The Orbital and other Coon Tales

[Zuma]

It is under. or actually within the orbital of the night sky that most all coon hunts occur.
Is it really important? Well I think so. Not just for direction but for pure enjoyment.
My dad was a naval navigator plotting position and course via the stars at night.
Some of that knowledge he shared with me came in handy wether coon hunting or
running my trap line late at night. Or being lost in the Mojave Desert. (a buddy) lol.
Of course there are other ways of determining the direction you must go to get  to
where you want to be. Aircraft, yappy house dogs, creeks and ridges help in known
areas but not so much in new territory. Forget about the moss on a tree.
Well here's hoping you all got a coon tale to share. I have a few.
Zuma

[Zuma]

So one day my brother says -- I know a great place to run the dogs. It's remote but
it should be ok. No road should be further than five miles.
Well, we dropped the tailgate at the pull off by the creek. Bullet, Hush and two pups
in training hit the woods in a downstream direction. Bada boom bada Bang the hunt was on
Jeff and I had not even finished slinging our gun and lights. It was star lit and not to tangled
after we left the creek at a right angle to the left. All tolled it was about maybe 300 yds to the tree.
A huge Hemlock not uncommon in those days in eastern PA.. Standing way back from the tree
making every coon call we could make we got a glint of gold. An eye. We decided not to leash
the dogs to save some time. The night was young. Whoever was carrying the .22 got the shot.
The rifle cracked and like a ping pong ball it came flopping down through the branches.
The hounds caught the creature in mid air. Well the mix was on, Two veteran dogs and two pups.
It was like a fifties cartoon where the bull dog gets the cat, a big ball of dust and body parts.
This was different, something unusual. The dogs had never behaved like this before.
We both grabbed collars trying to save a $30 skin. To late. The creature was ripped to shreds
and the dogs were scratching at their faces and ears. .An extra large sized Porcupine we named Spike.
To be continued--
Zuma

[Zuma]

It really was mayhem. At least until we had the dogs tied to saplings and could assess the situation.
As we cleared quills from dogs we left them unleashed while we went after more with our saving grace multipurpose pliers. We hadn't completed surgery on the last pup before Hush boomed on a feeder trail.
What the heck, those mutts still have broken quills in them. Yep some had broken off before fully extracted.
At this point I said let's get our bearings before we leave the tree. Jeff agreed. So we gathered up all the equipment, shut off our lights and listened and looked quietly.We had to move a little into the hardwoods to see the sky. It was dead silent and we both let out the proverbial groan, as we saw the sky was totally overcast. Jeff said "we came in this way" pointing in a direction I disagreed with by 180 degrees " Are you sure" " Heck yes, I am sure, but it only matters if we head back and wait for the dogs till morning at the truck and that would be kinda cruel seeing how their hot at getting us a coon quills and all. Don't worry it can't be more than five miles to a road, Ah geeze was all I could say .
To be continued-----
Zuma

[bjrogg]

I'm staying tuned Zuma. I'll  fill in here with a story of mine.
My son always trapped coons in one of the nieghbors barns with a live trap. He always had me dispatch them and skin them. I normally shot them with my 22 but they always ended up making themselves and everything else a bloody mess. One day I decided to try something different. I took a 220 conibear trap and two stakes. I set the trap and stood it up in place with the two stakes between the jaws. I opened the live trap door and slid it in front of the set conibear. My son and I watched as the coon walked out the trap and into the other. It worked great and quickly dispatched the coon with no mess at all. The next time he caught one the nieghbor was there. I set everything up again but the ground was to frozen to pound my stake in as far as I'd like. They stuck up about four inches above the conibear trap. My son told the nieghbor "watch this". My son had my 22 if anything went wrong. I opened the live trap door and slid it in front of the 220. The stakes were sticking up to high and the door from the live trap wouldn't slid over top of them leaving a small gap between the traps. The coon started to leave the trap headed right for the 220. At the last possible second it took a 90 degree turn and went out the small gap between the traps. My son stood there in disbelief as the coon ran away not even trying to take a shot at it. My nieghbor who is a real comedian and myself where laughing uncontrollably. "Watch this" he kept saying over and over as we ran after the coon. It ran around the outside of the barn and right back into the bale pile it was originally caught in. I thought it was one of the funniest things I ever saw. My son didn't see the humor in it for awhile as he was really razzed by the nieghbor every time he saw him for a couple years. I told the nieghbor jokingly we were practicing catch and release. I can still see that coon making that quick 90 degree turn.
Bjrogg

