The Addiction of Coon Hunting
Breaking In A Coon Dog
 Editors
Note’s: I’ve befriended and hunted with
some of the best coon hunters in the nation. I’ve
changed some names in this week’s stories to protect
the innocent and not-so-innocent and whatever reputations
they may have left. An abundance of raccoons or ringtails
as some hunters call them makes this species a critter
you can chase all over the U.S. and parts of southern
Canada. Be sure to check the seasons and bag limits
in your area. Hunters have fun running their dogs year-round
even if they can’t bag the coons.
Dr. Karl, a professor of wildlife science at a prominent
southern university, purchased one of the greatest coon-dog
pups a man ever could own. Dr. Karl named his young
Walker hound Hawk because of a black patch in the middle
of the pup’s back that resembled the silhouette
of a flying hawk. The dog only had one
problem. He loved to run deer as much if not more than
he loved to run coons. Each time Hawk jumped a deer,
Dr. Karl chased his dog until he caught him. “I’d
correct him at the spot where I caught him,” Dr,
Karl told me. “Then I’d lead him bask to
the place where hi jumped the deer and correct him again.
I learned the only way to teach a coon dog not to run
off-game was to convince him that he’d have more
fun chasing coon than getting corrected for running
after deer.” But as luck would have it, for some
reason known only to God, Hawk treed coons all night
long on the following Friday and did not run a deer.
From that night on, Hawk became a straight coon hound
for the rest of his life. Dr, Karl not only gained back
the weight he had lost chasing Hawk though the woods,
he also regained his pleasing personality after ending
his starlight runs.
Once Dr. Karl had straightened-out Hawk, he hunted
his coon hound five to six nights
a week. I asked Dr. Karl, a single man at the time,
if his zeal for coon hunting ever interfered with his
social life. “Not at all,” Dr. Karl answered.
“Coon hunting helps me get dates and allows me
to search for the kind of woman I eventually want to
marry. If a young woman doesn’t like coon hunting,
she won’t like me. I coon hunted long before I
became interested in dating, I’ll chase ringtails
in the woods at night long after most young ladies leave.”
Because of his addiction, Dr. Karl developed a unique
way to meet girls and take them out on low-cost dates.
He explained, “Often during my undergraduate days,
I would eat lunch with a group of students in the cafeteria.
Someone would ask, ‘What do you like to do for
fun, Karl?’ I’d always reply, ‘For
me, nothing surpasses the fun of going coon hunting
with my dog, Hawk.’”At the university Dr.
Karl attended, most of the female coeds never had heard
of coon hunting, and even fewer had had the opportunity
to run down ringtails. “When I’d described
the beauty of the stars at night, the melody the hound
sang as he ran, the sw eet
smells of wild flowers and the adventures of crossing
a creek in the dead of night, they all would say, ‘Coon
hunting? Sounds like a lot of fun.’ Naturally,
then I’d ask them if they’d like to go with
me one night.’”
Many times a girl would pack a meal for the two of them
to snack on while they coon hunted, which helped Dr.
Karl save his cash, He just had to provide the dogs,
the woods and the entertainment. “You really can
get to know someone while coon hunting at night,”
Dr. Karl said. “When alone with just her and the
dog, you have plenty of time to talk and get to know
each other. If you have to cross a muddy swamp, wade
a creed or crawl through briars to reach the tree where
the dog’s barking, you can determine whether the
girl is a whiner of not. You can learn how she handles
adversity and whether or not she really enjoys your
company. When I finally found a female who liked me
and coon hunting, I married her. I knew those kind of
women were hard to come by.” I have to agree with
Dr. Karl. Many marriages end in divorce because of a
man’s passion for staying out all night with a
pack of dogs.
TOMORROW: REMEMBERING THE TOUGHEST COON HUNTER ALIVE
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