Coyotes!

Walking with my Boys


I’m almost to the top of the ridge, maybe 20 - 50 feet from the top, when Leo comes full speed over ridge right at me with a coyote not 3 feet behind him – just before they hit us the coyote sees me and Nashoba and ricochets off at a sharp angle to my left and then Nashoba and Leo are after him, all going at full speed through the forest – before I can even call them back they are down the ridge, I call and they are up over the next, and gone from sight – at full speed last I saw them.

Shit!

I can call all I want – but I’m already 1/4 mile in the distance, over a ridge, and the coyote is right in front of them ... yeah, right. I had forgotten again the controllers for their radio collars, but I’m sure even those on the highest setting wouldn’t much compete with a coyote 10 feet ahead and full adrenalin.

I call and call and call – and they are just GONE! I can’t hear a thing. I hate it when the boys are out there someplace – and I have no idea where. Gets me REALLY uptight – I worry – certainly not enjoying the walk anymore! What can I do? I have learned to just not get all worked up – things usually work out. I just start heading back to the car, about 1 mile as the crow flies. I take a wrong turn, and then get back on the path. But then, I think I almost hear something – yelping, crying – is it in my mind or am I really hearing it? Is one of my boys hurt and crying for help? His front leg crunched and trying to fend off a coyote? I try to ignore it – I mean, what I am going to do? Try to run down a bunch of in-shape canines going full throttle off-trail in a forest? And in what direction? Yeah right. So I go on – the path to the car leading away from their last-seen trajectory. And, rounding a curve, again I think I hear crying and yelping – I cup my ears [that really does help] and, no, it is not in my mind – it is real – I have a heading and take off running now envisioning entrails spread across the ground. The heading takes me back to where I had made the wrong turn off the path.

I worry – my boys play and wrestle and chase each other – but never hurt each other or draw blood. But what about the coyote – he may not be playing, and maybe fights dirty!

Running down the spine of a ridge, the noise gets louder – I can hear it without cupping my ears, and I call and soon my two boys are in sight – and surprisingly, they’re coming towards me, Leo on my right and Nashoba on my left. The coyote is about 100 - 200 feet behind them hidden by brush – he the one who has been yelping (relief), and he keeps moving back and forth quickly but keeping its distance. He was moving OK and neither of my boys had blood on them – I tried to get a closer look at him – when I first saw it at the top of the ridge I thought, “Wow, what a beautiful creature!”. It was long-haired, multi-colored golden in color! First time I’ve seen one – I’ve always heard that they are small [about 40 pounds] and scraggly mangy scurvy looking things – not this guy! He looked like a small golden wolf from heaven, perhaps 70 pounds if not more! I try to get closer to it for a look – and I know this is stupid – my boys are just barely being held back by my commands, and instead of turning, as I know I should, I keep moving towards the animal while also trying to keep my boys with and behind me, Leo on my right, Nashoba on my left – but the coyote won’t show himself – he stays maybe 150 feet away, moving rapidly back and forth – I just get glimpses of him through the brush in the fading light. OK – better leave before I lose my boys again!

We walk together up the spine of the ridge towards the trail, the boys staying close – we rejoin the trail and start for the car – it is dusk – the sun will be setting as we get back now. And then Nashoba goes off the side of the trail and throws up ... and again ... and then walks slowly behind me – after awhile, Leo in front by about 20 feet, I don’t sense Nashoba – and look back and see him lying in the trail. I go back to him, and try to get him up, but he won’t budge. Now I’m worried. So I just sit with him, try to give him some water but he refuses. I take a small sip from my hipflask, and thinking twice, put it away before taking another. And then I hear the yelps, yips, barks and howls of a pack of coyotes – it’s not just one – it is many. I need to get Nashoba going ... he is too heavy to carry ... I lift him just to get him on his feet and he remains standing, and then slowly begins to walk slowly behind me. Not too long after he again drops to the ground. And not lying on his stomach, but on his side, with dry dead leaves in his mouth ... and he won’t budge. And night is falling, and the coyotes, now many, are again making a racket. I’m worried. I’m scared. I don’t want to think about losing Nashoba as I lost Wolfie two years ago. Still on top of the ridge I should have a spotty cell phone signal and try calling the vet. I get the answering service and 3 times she tries to call back but reception is so poor the phone never rings and I only later get voice-mail alerts. Leo’s about 20 feet down the trail, sometimes sitting, sometimes pacing – OK – I got to get him moving – he is just too heavy to carry.

I pick him up from around his muddy belly and again put him on his feet; he stands, and he starts walking. This time I stay right behind him, encouraging him – he’s walking like a drunk – at least it’s all relatively level and then downhill back to the car ... I try the vet again and this time get through – he’s looking better – Leo ahead senses something and Nashoba puts up the fur on his back, points his ears forward, and raises his tail – OK - he’s coming alive! ... he keeps walking ahead of me ... and I’m walking slowly ... he stops to drink from a mud puddle … the sun has gone down ahead of us, the horizon is a beautiful red, and the coyotes have started their calls again. And now he’s walking more steady ... we are going down hill, at the bottom is the car ... at times, maybe because the trail is steep, he trots a bit, but still not getting more than a few feet ahead of me and I’m not walking fast ... but I’m feeling better ... thinking I wish I had a gun ... not that I’d be able to shoot a coyote, but maybe scare them off and shut them up – feel like I could do something. The boys stay right with me down to the car – I’m wondering if Nashoba will be able to jump up into the back of the Subaru – or if I’m going to have to try to pick him up. He hesitates, puts his front paws half way up/in, and then jumps. And then he gets between the seats, so he can look out the windshield with his head next to mine as he likes to. Now I’m feeling better.

Driving home in the deepening dusk, we see the shapes of about 8 deer in our neighbor's pasture. The boys see them too – their heads out the windows, and don’t even make a sound or show excitement. I stop to take a picture. When up the hill and home, Nashoba took water, and both the boys ate. It’s already late, I would show up at the end of the Bluegrass Jam in Ottis’s garage, but I’m just going to stay home tonight and watch Nashoba, rouse him every half hour or so, and re-assure myself that he is OK. After he ate, he laid down and hasn’t moved ... while I wrote this ... I’m going to rouse him now.