Late yesterday afternoon, I was in the house and something made me glance across the field to the curve of the driveway. Before this curve, the driveway is hidden in the woods and then right after the curve is obscured again by trees until it opens up into our back yard.
What did I see but a great, big timber wolf trotting along the drive. He had legs that looked to be about three feet long, his coat was gray and white. After you see a few wolves, you know there's no way you can confuse one with a dog.
Hmmm, what to do? There is Mama Mallard on the pond with her 10 babies, Mr. and Mrs. Goose with their 7 goslings, and all the rest of the poultry roaming about in their pasture. Everybody was fenced in (including the pond where the wild ducks are), but still . . .
Of course, hubby wasn't home or expected until late last night. I dashed upstairs to see if I could spot the wolf. Nope. I grabbed my camera and ran out into the garden area enclosed in a 7 foot high deer fence. Still couldn't see him. Okay, out into the (unfenced) back yard to (cautiously) see if he was coming calling to the back door. Nary a sign of him.
None of the critters were at all upset. (Zoey the Wonder Dog was in the house with me at the time of the sighting, and I left her there while I did my investigating.) Mama Mallard and ducklings were swimming peacefully in the pond and all was serene in the poultry yard. I don't think they had seen canis lupus ambling up the driveway.
I finally decided the wolf must have taken a hard left hand turn into the thick woods right after the curve of the driveway.
Very glad I didn't have a wolf/poultry fracas to deal with but I sure would have liked to have gotten a picture of the big guy. The thing is I'm sure they are out there all the time, but we seldom see them.
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7 comments:
I love wolves! That being said, I am so glad your poultry and Zoey are safe and sound! I think wolves and moose are what I will worry most about when out hiking with my dogs, it seems it would attract attention from them! Are wolves very crafty with fences or do they seem to do the trick?
Ahh! Wolves are beautiful & so regal! We have nasty had coyote around here for years but they are realy getting bad with the new construction around us. They got all our ducks (fenced enclosure) 3 yrs running. We've taken to keeping a shot gun above the kitchen door. Not sure how well that will go over now that we're in the city limits.
Hi, Erin - I suppose a really hungry wolf might make a good attempt at going over or through a fence but normally a fence will do the trick.
The farm where we get our milk loses a calf almost every year to wolves. Last year they lost a cow and a calf. But their fencing is just strands of barbed wire so it would be fairly easy for a wolf to get through that.
Supposedly THE MOST DANGEROUS animal in the woods around here is a moose.
Hi, Katie - Oh, that is so distressing when you keep losing livestock year after year to predators! I understand how it comes to feeling like pelting them with buckshot when they come around!
I'm pretty sure a lone wolf would never bother you or your dogs while hiking, but a pack of them might be a different story.
There's never been a documented attack of a human by wolves around here but they will definitely go after a dog tied outside when they're hungry.
Ai-yi-yi! I dont'think I would have been running for my binoculars, but then, again, I do find wolves and coyotes to be a natural part of the place I live. I would just rather they dine on rabbits, chipmunks, etc. and not on my fat poultry! You sounded exceedingly calm....
Hi, Susan - I know what you mean. I admire the wolves and appreciate them in their natural habitat but when they kill domestic livestock and animals, it's hard to justify.
Hope your fence continues to do the trick (but looking forward to seeing a picture of that wolf one of these days.)
Hi, Ruthie - I would so love to get a pic of our wolf . . . but I'd probably need a better camera with a good telephoto lens to do so. But if I have the chance, you can bet I'll snap a bunch of pics and hope for the best.
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