unted ▁often , ▁and ▁were ▁sometimes ▁poison ed ▁to ▁keep ▁them ▁from ▁destroy ing ▁cro ps . ▁ ▁R acco on ▁fur ▁car ▁co ats ▁were ▁a ▁fashion ▁tr end ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 0 s , ▁leading ▁to ▁high ▁p elt ▁prices ▁and ▁an ▁increase ▁in ▁hunting ▁and ▁tra pping . ▁During ▁the ▁Great ▁De pression ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s , ▁when ▁many ▁rural ▁families ▁lived ▁in ▁pover ty , ▁racc o ons ▁were ▁h unted ▁extens ively ▁and ▁became ▁relatively ▁rare . ▁Hun ters ▁sold ▁the ▁pel ts ▁for ▁needed ▁money , ▁and ▁the ▁meat ▁provided ▁protein . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 0 s ▁and ▁' 5 0 s ▁conservation ▁efforts ▁were ▁undert aken , ▁including ▁teaching ▁hun ters ▁not ▁to ▁cut ▁down ▁den ▁trees ▁that ▁racc o ons ▁used ▁for ▁raising ▁off spring . ▁The ▁racc oon ▁population ▁subsequently ▁expanded , ▁to ▁the ▁point ▁that ▁they ▁became ▁recognized ▁as ▁a ▁least - con c ern ▁species . ▁▁ ▁During ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s , ▁st aged ▁n ite ▁hun ts ▁ ▁were ▁created ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁had ▁become ▁popular ▁with ▁some ▁hun ts ▁involving ▁over ▁one ▁thousand ▁dogs . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁the ▁price ▁of ▁racc oon ▁pel ts ▁rose ▁again ▁to ▁a ▁high ▁of ▁ 2 5 ▁to ▁ 3 0 ▁dollars ▁each , ▁and ▁some ▁people ▁made ▁their ▁entire ▁income ▁from ▁co on ▁hunting