ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Coon hunting is a sport that brings people from all over Orangeburg County every year for its annual Grand American. Ray Conrad has been a vendor there for over 30 years and has seen the sport evolve.
“I coon hunt. My dad coon hunted. My granddad before him coon hunted. Almost every friend that I have is a coon hunter of some type," said Conrad.
He says part of this evolution has been seen in the way people coon hunt.
“The guys started out hunting with carbide lights, kind of like you light it. You put stuff in it, you light, and it’s just a flame with a mirror behind it that projected. Then they went to a light called a weak light that was used in the coal mines a lot," he said.
Conrad owns Bright Eyes Lights where he sells lighted hats for hunters to use when trying to keep their dogs in sight when seeking out raccoons at night. Over the years, he's seen the lights become more lightweight and advanced such as LEDs.
He says new equipment makes it easier to keep track of your dogs while you're hunting.
“Now we all use Garmens which are GPS tracking devices so we know within just a few feet of where their dog is all the time so people never lose their dogs anymore.”
As for the future of the sport, he's optimistic.
“I don’t see it anytime in the near future going away. I would think it would continue to flourish.”