[Zuma]

Bj that's why I try not to photograph my arrowhead reduction or knap
to close to others. Murphy's  Law and one lucky coon. In this case like others,
if you are with ones you care about no matter what it's still a good memory.
Thanks for sharing the story and the chuckle. I have to get typing. I've been fleshin
all day. Well maybe 2.5 hrs seems like all day
Zuma.

[Zuma]

Continued
The music was sweet and like rats to the flute off we went in a direction only the coon knew. When you are hustling to get up with the hounds it is difficult to hear and recognize the nuances of their barks and howls.
Our non stop hustle had brought us close enough to know the dogs were stationary but not treeing.
We stopped to listen. Approaching a bayed bear or bobcat should be done with caution because it might distract a pooch enough to get swiped. Also rushing in can scare the animal at bay to flee. And what about another Spike Yikes.
In any case we approached with awe into a clearing, a perfectly round clearing and the dogs were dead center. The strange part was all four heads were under ground. That never happens in a typical den hole.
What was this?  The barking in that big hole was super intense. It had an echo and a reverb like we never heard, or ever did again. With mutterings like " what the-- and Holy ---" we headed to the hounds.
All four-- vets and pups were wired with their heads in this hole filled with water about a foot below the surface of the meadow.  It was so bad I couldn't even squeeze in to take a look. The frenzie was so bad.
we leashed all four hounds so I could take a look. Jeff was much tougher than I, and  he thought he could master all four crazed pooches. Now my job was to poke my noggin in the hole to see what was up,
or actually down. On all fours I crawled to the edge of the three foot wide hole, while Jeff strained against
sixteen legs of fury with two hands and only one body. What I saw was a peace full calm pool of reflective water. It was like a mirror I was thinking of the evil Queen from Snow White and scanning all the edges or ledges where something could be lurking. I hope ya all got a seat.
We didn't say "Clear" like they do today but they are the words or meaning I wanted to tell brother Jeff.
My hands and arms were going to push me up, so I was pretty well braced  when----
All hell broke loose. Right out of the center of the mirror comes the most frightening  thing I have ever
had  so close to my pretty pumpkin, It was a wide eyed, wide mouthed, canine toothed , devil coon.
At this exact moment sixteen paws and four leashes came swirling over and around me.
The coon from hell that I thought would chew my lips off was actually just trying to breath.
To be continued---

[Hawkdancer]

Oh, my!, the suspense is intense!!  I better get something to sooth my nerves !
Hawkdancer

[bjrogg]

This story is as good as the Charlie and Lew stories in FFG. Stay tune everybody gotta see how this one ends.
Bjrogg

[Outbackbob48]

Don , you are bringing back a lot of youthful memories for sure. Bob

[BowEd]

