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The Commander spotted a wolf eating a car deer kill on the side of the road today. Great, all we need is more predators around here.
Last year a lynx moved in for a while, just long enough to eat all the bunnies that lived in the front woods. Thankfully, she hasn't been around this spring (as far as I know).
Of course the last bear around these parts ripped through the old blue barns' wall and ate the previous owners goats. Last year a bear destroyed all our (and our neighbors) bird feeders. Hopefully the new barns solid wood walls will keep the bears away.
Eagles fly overhead every day here. We have to bring Patch in on some days when they begin to circle too low. The sheep pasture that we are creating will have a lot of older trees left in it to discourage the eagle from grabbing/spotting young lambs.
We had to run a badger off the property last year by filling its (front) burrow entrance with rocks and then flooding it with the garden hose. Skunks travel this area every night and leave their peculiar calling cards. A pack of coyotes roams this area, the shotgun is kept at the ready in case they decide to visit. Fox, Owls, and Hawks all make their presence known from time to time.
I have to wonder if these bad guys are looking at our farmstead with the same eye folks look at a new supermarket opening up - "When are they going to stock the shelves?"
Oh my goodness - you live in some pretty wild country, don't you? Bear? wow. Scary.
ReplyDeleteYep, most of these could be considered nuisances but the wolf sighting really has us worried.
ReplyDeleteSuch beauty in your backyard and skies - and it would just scare me silly! Not so much for me, but for my animals. We don't have near the predators that you have, and still I lock my babies up tight at night. Nature can be so awesome - and so ferocious!
ReplyDeleteWe have had coyotes, hawks, bobcat, (which I almost walked into one morning... I don't know who was more scared, me or the bobcat), and cougar, that took one of my llamas. We haven't had bear, or wolves, fortunantly. I guess that's just one of the trade offs for the lifestyle we live.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the bobcat, at least, was using the chicken house as his local buffet line. We finally had to figure out when he was around, and encourage him to find other sustinance, as well as not letting the chickens out in the early morning.
Cat.
Those pictures are beautiful but I don't know if I could outrun all those critters.
ReplyDeleteWe have too many coyotes, hawks, some bobcats, and of course the raccoons, snakes, and posums. I have seen a couple of fox. And..they all love to eat chickens!
Have a great day.
Pam
Cat, I think cougars would scare me more than wolves.
ReplyDeletePam, Snakes definitely scare me more than anything!
The wolves would scare me more than cougars, but having all of those predators around is VERY scary. Are you going to get livestock guardian dogs once you 'stock the shelves'?
ReplyDeleteSince we will only have small numbers to begin with we plan on putting all the animals up at night in their coops or sheds. The fencing around their local pens will be of sterner stuff than the perimeter fencing.
ReplyDeleteRight now with the severe winters a LGD isn't something we want to try. A llama may be in our future.
Wild America in your backyard!!!! Augh!! But, it is so worth it to be right where you are, alert and ready!
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