HARDCORE

The Old Ones
Musings On Coons, Possums,
And Other Destructive Critters
Long ago trappers kept many destructive critters in check, but with
far fewer trappers these days it's an animal house out there.
M
c*l of U» tend to
think of predation
in a context tlut
involves ajgcn^hv attacks
such as a bobcat pouncing
on a turkey, a cougar
amlxisliing a white-tail
fawn, or a coyote catching
most an>thing H can. Yet
there's another side to tlxpktua-.
one tlut involves
destmaive animals tlut
may not figure into tlx- prect.it
ion equation when it is
viewed in connection with
words such as -kill" or
"attack." Yet these critters,
and there are a lunch of
them, can range fnxn
Ixjtheisome nuisances to
ouinght menaces.
In a column a few Issues
luck I lked at tlx- prolv
knvs posed by otters. Ixit
these sleek furtx-arers constitute
Ixit one of many exampies
of aninuLs tlut can and
shcxikl lx- seen as ixoMcnutk
jwedators. let's lake a
quick kx>k at fixir others;
from a perspective that combines
tlx- general IIXHX- of
this column, and peeks into
the past. with an element of
IXTMxial experience. These
a a- coons, poissunvs. skunks,
and porcupines.
in yesteryear, at least in
tlx- Southern Ix-anlaixl llul
was my boyhood home,
folks huntcxl aixl trapixxl
possums aixl exxxts with
2« Predator Xtreme | June 3010 www peexLnorxtanx-.cxxn
lim Casada
eonskkralik- enthusiasni.
Nighilinx- hunts for tlxin
provided wonderful Ixxind
musk aixl a dunce for oldtiriXTs
to brag alxxit great
doge from their pu»t or boast
of tlx- exploits of ones tlx-y
currently owned. Coon hunts
wx-tv something of a rite of
passage for youngsters enamored
of tlx- overall sporting
experience. Mind you. I've
done alxxit as much missionary
work in cxxxi wood*
darker than a hundred midnights
as these okl bones
care to experience. Ixit by
tlx- Same token I cherish my
memories of great ekigs. the
tinx- wlx-n wx- found five
cx x HIS treed in a single sweet
PrxvStafT— Jim OLVida:
Jim Otsada is