HomeMy WebLinkAboutmarch 20, 1980 - Raccoons_ They're Curious, Cute and CantankerousSECOND SECTION MARCH 20, 1980 Raccoons: They're Curious,
Cute and Cantankerous Years ago when I
was full of youth and vinegar and the world
was one to be conquered, I'd often
go on coon hunts with one of the hallmark
people in my life, Bill Jackowski. In those youthful
days a night hunt with him and
his hounds was something special. It was
usually one
of those nights when the cold would sneak
in every crevice of your clothing and you
were glad when you heard the hounds start
calling in the distance, for it was
then that you had to get going ". Through the
dark woods we'd follow, across lots, through
swamps -- along old roadways -- all
the while stumbling and a- cussing
as the branches and twigs snapped at
us from all sides. It was on those
night safaris that Mr. Raccoon showed me his
true side. As the great naturalist John Burroughs
once said of him, "he's
pure grit ". He'll run for hours -- using every trick
of diversion in the book. Often the
hounds would lose him for what seemed hours
as they circled and backtracked trying to pick
up the scent. Then, when they would
pick up the scent, there would again be
a crescendo of howls that would cut the
cold night air seemingly miles away. As population
has moved
in and much of our natural environment has
decreased, the raccoon has been
able to withstand its pressure. Take away his
lofty den in an old oak and he exchanges
it for an old culvert or even your unused
chimney. Take away his natural food supply
of just about anything that grows or
lives and he'll take over your garbage pail.
Adaptability is his specialty. Raccoons Not Hibernators
Raccoons
do not hibernate
in the true sense of the word,
but comes winter's bitter cold he finds
a cozy, dry spot and tam- -a AQng winter
nap. Should the temperature warm up, he'
s up -- and we find his evidence in
overturned garbage pails, ripped trash bags
and his character- istic footprint in the
soft, newly- thawed mud. He's a
curious and intelligent fellow and it takes a
genius to outsmart his determination when he sets
about a task of food gathering. What kind
of food doesn't matter. In the wild
he'll eat berries, fish, mussels, bird eggs, mushrooms --
anything that the world supplies.
It won't be
long now before the four to six young will be born.
The male, long since gone, will leave the
rearing of the kids to the mother exclusively, and
I might add there's no more
devoted mother as far as food- gathering and protection
go. Lo and behold the foolish person
who comes between a mother raccoon
and her young. Raccoons are like bears
when it comes to protecting their young. Young
Not To Be
Trusted Each year we hear
stories about folks who come out to
their summer cottage, only to find that
when they start up their fireplace it is clogged
because the rac- coons chose it for
a nursery. We've had our share of these orphan
raccoons. Our son could never turn his
back on an orphaned animal with the consequence
that there always seemed to be
a bird to be fed or an animal to be tended.
Of all of the wild creatures we've taken
care of, none can compare with the clever
raccoon. It's long -toed front feet
give it an almost uncanny handhold, and as
the raccoon develops these hands seem
to get into just about everything. Our patio
still displays the paw marks of
one of these rascals. He had to test the
paint in the can I was using and then deliberately walked
across our new patio floor. Curious,
playful, cute, robust, friendly -- all are
good adjectives for the young raccoon,
but there should be a warning put in
here strong and clear. Never completely trust them!
They can bite and as their
cuteness fades away and they grow older there'
s a chance of the other side of their
personality emerging. Therefore it's best
not to become involved in keeping them as
pets whenever pos- sible. Our experience with
them came when they were separated
from the mother and the young
were too little to forage for themselves. Win
Fight To Survive
Raccoons are found in
almost every state in the Union;
some grow to be as big as thirty pounds. They'
re a match for almost any dogs when
cornered and deadly when a dog
attacks one in the water. Many a hound
has found this out, as the heavy coon will
cling to its head till the dog drowns or gives
up. Sooner or later most
of us will in one way or another come in
contact with this common night prowler. Often
our head- lights will pick him
up lumbering across the road bear -like,
or hurriedly disappear- ing around the corner
of the garage after tipping the garbage pail
over and scatter- ing its contents about.
Yet others only see his big footprints in
the soft spring mud around their place or
along the water's edge after he's
made his nightly rounds. BABY RACCOONS -- Survivors of
a misplaced den in someone's fireplace. Cute and charming
when young but a distrusted collection of curiosity, aggression and grit
when older. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh He's a reminder
of coonskin hats of has been strong enough to survive even pioneer days, fur coats
of the 20's and though man has turned his world around. above all a touch
of the natural world that PAUL STOUTENBURGH cflzecial% G"i1QG`1C;
1G\
44QGJ SATURDAY -MARCH 29th FAMILY
FUN DAY IN
NEW YORK" Enjoy visiting anyl of
the many Museums, the Planetarium, Rockefeller F Zug Center, Empire
State Building, Twin Towers, United Nations, New York Experience, Burlington Mills Exhibit,
Statue of Liberty. SIGHTSEEING a LEISURELY DINING
a SHOPPING F1190 ift/iU 1101IRS
X TOE CITY • COME ON A80ARi0 FORA GREAT OAY BARNUM & BAILEY CIRCUS MADISON
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Town. Send now for tickets for the 10:30 A.M. or 3:00 P.M. performance. Mailing Address: Ringling Brothers
and Barnum & Bailey Mail Order Dept. Madison
Square Garden 4
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York, N.Y.
10001 This is the 1
10th edition of "THE GREA TEST SHOW ON EARTH ". New exciting acts never before seen in America. Don'
t miss this great opportunity. ALONE IN ITS GREATNESS"
CHILDREN -s2.00 5 -
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