▁hun ters , ▁as ▁hunting ▁de er ▁with ▁dogs ▁is ▁illegal ▁in ▁most ▁states . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁R acco ons ▁were ▁first ▁h unted ▁by ▁Native ▁Americans , ▁who ▁har v ested ▁the ▁common ▁animals ▁both ▁for ▁meat ▁and ▁fur . ▁British ▁and ▁European ▁sett lers ▁in ▁North ▁America ▁later ▁adopted ▁the ▁practice . ▁ ▁While ▁Native ▁hun ters ▁did ▁not ▁rely ▁on ▁dogs , ▁white ▁hun ters ▁util ized ▁them ▁from ▁Col onial ▁times ; ▁George ▁Washington ▁is ▁cred ited ▁with ▁ow ning ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁co on ▁hunting ▁dogs , ▁French ▁h ounds ▁given ▁to ▁him ▁by ▁the ▁Mar quis ▁de ▁La f ay ette . ▁Most ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁co on ▁dogs ▁were ▁actually ▁Fox h ounds ▁imported ▁from ▁Europe ▁or ▁mixed ▁bre eds ▁with ▁h ound ▁blood , ▁but ▁these ▁dogs ▁often ▁had ▁trouble ▁finding ▁racc o ons ▁when ▁the ▁latter ▁clim bed ▁trees , ▁and ▁bre ed ers ▁began ▁to ▁specifically ▁develop ▁dogs ▁for ▁their ▁tree ing ▁ability : ▁the ▁ability ▁to ▁follow ▁the ▁sc ent ▁to ▁the ▁base ▁of ▁a ▁tree ▁and ▁stay ▁there ▁until ▁the ▁h unter ▁came . ▁ ▁Co on h ounds ▁existed ▁as ▁a ▁distinct ▁type ▁by ▁the ▁mid - to - late ▁ 1 8 0 0 s . ▁By ▁ 1 8 8 5 ▁a ▁racc oon ▁p elt ▁sold ▁for ▁approximately ▁ 2 5 ▁c ents , ▁a ▁fair ▁price ▁for ▁the ▁time . ▁Up ▁to ▁World ▁War ▁I ▁racc o ons ▁were ▁very ▁common ▁despite ▁being ▁h