Coon Hunter Turned Coon Saviour!

Raccoon Hunter Saves Raccoons!

<[>Raccoons can be pretty pesky,and destructive. Sandra Poytress shares pictures of the baby raccoon her family adopted, and relates how her father, an enthusiastic ‘Coon Hunter’ turned ‘Coon Saviour’. Enjoy today’s Sandra Saver!

Featured Writer: Sandra Poytress

Outdoor Family Adventures

My father has hunted and fished all his life. We, as a family, always took part in the fishing end of things. We loved catching, and competing for the biggest pike or pickerel. Naturally, it was always the best tasting fish if I was the one who caught it! We were taught how to clean what we caught and our biggest fascination was checking out was 'in the guts'!

Hunting Varmints

As for the hunting end of things, I'll pass. While I don't pass judgment on this sport, and enjoy the living outdoors part, I've never cared much for the shooting/killing, and skinning of deer/moose/rabbits etc. Removing nuisance and destructive animals - well that is another thing. Since my dog has been sprayed umpteen times by skunks, I've often tried to figure out the purpose of skunks in the food chain, and really wouldn't hesitate to annihilate one. For my dad, it was black squirrels and raccoons. I received many an interesting email written in the wee hours about him and his Coon Dog Kyra, treeing a coon and 'taking care of business'.

Strange Swamp Screams Reveal Tree Baby

One year, I was in the back, cutting and splitting wood with Dad for the upcoming winter, and we could both hear this awful screaming cry from the woods. It went on for some time, and finally I convinced 'Coon Hunter' to come investigate with me. Both our dogs spent a good time being fascinated with this one tree, so it didn't take us long to find the source of the pitiful wailing. We tippy-toed through the swamp with an extendable mirror, and peered down into a hole about two feet above us. Inside, there was a baby coon!! Eyes still closed - that's how young it was!! We figured Momma Coon wasn't able to come back for this on her travels, for whatever reason. 

Sandra Saver Instigates Rescue

Me, being the bleeding heart sap, convinced Dad to go get the ladder and get the poor thing out of the tree. Armed with BBQ tongs and a ladder we set out for the big rescue. And thus, 'Jake the Coon' came into our lives and the Coon Hunter’s heart melted a wee bit. He even admitted he'd be finding it difficult to shoot a coon again.

Bottle Feeding ‘Jake the Coon’

Bottle feeding a Raccoon? Mother came home from her shopping excursion of the day only to find out that she'd be making baby formula for a coon. (Sidebar - I had two babies that she spent many months doing formula for so she wasn't too happy about this!) Jake flourished over the next couple of weeks or so and Dad, with Mom's help, was able to keep him on the right path to growing healthy.

’Jake the Coon’ Returns Home

When my mother wanted a used play pen for my second son, she met the woman who was selling it, and discovered the woman raises orphaned coons reintegrating them back into the wild!! How is that for kismet! So the play pen and Baby Jake Coon were traded.
It turns out, Jake was in fact a girl, and the ‘Coon Hunter’ now traps and releases coons.

About Sandra Poytess

Sandra Poytress is a self-professed tree hugger, and mother of two absolutely wonderful crazy boys. Sandra, an army brat who has lived many places, is blessed with the close proximity of her parents and sister living in the Omemee area. When not rescuing spiders,or writing for Omemee Pigeon eFlyer, Sandra rescues businesses and individuals. Sandra, draws on her extensive skills, offering individuals, and businesses around the world  In A Pinch services. Sandra has worked with everyone from the president of a university, to police services, two lawyers who became judges, and social services. Watch for Sandra's next article. You can follow Sandra on Twitter at: @sandrapoytress