ser- 

 vice, and under the brilliant harvest moon the hunt begins 

 with the cornfield as an objective point. If the dog .succeeds 

 in surprising the flock he may secure a trophy, but most prob- 

 ably the result will be a general stampede for the woods with 

 the pursuers in the rear ; the hunters urging on the dog, who 

 is, thraugh no fault of his own, as incompetent to follow the 

 track as his master. And so the hunt winds up with a shadow 

 of disappointment; but stUl it has afforded an hour's recrea- 

 tion for the overworked farm boys. And gentlemen, as true 

 sportsmen, we should ever extend our sympathy and encour- 

 agement toward the sports of the boys of the farm; their 

 hunting days are few, then- business hours are from sun to sun, 

 thev are toilers, and are to be the bone and sinew, perchance 

 the 'brain, of the future, to them is given little chance to train 

 the eye and nerve to the glass ball or the flushed bird, their old- 

 styled guns cannot compete with your improved breechload- 

 ers, their dog must be watch dog, farm dog, and hunter all in 

 one. You invade their hunting grounds, and as they toil they 

 hear the crack of your gun, and know that the fine coney 

 which they have watched and doted on for weeks is being ex- 

 terminated by skilled hunters and unerring dogs, and if, as the 

 only way to compete with you, they gather then- game a little 

 early in the season, or here and there set a few snares in the 

 woods on their owii land, in rendering judgment or criticism, 

 let us remember that it is but human for them to enjoy their 

 own sport in then- own way, that we shoot twenty birds 

 where they snare one, that we have never been favored with 

 a revelation disclosing which is che proper method of slaughter, 

 and therefore in construing the law we should be liberal, and 

 in applying it we should be charitable. 



The food of the 'coon during the oesc part of the hunting 

 season is the mast of our various nut bearing trees, chestnuts, 

 beechnuts, acorns of the different kinds of oak. Sweet apples 

 are eaten when they can be found. They have the fondness 

 of the bear for everything sweet, and when captured young 

 are easily tamed by feeding them on sweetmeats. They eat 

 insects of various kinds; have been known to eat grasshoppers, 

 but whether from necessity or choice we cannot say. But the 

 food relied on for the purpose of preparing for winter is cer- 

 tainly beechnuts, chestnuts and acorns, the two former kinds 

 bein 0, preferred. In years when nuts are scarce the 'coons are 

 never found to be as fat, and in the winter folluwing such a 

 season they are often found, even on the coldest days, search- 

 ing through the snow for food, sometimes going even so far 

 as to enter the barns and outbuildings of the farmer. They 

 are then piteous looking animals indeed, and one. wouldhardly 

 have the heart to destroy them. They are very fond of water, 

 and on starting out in the evening they immediately go first 

 for drink; in a dry season they often travel far to find it. One 

 learned writer says that they alwa> s dip their food in water 

 before eating it; but, though knowing them to be strong tee- 

 totalers, we do not believe they go to that extreme. 



If we are to hunt the 'coon in early September, we shall ex- 

 pect to find him in the lowlands, along brooks, and about 

 ponds, meadows and marshes; black cherry trees in bearing 

 are sure to attract him, even if he makes a long journey to 

 find them. Later, after the early frosts, we should traverse 

 the highland forest, where nut trees are in bearing, preferring 

 a growth with beech or cheHtnut or both intermingled, but 

 still remembering that among the oak growth they are often 

 started. And it is well in going from one point to another to 

 follow in the line of brooks and water courses as much as pos- 

 sible, for these are the chosen highways of the 'coon. 



In our judgment cornfield shooting is the poorest land of 

 'coon hunting; they seldom pay much attention to the corn- 

 field except very early, and then many are too youug, and all 

 are. too poor in fur and flesh to kill. , 



Tae hunter, when he starts with his friends for anights 

 gpo t, should know where the game lives, where the streams 

 are, what food is in season and where it is to be found; he 



should move first in reference to the home of the 'coon, next Ret quilled, and they must be at once extracted or the dog is 

 in reference to thenearest stream or watering place, and then ruined. 



he should thoroughly hunt over the ground on which he is 

 most apt to feed. Of course, a strict adherence to any rule in 

 hunting is not to be expected, but our object is to suggest the 

 conclusion that success is in a great measure due to the hunter 

 and his methods of procedure. 



