State

THE STATE Page Nine ’Possum and ’Coon Hunting TWO sports in which n large number of North Car¬ olinians get a big thrill every fall. White and col¬ ored people alike go in for it on a large scale. «•/ IDA RRIGGS HENDERSON The ’possum isn’t a very attractive looking creature, but he makes a most edible dish. Til KICK are two sports iu nhieh thousand* of North Carolinians - -black ami white; old ami young — indulge every year. 'i'owum hunting and ’coon hunting. And there are many North Carolin¬ ians who stoutly claim that there i* no other dish on the face of this earth »o appetizing as baked- brouti ’possum, flanked by sweet potatoes. The Voon alo has it* adherent*. *o far a* edibil¬ ity is concerned. * Carolina hunters look forward to the sport of ’powum and ’coon hunting every year. It i* in the early fall when the ’po**um ha* become fat from raid* on the corn and ’taler* of the farmer» and from eating van quantities of ripe persimmon* that the minds of so many men and boys turn to the sport of hunting. There is something in the air of autumn that stirs the blood of your dyed-in-the-wool ’possum hunter. Pack of ’Possum Dogs The colored man will stint himielf to be able to feed a pack of long eared, flea-bitten ’poasum dogs through the lean summer month*. Thar dog* have been bred for several generation» pur¬ posely to hunt the ’poasum, and any desire such a dog muv show to go after a rabbit, squirrel, or ’coon i* promptly discouraged by hi* master. Along through the late summer colored hun¬ ters gather ami -tack up fat light wood for making torches to u«- during the bunt, a* the ’possum i* distinctly of nocturnal habit* and i» never hunted bv day. Of late years the white hunter may use lantern*, or mayhap flash¬ light*. but for the Negro give him a pine torch, a couple of lean ’роадши dog*, a sack in which to carry home hi* catch and he hike* to the dark wood* in a mood as near to earthly happiness as anyone ran get. When tile while men go 'poasum hunting they invariably take along a few Negroes with their well trained dog*- Out they go under a «tarry sky with a touch of front on the gra** and leave*, the air crisp and invigorating as wine; all of which contrives to imbue the hunters with the spirit of tits- hunt ami cause their blood to race with the first yelp of the dog*. The far-distant howls increase to sudden liveliness when the animals sight their prey, and this evolve* into a musical haying at the foot of the tree up whieh the 'pos¬ sum i* treed. The men hasten up to the dogs; and there — high up in the eroteli of a liiut they spy a dim gray shape. The Negroes flash high the light from their torches to "shine" the eyes of the little animal. If the tr«-o is slender the men try to -hake Mr. 'Poasum from hi* limb; if mil, *ome member of the party climb* up as high as possible ami, either shakes the animal from hi* pre¬ carious porch or trie, to knock him down with a stick. Hut sometime* it is neee»-ary to cut the tree down, axes always being carried for thi* purpo-r on the hunt*. While the men arc try¬ ing to dislodge the creature the dog* become frantic with excitement, and when the furry gray ball reaches the ground they pounce upon it. The animal *eldom fight- back, preferring to "play dead” by curling up and refus¬ ing to move. He »o simulates death that the dog* cea*e to bother with him. losing interest in gain.- that i- killed. This ability to pretend has given rise to the age-old expression ,,f “playing ’possum.” The Smart Raccoon Almost a* desirable and equally well known u the raccoon, or "coon’’ as he i* more familiarly railed. He i* ac¬ credited with an unusual degree of smart lies* in all animal *torie» told to children who have learned to admire Hre’r ’Coon as much, perhaps, as they do Hre’r Rabbit. Treeing a 'coon at uight with trained Voon dog* and torches ha- long been a Southern aport, and in Carolina " ’eooning" i* one of the favorite .port* of farmer-folk ami Negroes, hike the opossum the raceoon is a nocturnal animal, ranging and eating at night, sleeping curled up in *ome hollow tree or stump while the daylight lasts. Ne¬ gron claim that they run train a 'coon dog, a» they do (heir ’possum dog*, to that they will hunt nothing else Ын ’coon*. The hunters equip themselves with torches, axes and bag* to hold the catch. They usually carry a gun as the ’coon* climb *o high that it is often necessary to shoot them out of и tree- lop. However, with the animal's ris¬ ing value as a fur hearer, trapping is now resorted to more than hunting with dog* and gun»— because when -hot. the skin is torn and if the animal is (C'mliuof on page tirlrrn)