You don't need a dog to chase raccoons

I was reminded of one wise gem I learned from him when I saw several raccoons run across the road in front of my pickup one recent night.

Fur prices in recent years have been up and down. If you are old enough, you can remember a time when prices were much higher and a person could make a lot of money trapping and hunting furbearers.

Back then, my cousin would hunt raccoons without a coon dog. He told me he did not need one. He said that if you spotted a raccoon in your flashlight beam, all you had to do was chase it, bark like a dog, and the raccoon would run up the first available tree.

Fast-forward a few years to a beautiful autumn night with a bright full moon. My son, Daniel, and I were heading home after an evening of fishing. As I turned a corner, the headlights illuminated a raccoon crossing right in front of us. After crossing the road, it started into a picked soybean field on the north side.

“Let’s get out and chase it,” I told my son. It must have been a slow night of fishing. I was bored and it was time to put Robin’s wisdom to the test.

Daniel was out the door in a flash. He cleared the ditch in one bound and the raccoon peeled out ahead of him. It took me a little longer to get out of my door and join the chase.

All I could see going across that field was one plume of dust from a rapidly fleeing raccoon and another larger plume of dust from my son.

Then there was another plume of dust, and another, and another! Suddenly, there was a whole pack of raccoons not only running out in front, but joining the race from the sides. All of them running for the tree line on the west edge of the field.

Raccoons were swerving in front, cutting off Daniel while others were drafting and slingshotting to get out ahead. At that point, this old man ran out of breath and dropped out of the race. I was laughing so hard I could not continue.

I watched the spectacle as it approached the finish line. It was a moon-lit, calm night. Sure enough, as raccoons started crossing the tape and reaching the trees you could hear the sound of raccoon claws furiously scratching up tree bark.

Who knew? Robin was right.

Daniel circled around under the trees for a bit, unsure what to do now that the race was over. All was quiet except for the sound of panting raccoons. Daniel offered up a bark or two in victory before walking back to the truck.

You never know what you might see or do while fishing with us. And you never know what you might learn from my cousin.