Facts About the Coon Club
The main purpose of the United Coon Hunters Association is to promote the conservation and protection of all wildlife. We provide training such as The Maryland Hunters Safety Course and provide ranges to teach, practice, and observe the proper way to handle firearms. We provide contests for both Still Target and Trap so as to help develop sportsmanlike qualities for the members and guests.
The club gives back to the community. Every year in November, the club has a seasonal party for the ARC of Carroll County. We also provide turkey and ham dinners for needy families in the area for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are also other various “Benefits” we hold throughout the year that support worthy causes.
Coon Club History
Building and Grounds
1920’s Coon Club organization was formed in 1923 – 1924 and the club was built in the late 1930’s. The original clubhouse was the main building of what you see today (approximately 30′ x 70′) it didn’t have any indoor plumbing but It did have a fireplace and there was an outhouse.
1950’s The crab house was built in the early 1950’s, and had a screened porch which was removed from the crab house and added to the clubhouse in 1953.
1960’s The porch was removed and replaced with an addition that is still in place today. The bathrooms and indoor plumbing were added along with the septic system and a well which replaced the gravity-fed spring house. The kitchen and the bar area were added.
1970’s Hurricane Agnes (1972), flooded the crab house with more than 3 ½ feet of water and ripped a huge hole in the front corner of the clubhouse. The whole inside of the clubhouse had to be replaced and in 5-6 months the members put the club back together again. The back room and the area where the pool table is now were added in the late 1970’s
2002 The clubhouse as it is today was completed when the kitchen/area was added.
Club Activities
1950’s The raccoon (“Coon Dog”) field trails started in the late 1950’s. To get your “coon” dog entered in the field trails, your dog would have find and follow the scent of a coon that someone would drag back to the clubhouse. Different heats would be held to eliminate dogs as the trails went on. These trails brought dogs from as far away as NY, NJ, WV, VA, OH, and PA. Later it was decided to have water races, so in (????) the pond that you see today was put in. Five boxes were set up with a dog inside each then someone would pull a raccoon, or ”coon” in a cage across the pond on a cable, the coon dogs would be released to follow the caged coon by swimming across the pond to where the caged coon was pulled to a post with a circle around it on the ground. The coon dogs were awarded, First in Circle, First on Pole, and First to Bark. Some coons were ordered from New York to be released on the Coon Club property as well as rabbits from Kansas to stock the property.
1950 Walter Richards and Chick Haines put the first trap in which consisted of a single bird trap.
1961 A mobile home was added where a caretaker resided to oversee the Club Coon property.
1966 Chick Haines started the heart of the Maryland Trap League around 1966, later a 2nd trap house was added
1968 The famous “Chicken Shoots” started and continued every year until 2006. The parking lot area was blacktopped sometime in the late 1960’s/70’s The first trap house was put in (the lower trap house)
1992 The pavilion was added
2002 The concrete slab in the pavilion was poured
