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Those of you that have been on my "Adventures
List" from the beginning
have heard about the bobcat population here on our
property...
This morning Tim spotted not one -- but *at least* TWO
mountain lions
near the house! We didn't know we *had* any!
Saturdays are our day of the week where we load the
babies into the car
and go have a "family outing". I had
just rushed through my shower to
find Erin watching cartoons and Preston fussing
(loudly) in the living
room wanting to be held... Tim was "missing".
I muttered under my breath, "Where IS that
man?" Just then, Tim came
through the front door and asked in an excited tone,
"So, what should we
do about a Mountain Lion?"
(No brainer)
"SHOOT IT!"
Apparently, he had already fumbled through the hunting
pamphlet,
he
replied, "They're out-of-season -- by just a FEW
DAYS!"
Being ever-so-helpful, I asked, "Do you want the
video camera?"
He was wide-eyed and the adrenaline had made it
impossible to think
straight.
"Where's
the gun?"
"Hey,
where's the clip?"
As the drama unfolded, Preston (he's almost 5 months
old), continued to
scream full volume in the background, demanding that
SOMEONE pick him up
RIGHT NOW. Erin (getting closer to 2 years
old every day), now joined
in with a chorus of, "Boots on?! Daddy
outside? Maggie Doggie? Boots
on!"
Tim wanted me to come run the camera and I hesitated at
the door...over
Preston's protest I heard, "Let him cry.
They'll be alright... come
on!"
Off we went -- Tim armed with the rifle and me with the
video camera
rolling. Tim shouted over his shoulder something
about how Maggie
Doggie had treed one and that she was in hot pursuit
off another when he
had last seen her. Now all was quiet. We
feared the worst had come to
our ol' farm dog. Maggie Doggie was no longer
barking and wasn't
responding to our repeated command of "Maggie
COME!"
We rounded the corner to find the mountain lion still
treed, but no
sign of Maggie. Camera rolling, I was able to get
some good footage to
share before opting to back off for our own safety.
Tim and I are still
not sure if this was a half grown cub or a small female
and didn't want
to risk coming between a Mother and her baby.
We discussed it further in hushed tones. Tim had noted
that the
livestock had been cowering at the fence line all
morning. While I had
been in the shower he had heard the goose going nuts
and then Maggie
Doggie, so he went outside to investigate...
That reminded me -- the kids! I raced back to the
house to check on the
them. Preston hushed instantly when I picked him
up and Erin had gone
back to watching cartoons.
Tim returned shortly with (a very winded) Maggie Doggie
jumping around
and panting at his side. She was safe-and-sound
and had successfully
protected the livestock -- and us.
I made a few phone calls to our neighbors and the
authorities to notify
them of the sighting. Then we were off to the zoo
for the day... to see
Mountain Lions of course!
Maggie Doggie |
