Raccoon Hunting

IAMAWILDPARTY

IAMAWILDPARTY

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Who hunts raccoon, and how is it done? (Especially if you do it in Ontario)

Additionally, why do you do it? Can anything be done with the things?
(I'm not asking because you need a special reason to kill em, but for those who go out with the intention of killing them, not just incidentally).

Difficulty? How enjoyable is it? Do you need dogs?

Pardon the newb questions, I was just thinking about someone telling me they ate some once(and never again) when I was younger and I've never met someone who told me they hunted them since. Seems like it could be interesting though. I'd sit in my yard with a .22 if it was legal in the city.
 
Up at my camp I set noise traps for them. Leave some food on a plate with a bottle or fork (or whatever) that'll fall when the plate is touched. When I hear the bottle fall I step outside, wait till they get about 15 feet up a tree, then shoot them in the head.
I don't eat them, it's strictly varmint control/damage containment, so can't help you there.
 
I use to hunt a lot of coons 15 years or so ago, before I moved away for school. We ran them at night with hounds to tree them, and shot them with a 22. They were skinned, carcass was discarded in the bush for the citters. The pelt was scrapped, stretched, dried and sent to auction, it was a lot of work, likely 45-60 minutes per pelt to scrape and stretch. Drying took a few weeks as they are very greasy.

The last auction in January had an average of $18.93 for Ontario coons, so its not worth my time to get back into it since I have moved back south. Hunting them was fun however trapping them would be more efficient.
 
I hunt coons and have several friends who do as well. We all have hounds, mostly Blue Ticks, some Plotts and a Walker or two. A few of my friends are big into competition hunting and regularly travel across the province and to various states for night hunts. I've been to competition night hunts, but never participated myself. That may change soon as I just bought a real good Blue Tick that finished 8th out of almost 200 dogs at Blue Tick Days in Indiana last May- the dogs handler told me that if he hadn't blown a particular call in one of the drops, she would have had enough points for second place.

I hunt coon for a number of reasons, but it's mostly about the dogs. I love running hounds, and coons can be run all year long for training purposes- no killing except in the hide season. For years I hound hunted, coyotes, with some good friends. It was great fun, but you can end up trying to track down hounds that are scattered over many miles. This is rarely the case when coon hunting in southern Ontario, as coons are thick around here and rarely run far before treeing. We don't actually kill many coons for the number that our hounds tree. A couple of the younger guys in our group are avid hide hunters, and we will all accommodate a farmer who is suffering crop damage from coons. Coon hunting is the only form of legal night hunting we have, which lets us get out hunting in the evenings when most other hunters are home thinking about the next day they can get out hunting. Farmers are usually very receptive to allowing permission to hunt coon on their property and this can often open the door to other hunting opportunities.

Hound hunting, and night hunting, isn't for everyone, but I think every hunter should try to get out with some hound hunters so that they can get an appreciation for how much is involved in the sport and how talented the dogs are- whether they're running coon, bear, deer, coyotes or bunnies.
 
Sounds like something I'd like to see/try my hand at.

Might try to convince someone to let me tag along in a year or so when I'm done with school.

Thanks for the responses.
 
Most used to hunt them for the fur. Mostly starting around late October and November or so, when their coat is the best. But that was when pelts were worth money, I don't know what they get today (probably not much). Some gents get them while hunting squirrels. Can't miss spotting a raccoon in a tree when the leaves are down, big round ball, but the hard part is locating the head for a clean shot.
 
I have eaten about 10 or 12. They make an excellent stew --- just skin them and save the hind quarters and front shoulders. I roasted one but much prefer the stew

cheers mooncoon
 
Just reading through this thread again and some old coon hunting memories started to flood back in. Muskrats occupied the same areas (Hemmingford,QC) and worked the same corn fields. They both have a similar habit of following the same path particularly where any waterways were concerned. You can see a path in the grass leading into a waterway. They will husk more of the cob and chew on the corn however and this is how you know its a 'rat' not a coon. They tend to live right in the irrigation ditches as well. Don't waste your time following any trails from those patches of corn. You see a corn field in Raccoon country, check with the farmer. Good chance he will be very happy to turn you loose on his property. They are very destructive to corn. They pull the stalk down, chew the top two or three rows of the cob and then move on to the next plant. One evening can take out a 10 by 10 ft square in the field no problem, if not more.
 
