Early Morning Mix-Up: “Gunshots” in Cotuit Woods Spark Police Swarm — But It Was Just Coon Hunters on the Prowl!
ABOVE HN PHOTO: In the pre-dawn hours of a refreshing, yet somewhat brisk Cape Cod morning, what started as a tense suspicious activity investigation on Abbey Gate Road in Cotuit quickly turned into something seemingly even more serious. Around 2:30 a.m., Barnstable Police rushed to the scene after a homeowner reported shadowy figures trespassing on his private property. A patrol officer spotted a Mashpee-registered pickup truck and moments later heard two distinct gunshots echoing through the night, prompting a full-scale response from additional Barnstable officers, Mashpee PD and Massachusetts State Troopers.
Within 5 minutes (the Cotuit call happened to be a long way away for responding officers), backup began arriving in force, bracing for the gravest extreme. But instead of a crime in progress, officers encountered a pair of hunters toting a freshly bagged raccoon, accompanied by a loyal coonhound — a second coonhound was either lost or else still out “working” in the woods. The men insisted they hadn’t fired any shots and were legally pursuing their quarry on nearby conservation lands, though it is believed they had possibly strayed onto private turf. After a brief chat, they were sent on their way, hound and dead raccoon in tow.
As their truck rumbled off into the darkness, one hunter hollered to Hyannis News: “Put us on video… we’re out here hunting coons!” HN is no stranger to the most horrifying emergencies and this particular false alarm, along with the happy coon hunters, brought a welcome chuckle — proving once again, things in the wee hours may not always be what they seem.
HN Note: The patrolman who heard the gunshots is a seasoned police officer — he knows gunshots when he hears them — and I’m very confident he heard what were described as two .22 rounds being fired. But who actually fired the rounds remains a mystery. Was it other hunters out there this morning? The men with the dead raccoon reportedly were not in possession of a firearm.
OTHER RECENT HN PHOTOS:
ABOVE: A 62-year-old Hyannis man suddenly did the Curly Shuffle and bolted from Barnstable Police patrol officers who simply wanted a word with him last week. It wasn’t hard for the strapping young officers to catch up and apprehend the fleeing senior. He was handcuffed and placed in the backseat of a BPD prowler while other officers investigated the situation. It remains unclear why the man abruptly fled, but he was eventually released without facing any criminal charges.
When he spotted Hyannis News (HN) on scene with a camera, he threatened to smash my car window — before quickly adding that he was just kidding. HN knows the energetic senior and took no offense. A woman accompanying him asked if I planned to feature them on Hyannis News, to which I replied, “For what? It’s not like you’re being charged with something serious — or that you just robbed a bank.” I still don’t know why the man ran, and honestly, I don’t care to find out. I’m just relieved he finally calmed down.
“Dude, save those Curly Shuffles for when you really need them, for chrissakes!”
ABOVE: And get this: Yarmouth patrol coppers quickly responded to a local coffee and donut shop in their town last week for some sort of altercation, where a man was allegedly threatening to toss acid on another man, according to initial radio transmissions. HN obviously had to respond as well, arriving on scene to find out that nobody — praise Gumby — had been given an acid bath. No arrests were made at the time, and the YPD is investigating the donut shop kerfuffle.
“For the love of Gumby and donut shops, please people, chill out!”
ABOVE: Nice tape job!
The occupants of this well-taped-up SUV were giving a Barnstable patrolwoman a little too much lip last week — totally uncalled for — when HN snapped the above photo. The patrolwoman patiently endured the B.S. and remained professional throughout… and the B.S.’ers were eventually sent on their merry way. But I mean it about the tape job: much respect. Anyone who can hold a full-size sports utility vehicle together with duct tape can’t be all bad… (And being from Hytown… and not a made member of the local, handsomely paid Gov’ment, I know all about it… Just please be more pleasant with our new, young officers… they’re not the enemy.)
ABOVE: A Barnstable Police patrolman calls in about a deceased deer…
It’s always gut-wrenching when an innocent young deer gets accidentally struck and killed by a vehicle, but it’s something that happens at least once — if not several times — a day here on Cape Cod. Around 40 years ago, when I was a very young police patrolman, I could handle most crash scenes and violent tragedies in stride, but incidents involving animals or children are the ones I’ve never been able to erase from my memory.
We make lighthearted remarks to cope with the sadness — joking about venison recipes or trying wild game delicacies like Rocky Mountain Oysters — but who are we kidding? Deep down, we love our innocent, furry neighbors and hate seeing them killed.
P.S. – Today’s Hytown Vignette is brought to you by the Jump’n The Saddle Band…
[CLICK IT/CRANK IT! HEADPHONES ABSOLUTELY OBLIGATORY!]