The subject of dogs is an exhaustive one. A volume might 

 be written on 'coon dogs alone. Every hunter at some time or 

 other has his ideal dog; perhaps at the present only a tradition, 

 but once an actual being, the pride of his master and the ter- 

 ror of the 'coon. The hunter never wearies of recounting in- 

 cidents of the past; and as the old soldier of the "Deserted Vil- 

 lage" "Shouldered his crutch and showed howfields were won," 

 so have we been entertained on many a tramp by some old 

 veteran of the woods with graphic descriptions of the exploits 

 of the "old dog." How many times have we heard when on a 

 hunt and our own dogs were working well, the expression, 

 "Oh, if 1 only had the old dog !" How the love^ of the master 

 for the "old dog" fingers ! There is true affection between the 

 hunter and his dumb companion. He may be poor, destitute, 

 almost hungry, but you cannot buy his dog. Through the few 

 years of the faithful creature's life they five and hunt together, 

 and then the new dog comes, but he is not the "old one;" 

 there can never be another "old dog." His memory is ever 

 kept green ; stories of his prowess are ever at hand ready to 

 eclipse the achievements of any living dog that comes up for 

 praise. And as each hunting season returns and again we 

 gather for the chase, while waiting for a bark, stories are in 

 order; the veteran hunter leads and in imagination the "old 

 dog" hunts again. Though his kennel stands empty, "Yet 

 back from the hill the voice of the hound in the mom echoes 

 still." When old Polonius in the play asks Hamlet what he 

 reads, Hamlet answers, "Words, words, words." 



And when we answer the question, what insures success in 

 hunting 'coons, we should in the same spirit answer emphat- 

 ically, dogs; not this breed or that in particular, but dogs; 

 those which can do the work, for pedigree is no essential part 

 of a 'coon dog. He may be, as Edgar in "King Lear says", 



"Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim, 

 Hound or spaniel, brach or lym," 



but if he is the successful dog his value is assured. Of all 

 dumb animals we place the dog first, perhaps not the most 

 useful, though. Baron Cuvier, one of the world's greatest 

 naturalists, says of him, "It is the most singular, the most 

 complete, and the most useful conquest that man has made." 

 By his intelligence, his adoption of reasoning methods, his 

 great courage, his wonderful gift of the power of scent, and 

 his affectionate devotions to his master, has the dog deserved 

 that praise which the song and stoiy of every age and tongue 

 have bestowed upon him. 



The good 'coon dog must have nearly all of the best qualities 

 of the dog family; he must have intelligence, courage, 

 patience, endurance, and above all, the strongest powers of 

 scenting four-footed game, rarely are all these elements de- 

 veloped in the same dog, hence good 'coon dogs are rare, but 

 when these characteristics do appear, then with proper train- 

 ing one can have a first-class dog. 



Although a good 'coon dog may be found in nearly every 

 breed and grade of the canine race, still in certain breeds there 

 are conditions which lead its to have a preference, and for 

 ourselves we. certainly look first among the best blooded 

 hounds, and if we find one fulfilling the essential conditions, 

 he is surely the dog we want, for if not already trained, he 

 can, with proper care, be taught to forsake all other game, 

 and his strong hunting instincts be trained to bear upon no 

 other living animal. He becomes most devoted to his master, 

 is cool, patient and enduring, and when in the hunt he. has no 

 other purpose but to press oh to the end of the track. Usually 

 a great ranger, he saves you much travel by finding his own 

 tracks. He is kind and affectionate with his friends, but when 

 aroused by an enemy is brave and tenacious; but over and 

 above all these, he is the very personification of scent, and is 

 therefore, other things being equal, the best track clog in the 

 world. A common type of 'coon dog is a cross of the hound 

 with other breeds. We have known the spaniel, shepherd, 

 mastiff, bull and mongrel, each crossed with hound, to pro- 

 duce good 'coon dogs. The cross hound and spaniel is a dog 

 of good scent, but is veiy nervous and not a hardy dog. The 

 hound and shepherd is well spoken of by those who have used 

 them. They have intelligence, good scent, are good rangers 

 and are very hardy. The hound and bull is a combination of 

 scent and courage which often makes a very successful dog; 

 he is generally, as it is termed, a good sticker. 