Sounds like some good action with the detailing and a fun night Zuma.....Sounds like a good scenario for your pups there too.
Once my Dina gype treed an old sow with kits early spring.I could hear the kits chattering in the den from the ground in between Dinas' barks knowing the sow just entered the den.Climbed the tree to see the kits and sow in the den.Not a good idea being 15' above ground.The tree was hollow above the den too or the whole tree was hollow so to speak.When I peeked my light into the hole the sow jumped into my face with a quick snarl and just about knocked me out of the tree.
Most times old sows like that will run and try to lead the dog away from the kits and go up a different tree quite a ways away,but Dina was a deluxe accurate lay up dog and caught this old girl by surprise.Same dog I accidently knocked out by letting a big old coon land on her at the tree from out of the tree 30' above her shooting the coon in the head.Thought I had broke her back.Luckily after a few minutes she was up and atom barking again just knocked out is all.....lol.Same dog I accidently shot in the top of the muzzle once with a CB shot to kill a big coon in a cave through all the hectic action.See in confined spaces like that a more powerful loud retorting shell will damn near break your ear drums....lol.Still got the coon.She never quit barking either and woooled that old coon like she owned him.Took her to the vet and you could see the lead bullet stuck in her jaw bone.He said let it stay in there.Sent me out with some antibiotics and she was ready to go the next night.....lol.Same dog that won the Iowa State hunt in the registered division out of 100 registered dogs hunted one saturday night in that division by treeing the winning scored coon in an outhouse of all things in the woods....lol..Other dogs from my kennel have embedded memories that'll never leave me.Some more/some less than her.
I've had to wait out dogs or dog since I liked hunting dogs by themselves too many times fighting in caves before that I can't get into.Makes for a long night waiting them out.They won't come out till the kill the coon.I did a lot of river hunting and coons like those old abandoned beaver dens.I will kill those coon that like to go to a hole though as soon as possible because they are trouble in the end.Training dogs we tree the same coon many times over.
I've had to hire a back hoe couple of occasions to get my dogs back.Luckily they were always OK.Dug them out by hand a couple of times too with a spade the next day.Thank God for tacking collars!!!!
Many,many stories stay with a person over the years.Some funny/some dangerous/but always memorable/rewarding with most very exciting.To me one of the most exciting sports out there.It's all about the dog!!!
Now bow hunting with self bows I have to do all the work myself including making the bow and arrows....lol.Not quite as exciting most times until the deer gets super close but still very rewarding and not near as strenuous for this old man.

[Zuma]

Oh, my!, the suspense is intense!!  I better get something to sooth my nerves !
Hawkdancer

Thanks dancer, Coon broth works real good  
Zuma

[Zuma]

Don , you are bringing back a lot of youthful memories for sure. Bob

Perhaps after you get those deer hides straight you might have time to spin us a few.
Zuma

[Zuma]

Ed, thanks for enriching the Campfire coon tales. For sure you have more experience than I
and hearing other tales can spark ones memory. Keep them comming. I have at least one
cave and dig tale to relate.
Zuma

[Zuma]

Well, the coon was tattered and torn and pretty much Jeff and I also. No real physical injury but our brains needed some understanding. After we leashed the hounds we discussed our next plan thinking we were  finally back in control. We figured bringing the two pups was not that good of an idea but getting live fur into the mouth of a dog in training was. Maybe it wasn't to many dogs, just not enough hunters.When I say pups I mean more green and inexperienced like husky teenagers. We were lost and we new it. The sky was still dark and starless. Along with this disappointment was the cold rain that had begun to fall, right into our eyes. The question" to hunt or not to hunt" was  then, pretty much settled. This stuff could turn to ice at any moment.    We settled on heading south. You may ask how a lost one could reason that, on a dark rainy night with no compass etc. Well the moss on the north side of  the tree of course.  Every Boy Scout was taught this. Off we went assured that we would not travel more than five miles to a road. Trying to keep the mutts, I use the derogatory, because it may relate the frustration of the entanglements encountered.
When two dogs want to hunt and sniff all directions while you hope to maintain a straight course, it tends to rile you up a bit, not to mention keeping in touch with your companion who is suffering the same fate.
 Leashes short as possible we trudged on thinking how nice a change of clothes and a nice warm truck will be. When at last we noticed a lighter patch of sky on the horizon (if you will) in the deep woods.Hey Jeff, there is a road. Yeah, I see. No sign of poles, wires or traffic as we immersed from the canopy of oaks.
No pavement. Perhaps a lawn. No houses just trees in a circle with a three foot diameter spring hole in the center. Ah, crap!
To be continued----

[BowEd]

Ed, thanks for enriching the Campfire coon tales. For sure you have more experience than I
and hearing other tales can spark ones memory. Keep them comming. I have at least one
cave and dig tale to relate.
Zuma

Everything about coonhunting is subjective to one's degree of experience.One no more so than the other more important to themselves.Getting lost is a part of it.We'll see how you get out of this one.
In my experience with friends while being lost the old too many cooks spoil the broth or not enough indians and too many chiefs usually keep people lost.