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   Raccoon populations have grown to the point they are endangering other species. Quail, pheasant, turkeys and all types of songbirds are vulnerable to raccoon attacks on their nests. The number of raccoons used to be controlled when fur prices were high. Some people hunted raccoons with their dogs for sport with the price received for the hides offset some of the cost of their hunts. Others hunted them as a means of supplementing their income or even as a sole source of making a living. When the price of raccoon pelts was high, our quail and turkey populations flourished. There were times, my two sons and I could limit out on quail on any Saturday morning. Now, it is more common to see a bald eagle than a quail. The only people that hunt raccoons now are people that do it for the sport of working their hounds. These hunters do not really care if they kill the raccoons after they are treed. There is no longer a financial incentive to harvest the pelts. Unfortunately, this does not help our bird population but does make for an enjoyable time in the outdoors.

     Our grandson, Zane, has started training raccoon hounds for other people. These people are primarily competition hunters. He works to fine tune the natural instinct bred into coon hounds to track and tree. He will occasionally kill a raccoon to reward a dog for a job well done, but most are left to run another day. Zane does not shoot any raccoons on our place to ensure prey on which to train the dogs. Worse yet, he and I are both feeding the raccoons to make sure they stay close by. There is a spot in the middle of the timber where we place things like outdated cereal, old bread, or just about anything else we want to get rid of. Raccoons will eat anything. One day I put some green peppers that had become freezer burnt on what we call the bait station. They were gone the next day. I think the local resident raccoons wait and watch until somebody brings a snack and helps themselves as soon as our backs are turned. They do not seem to mind occasionally being chased up a tree and barked at if they are going to be paid with food. If they were offended, I would think they would move. As it is, there are several fat and happy coons that are nearby whenever Zane wants to work a hound.

   I have all but given up on the possibility of restoring the quail population. Efforts to create habitat and planting food plots is not enough to offset the toll taken by predators. Until the price of raccoon pelts increases, there will not be enough hunters harvesting raccoons to control them. I realize I am not helping the problem by providing an easy meal rather than shooting raccoons, but I do enjoy feeding them and taking pictures. Zane also enjoys hunting dogs in an area that does not require miles of walking to make a tree. When the price of fur goes up again, we will be ready to cash in with a bunch of nice fat raccoons. Until then, they get to live in a kill free zone.

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