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scanner said:
Most used to hunt them for the fur. Mostly starting around late October and November or so, when their coat is the best. But that was when pelts were worth money, I don't know what they get today (probably not much). Some gents get them while hunting squirrels. Can't miss spotting a raccoon in a tree when the leaves are down, big round ball, but the hard part is locating the head for a clean shot.
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I find that coons tend to seek out any kind of evergreen if they get the chance. There could be one hemlock in 10 acres of hardwoods and the coon will tree in it. Makes it tough to see them no matter the season.
 
Reasons for coon hunting/control:

-they cost farmers $$$
-turkey, grouse, and waterfowl eggs are on their menu
-fur can be sold
-taste good, providing you remove as much fat as possible
-coon control can lead to future hunting opportunities
-hounds are a hoot to watch and hunt with
-their the only critter we can hunt at night around here
-too many in many area's of ontario
 
I have never purposely hunted them but have shot several for nuisance riddance purposes, although I was completely unaware til this thread that they could be eaten. The last one I shot had been chewing on the side of my log cabin, which was wierd cause I didn't think they were "chewers". My jack russel treed it and I killed it with a head shot. I can still remember my dad saying "shoot it so it doesn't land on the out house!".

Also, I imagine most of you have seen the movie, but if not, check out "where the red fern grows". It's about a boy who saves up for two coon hounds and hunts them. Really great old timey movie imo.
 
A couple of interesting facts for ya
coons are hunted with hounds in all 48 states of the continental US.
There are approxamatley 6000 field trials for retrievers and pointers held every year in the US.
there are about 60,000 organized nite hunts held yearly for coon hounds--its pretty popular
 
Competition coon hunting is massive in the States. There are 2 large orgs that sanction hunts- UKC and PKC- and hundreds of associated hunt clubs throughout the U.S., as well as a few in Ontario. While well bred coonhound pups are relatively cheap- $150-$350, good, proven coonhounds don't come much cheaper than $1000 and can easily cost 3,4,5 thousand or more. A top notch competition dog can go over $10,000.
 
jlovie said:
I have never purposely hunted them but have shot several for nuisance riddance purposes, although I was completely unaware til this thread that they could be eaten. The last one I shot had been chewing on the side of my log cabin, which was wierd cause I didn't think they were "chewers". My jack russel treed it and I killed it with a head shot. I can still remember my dad saying "shoot it so it doesn't land on the out house!".

Also, I imagine most of you have seen the movie, but if not, check out "where the red fern grows". It's about a boy who saves up for two coon hounds and hunts them. Really great old timey movie imo.
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any meat can be eaten ive had coyote and wolf meat beofre and even coyote in jerky form just like with anything else make sure no spots on the liver and other organs and make sure there no signs of mange or rabies and cook it well
 
I used to hunt coyotes with greyhounds. It is a blast! Usually could get 3-4 a day, once got 13 in one day. By the time those hounds killed that last coyote they were so tired they couldn't even jump into the back of the truck.
 
try going out on a sunny day in the winter as they will sun themselves up in the trees . a fellow i know tells the story of night hunting with dogs and leaned his 22 rifle up against the truck. some how a young pup got tangled in the sling of the rifle and took off running for home . the dog and the rifle were both found safely at home. i believe it is law in Ontario to have to have a dog when you night hunt coons and are only allowed to shoot .22 rifle .
 
farmer47 said:
try going out on a sunny day in the winter as they will sun themselves up in the trees . a fellow i know tells the story of night hunting with dogs and leaned his 22 rifle up against the truck. some how a young pup got tangled in the sling of the rifle and took off running for home . the dog and the rifle were both found safely at home. i believe it is law in Ontario to have to have a dog when you night hunt coons and are only allowed to shoot .22 rifle .
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yep thats the law and did the dog have his pal lol
 
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