The hound and mastiff produce a dog that is quite sure to 

 be a 'coon dog if trained; he will not have the best of scent 

 unless it is taken strongly from the hound. He will be a stili- 

 runner, and an intelligent, brave and faithful hunter. The. 

 cross with the mongrel or the mongrel himself is of course an 

 experiment; as a ride it does not pay to train one, but still 

 there are decided exceptions, and a common, homely, friend- 

 less cur, picked up in the streets, has been known to make a 

 most successful and valuable 'coon dog. 



A number of years ago we hunted a few nights with a com- 

 mon black and tan terrier, a little larger than the ordinary 

 size; he had received little or no training, and had taken natu- 

 rally to 'coons. His scenting powers were remarkable, and 

 we remember him as one of the best still-running dogs we 

 ever saw. 



Hence we reach the same conclusion which we premised m 

 beginning our remarks on dogs: the 'coon dog comes from the 

 canine race at large and is confined to no particular breed. 

 Some 'coon dogs run still, that is, do not bark on the track, 

 barking only when the game or the tree is reached. There 

 are advantages in this class ; the 'coon, having no notice that 

 he is pursued, has not the chance to lead off to avoid the 

 danger or to choose ledges, bad trees or water, as is often the 

 case before a barking dog. But our own theory has been 

 that the still-running dogs are, as a rule, the weaker scented 

 class, and hence not to be compared in value to the stronger- 

 scented, track baiking dog. 



To this rule, if it be one, there are some strong exceptions, 

 for we have known the best blooded and best scented hounds, 

 naturally tracK-barking dogs, to have adopted, seemingly as 

 the result of a reasoning process, the habit of still-running. 

 No matter how hot or how cold the trail when he finds it, not 

 a bark escapes his throat, but with nose to the ground, the 

 still-running doe; glides like a shadow through the dark forest; 

 as he draws on to his game his muscles grow tense, and he 

 steals like a cat on his prey, then with a rush and a roar he is 

 upon it; the great caution of animal succumbs to fear, the 

 mother 'coon and her family are stampeded in an instant and 

 forced to seek the nearest tree, be it large or small. In this 

 way a whole flock is sometimes secured; but, notwithstand- 

 ing, we prefer the music of the barking dog; he is a more en- 

 tertaining animal, generally has better scent, and, as a rale, 

 is more successful in the end. 



The retreat of an old 'coon before a barking dog is some- 

 times a finely executed affair; it is planned deliberately and 

 well; it is conducted so as to puzzle and throw off the dog if 

 possible, over ledges, along stone walls and rail fences; now a 

 tree is climbed and from the extremity of a long limb he 

 jumps to the ground again ; he wades the brooks, takes to the 

 swamps, then back to the hills and runs round and round 

 some dry knoll, repeating his tactics over and over again; and 

 it is on such a track as this that the best test of the dog is 

 made; here is where the cross-breeds give up in despair, while 

 the grand old hound perseveres and secures the prize. 



When we start on a 'coon hunt we should equip ourselves 

 w th an axe, a pair of climbers, a .38-caliber revolver, a cord 

 of 100 feet in length, a compass and a pair of pincers to pull 

 hedgehog quills with, for the best trained dogs will sometimes 



It would be well if every person in the party took a lantern, 

 as in a dark night you cannot have too much light. If you 

 have a good climber in the party a gun is not actually needed, 

 as your climber can climb the tree and with the revolver shoot 

 out the game; if while in the tree he wishes for a lantern or to 

 reload his revolver, he communicates with those below by 

 means of the long cord. Never permit the dog to fight the 

 'coon till he kills him, for nothing wears a dog out more than 

 this, but be ready with crotehed sticks (good strong ones) 

 with which to hold the 'coon down as soon as possible after he 

 strikes the ground ; then let the dog have a grip or two. and 

 taking him off, finish the 'coon as quickly as possible. Another 

 thing, never leave a 'coon in a tree alter your dog has suc- 

 ceeded in getting him up, if it is possible to get liim. Stay at 

 the tree till morning, exhaust every device before you give 

 him up, for nothing encourages a dog more than to know that 

 you are willing to work as hard as he does to get the game; 

 be true to him ; get his game for him and he will be all the 

 more true to you; he will work harder on the track, and stay 

 at the tree all night if you do not come before. 



