I'm surprised raccoons are protected and have a season. Here in Utah they're a nuisance.

When I was a kid we had rabbits, ducks and geese on my parents property. The raccoons use to come in late at night to try and get them. You'd be laying in bed and the coons would chatter in the back yard. From there it was a mad dash by my brothers and I to get outside to release the dogs. We had a lot of fun chasing them. The dogs loved it.

We mainly had bird dogs, but did own a little fat beagle. That dog was slow but persistent. It was fun to hear him bay. He had a great nose. He made for a pretty good pheasant dog as well. If you were patient enough to stay behind him while he waddled in trail of the bird, baying all the while, he would usually catch up to the running rooster and reward you with a flush. It was a race though once the bird was on the ground. That fat pooch gave it all he had to beat you to the bird so he could eat it.