Life span of raccoon

woodbeard · February 11, 2011, 04:28:38 PM

Hello everybody
I just got a nice e-mail from Tom who remarked that I had not been here in a coon's age, and upon reflection, I believe he may be right on the mark about that. Anyhow, it is nice to be remembered, and good to see this place and all its residents are doing well. I am not doing so bad myself; still living in Dismal, building geetars, and enjoying life as much as possible.

ely · February 11, 2011, 04:33:43 PM

i had a coon that lived to be 13 years old as a pet. i know you have not been away that long. ;D welcome back

ARKANSAWYER · February 11, 2011, 05:02:35 PM

I had a pet coon and he only lived to be about 2 years old. He liked to go out and walk around the dog pen which just had a 2x6 on top of the post to hold the top of the wire. The pen was only 6 ft tall as all I owned were beagles. One night after hunting coons I broung my friends blue tick and red bone hound home with me. That morning my coon went out and shinned up the corner post and started walking around the top of the pen to get the dogs stirred up. Well when that red bone hit the wire that coon fell into the pen. It was not a pretty sight but the coon gave an account for himself.
Glad everything is well in Dismal.

WH_Conley · February 11, 2011, 05:28:28 PM

Not very long for the ones I found in my sweet corn patch.

Banjo picker · February 11, 2011, 06:07:37 PM

My bulldog caught one in the fenced in back yard when I let him out to take care of his nightly business...and it lasted about 20 seconds...Banjo got bite once under the eye...Coon was a mess....I don't like him getting coons as a dog can get a diease called coon-dog paralisis from being bitten from one...My boss has a pair of fiest and one of them contacted the diease...It was paralized in its back legs for a while...its better now...Tim

Tom · February 11, 2011, 06:30:55 PM

I don't know what to think of someone who builds guitars with old license plates as pick guards. :D

I'll never forget the dead-end road we followed on the map, trying to get to your place. Then we found that we had turned the wrong way back at the still. Once we forded the big creek and found a place to park by the log foot-bridge, we were OK. I can see why they never have put electricity in there, the extension ~~chord~~ cord would be too long.

What are you sawing logs with these days?

What's paying the bills, guitars or furniture?

fishpharmer · February 11, 2011, 10:36:43 PM

Wow, those guitars are works of art. Makes me wish I could play, so I had a reason to buy one.

Good to see here woodbeard. Nice website.

CX3 · February 11, 2011, 10:37:44 PM

The life of a coon is not long here in MO especially when he's in a tree above a good redbone ;D

woodbeard · February 11, 2011, 11:11:03 PM

Well, they usually live a lot longer as pets.... usually :D
Never had one myself, but I did have a cat that lived to be 20 or so.
Likely would have kept going too, if she hadn't picked a fight with a raccoon.

Haven't sawed a log since I sold the Woodmizer a couple years ago. My shoulder is a lot better than it was then, but I can't do that sort of work anymore. Can't even split firewood, for that matter.
Always plenty of other things to do though.
My partner works full time now, so I play housewife and turn barns into guitars.
It's a pretty good life ;D
The guitars don't quite pay the bills yet, but I am working toward that.

Mr Mom · February 12, 2011, 08:10:36 AM

life span of a coon is short around my chicken coup.

Thanks Alot Mr Mom

flibob · February 12, 2011, 11:10:12 AM

Along these lines. What is the biggest coon any of you have seen. My daughter and I were having a discussion about size and I said probably 30 lb max.

CX3 · February 12, 2011, 08:06:57 PM

a captive coon can get upwards of 60 pounds. The biggest coon I ever treed and knocked out in the wild was in southern Iowa and she weighed 38 pounds. I have friends in wisconsin that kill a few 40+ pounders every year, wild coons. Here in southern mo a biggun is 18-20 pounds

Jeff · February 12, 2011, 08:48:12 PM

We've got some big ones up at the cabin cause we feen em lots of bear bait. :D

Here is a clip we took a couple years ago while bear hunting. No big ones in the video, but they aint shy about coming out during the day for a barrel full of donuts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1VEdiaapvc

Coon · February 12, 2011, 09:20:25 PM

I don't know about this situation but this ol' coon here has outlived his life expectancy by y'alls standards. Also, it kinda reminds me that I don't know if'n I wanna come around your neck of the woods cuz I'd either be shot or your ol' bluetick will lambaste me to death. ;D :D

woodbeard · February 13, 2011, 12:26:32 AM

Love that video, Jeff!

When my daughter was little, she had one of those toys with the plastic donuts that you stack on the cone, and one summer, the yellow one kept disappearing. Just the yellow one though, and we would find it down in the creek.
I can just picture the coons chattering on about our darn stale bagels. :D

Bandmill Bandit · February 13, 2011, 12:32:19 AM

Much as i love those little critters the best answer is way toooooooooo long

tyb525 · July 10, 2011, 03:18:22 PM

We have been overrun with coons the last few years. Just in the past week, we have shot on average 2 every night, and we always catch one in the live trap. Caught this gal last night, there's one more coon factory gone.

I skinned her, first time I've ever skinned anything so it was mostly just to say I did. Do any of y'all sell coon furs? Is it good eating?

Jeff · July 10, 2011, 03:44:46 PM

Coon fur from this time of year I believe is worthless. I know people that eat coon, but Not me.

tyb525 · July 10, 2011, 03:51:55 PM

It would be nice to have a good way to get rid of them, throwing them back in the woods is starting to smell the place up.

Troublermaker · July 10, 2011, 05:57:50 PM

I had a coon when I was a kid that live till he was about 9 or so. He would stay lose doing he day and at night he go back in his cage. One night I couldn't find him. He was gone a couple of days. After that he would stay a couple of days to fatten up and take off for a few day. Then he was gone for 3 months till I found him in the chicken house with a 220 conibear trap around his neck. Something had been coming thru a hole in the wire eating eggs. The reason I knew it was him cause Daddy and I had cut him when he was small.

easymoney · July 10, 2011, 09:19:32 PM

i have a neighbor that catches them in a live trap. last summer he showed me 2 half grown ones he caught at once. they must have walked in the trap together. he does not kill them he takes them to a creek a few miles away and lets them go. they can be pretty mad about being in that trap.

Tom · July 10, 2011, 09:44:38 PM

Raccoons are eaten here. I've not knowingly eaten them, but might have.

Mr. Shippey would trap coons and give them to a black man in Dinsmoore (a community down the road about 5 miles) who kept them in pens and fed them for when "the family" came by. They would have a "Dinner on the Grounds." His coons were also sold for about $35 apiece to others who wanted them for supper.

Those who eat coon here compare it with many of the high-priced meats at the grocery. It is usually cut up into 1" hunks, battered and fried, or cooked into a meat and vegetable stew. The meat is dark.

WDH · July 10, 2011, 09:51:49 PM

Quote from: Jeff on July 10, 2011, 03:44:46 PM
I know people that eat coon, but Not me.

I had it once roasted in a big roasting pan with potatoes. I don't make it a habit

.

Banjo picker · July 10, 2011, 10:03:16 PM

Bar b que... ;) Tim

pigman · July 10, 2011, 10:03:30 PM

Last week I looked out the front door at the pear tree about 50 ft away and saw mother coon and five little coons under the tree. The coons heard me and the five little ones ran up the tree and mother coon took off for the barn. I tried to get a picture, but it was to close to dark for a picture.