Gentlemen, I have exhausted my time, and your patience, 

 though not my subject, and in conclusion permit me to say, 

 though hunters, like other men, grow old, and in time a new 

 generation appears in the field, long may it be ere the mantle 

 of the prince of 'coon-hunters shall fall from your president; 

 long may the afternoon sun shine bright as the sun of the 

 morning. 



A PEN AND INK SKETCH. 



THE heat of summer came with that day, when the first gather- 

 ing of the faithful met in this present June. 

 In the preceding week sharp frosts, hold and adventurous, and far 

 from their "base lines," had dashed through the later days of May, 

 and wrought havoc and carried chill and disaster along- the entire 

 track. With noiseless speed, and without visible smoke or telltale 

 smell of burning, this squadron of frost left in its path the shrivelled 

 leaf and drooping vine and blighted blossom, like a sharp and un- 

 sightly sear of a sabre cut across the soft and fair cheek of youthful 

 promise. 



But this day was warm, nay, was hot; and fright and discourage- 

 ment gave place to good cheer and confidence again, in the presence 

 of this friendly force for good. 



It was to be a "regular monthly meeting," and "business of import- 

 ance" called on "every member to be present." Not every one wno is 

 called, however, comes, and many are the excuses which si amp their 

 makers with "found wanting." 



One distinguished member, whose absence is always advertised by 

 the greater quiet which the loss ef his voice establishes, doubtless will 

 plead the enforced attendance at court, and the impossibility of 

 leaving his clientage to compromise and settle their cases, simply and 

 satisfactorily, during hisabsence, to his great and uncompensated loss. 

 Another— whose large and growing practice claims from him 

 twenty-four hours of the two dozen which each day affords— will 

 argue as excuse, the suicidal course which attendance at the grounds 

 would prove, in that possibly during those few grateful hours of re- 

 lief and freedom, some patients might, secure sufficient strength to 

 shake off his shackles (and him, too) in a return once more to health 

 and vigor. 



A third— whose time is heavy with opportunity and leisure, and 

 wlio really is old enough to know the value of first impressions — will 

 claim that, insiead of coming to the house and magnificently carry- 

 ing off lienors as figure-head (which he inwardly knows to be right 

 and his duly), he must remain near the sound of the Cttlliopfc screech.- 

 seeking inspiration for a newly to-he-devised "smoke stack," lest 

 some "consolidated" competitor should secure a further "bulge" on 

 him. 



And so the list might be extended. Doubtless some would have 

 pleaded that (tosanest of all excuses, "that they had married a wife" 

 (in our club, it is not to be denied, we have many degrees of intellec- 

 tual capacity), for many were absent. 



One bright, cheerful face and ready, steady hand, we think of in 

 particular. A man who passes his lime wiihumierstanding, and who 

 shnr a know what was fitting, soled himself and staid away, after 

 promising his fellows faithfully that he would make a carreer for 

 these days. 



But the faithful were there. The day was hot, the sun oppressive. 

 With windows of shooting house thrown wide opeu and doors flat 

 back, however, a kindly and refreshing breeze drew through the re- 

 treat, already shaded and cooled by the protecting arms of friendly 

 trees. And here came in, in careless and happy irregularity, one 

 after another, the fail hful few whose names are inscribed in letters 

 of gold in that book which records the list of good men, who shoot 

 all they con. and wish thev could shoot more. 



With chairs tipped back, with the curl of fragrant blue smoke 

 rising like the incense from an acolyte's so itiging tun, in happy, lazy 

 waiting, the "meeting" did not come to order, but chatted and talked, 

 or were silent and listened, as the mood swayed. 



