I went out to get the mail and saw a coon on the dirt road. It was headed north and crossed the fence at the tree row on the north end of the pasture. I grabbed the 22 and headed to the east end of the trees. I could not see far north because of the shape of the hill so I walked out about ten yards and stood facing west. The coon came out just south of me and when it got to my track it stopped and stuck its nose in a track. It spun and ran back west into the brush and trees. I headed back to the south side of the rows and it went back across the road and ran across the open ground into the brush. It ran over 100 yards from where it smelled the track. It acted more like a coyote of fox than it did a coon. I never thought of a coon being scent shy to that extreme. I would have been shooting toward the house if I shot, so I was waiting for it to get further east. The chickens were out and I didn't really care for a coon running around. It was about 02:00 PM, but skunks and coon often move in the daylight looking for something to eat in the spring.

We used to float the river calling and hunting coons, a lot. I have seen several along the bank raise their nose and head for the hills, right after I'd feel that tell tell breeze on the back of my neck. Was pretty surprising the first few times. But there is no question they can smell you, I think sometimes they just don't care.

Quite some years ago I was bow hunting in a tree. Watched a coon with 3 smaller ones coming threw the woods. As soon as it cut my track it spun on it's heals and hightailed it. Yes they can smell a fresh track