The marked increase of the Upper Mississippi Valley raccoon (Procyon lotor hirtus N. and G.) in Iowa during recent years 1s well-known. Sanderson (1951) and recent releases by the Iowa State Conservation Commission suggest a yearly average of about three or four times as many raccoons during the decade 1943-\u2752 as in the period 1933-\u2742. The general opinion of hunters and trappers was that such increases were apparent also in Story County, of central Iowa. From raccoon family track and other signs along streams Costa and Hendrickson estimated roughly two family groups of raccoons to the mile, or approximately 10 raccoons to the square mile traversed by the larger wooded streams in late summer, 1950. Cabalka through participation with three groups of hunters learned that in the autumn, 1951, on 30 square miles coursed by larger streams they took 79 raccoons averaging 17 pounds in weight, of which 41 were males and 38 females. The raccoons were taken at the rate of two an hour of group night hunting