We wondered if the absent bad been "taken" in the, raid of Jack 

 Frost, referred to at the beginning. We wondered who would "take 

 the cake" in the afternoon's shooting, and after such wondering, 

 now anil then two or three would step out to the "firing point," and 

 the sham crack of a full charge of black, or the flinty snap of wood, 

 powder, showed that the answer was uncertain, and that perhaps a 

 little preliminary practice would not be harmful for any. Never 

 mind who really made the highest score; they were all high and 

 always are We shoot very well and we know it, and we do not care 

 to Bay any more about; this; but a sketch, a pen and ink suggestion, 

 of the faithful perhaps might serve as helpful models to those of 

 your younger readers who are attracted by, and "know a good thing 

 when' they see it." 



A thrush filled the air with his sweet song in the edge of the woods 

 across the field, while near by, little finches hopped to and fro, in 



-~ and there, 

 pair of 



<Hj1 von ut»v *•' *«} ......v. — —~-. -~j j - -— — — -»* 



happy security, and in the nests hinden in the grasses here an 

 little open mouths waited a providing parent's return A „ 

 nighthawks the first we had noted, made their way far off across the 

 sky while nearer the earth and nearer to us the cry oi a Wilson's 

 peewee joined the restful harmony. Bees droned, and a fitful fiy or 

 two buzzed with monotonous hum— and it was hot. 



Of the faithful, who more faithful in every sense than he who is 

 invested with the key and strong-box of the club? It has often been 

 claimed that much practice has made him so proficient in arresting 

 the flight of these swiftly-moving targets of ours, but 1 think H is not 

 altogether that. Teaching young ideas how to shoot for many years, 

 and being called upon to stop the flight of soaring imagination jn 

 others, he has unconsciously acquired this power himself, and he 

 stands among us to-day with his trusty full-choke ready for trap or 

 field— facile princem Or, if the failing score of some hitherto suc- 

 cessful shooter seems to indicate a loss of "grip" or power, what 

 helpful aid to a sturdy and vigorous effort to retrieve lost power, 

 does he give us, when drawing from his store of classic knowledge 

 he assures us that even in Virgil's time it was noted and said: "Jfacufs 

 est descensus Avemi; ■«'<-' revocure uradviu hie labor, hoc opus est." 

 And familiar with the note of every winged songster of the forest, he 

 will, if you will, describe and recount concerning them, until it stands 

 as a bar between yourself and any cruel shot, which a less familiar 

 knowledge might'have permitted. 



Another and a younger faithful one, in quest, of a fullness of robust 

 health which nothing in his bronzed and healthy look indicates any 

 lack of, sensibly takes the "outing" which an afternoon at the range 

 affords and thus fits himself for closer application to duly during 

 the week. And as he tells of his winter in and along the coast ot 

 Florida, there seems to come in through the open window the smell 

 of the orange blossom and geranium, and we almost look lor the 

 ugly snout of some wandering alligator to turn the corner of the 



01 A D third r faithful is he who modestly disclaims his title of military 

 distinction, but who gives evidence of his prowess whenever he faces 

 the trap, and who illustrates the slaughter which would follow his 

 opportunity, bv the relentless way in which he smashes glass and 

 clav DevoteU to rhe successful development of teeming field, and 

 showing in well-filled barns and iuci easing herds, the intelligent 

 management of a well-ordered mind, he yet seeks the rejuvenating 

 and healthful influence of a day's sport, and actually grows young 

 while years accumulate 



to aiKiiher we see the evidence of the good influences of such a 

 companionship and season of sensible recreation. As the day comes 

 round to the "weekly field day, ' so is this one found, generally with- 

 out fail Office desk is closed, the hum of machinery with i| 

 wheels and industrious cogs is left behind. Tired head and v.eary 

 body are refreshed, and each brearh drawn in the free outer air 

 furnishes its stimulant and invigoration, as an increased bout: ac- 

 count to check against dm -hiff the week. 



And pet others— this time a young man! Finding in this weekly 

 afternoon a sort of De Soto's fountain, he drinks deeply Cf it and 

 seems to be finding the, secret of perpetual youth therein. And m this 

 flush of youthful strength he illustrates its power, m eapn 

 -•championship" when he attempts it (and also the good nature ot 

 confident ability in letting it go when some cantankerous competitor 

 seems to require it to make him happy). 



And the man who handles diamonds as we others do pebbles— whos 



