The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday—I Do Not Understand You, Boomer!

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Dayphoto

Well, just for today …THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY!!! Mom and I are doing the happy dance here there and everywhere!

The Day is 11 hours and 16 minutes long! On Sunday, March 9th, we will switch to Daylight Savings Time and the day will grow LONGER!

YIPPEE! Mom, myself, and the Little Buff Hen like Daylight Savings Time the Best. Why? Because we get up with the sun anyway!

Yesterday was a huge busy day…first rattle-out-of-the-box we all headed over to the equipment hill to load up ‘stuff’ for the consignment sale this coming weekend.

Mom drove the truck and trailer over with Boom and I in the back of the truck. Dad brought over the tractor with the loader.

It was cold outside, sharp wind, spots of frozen ice, lot of cool smells.

While Mom and Dad worked on getting the ‘stuff’ hooked up and loaded onto the trailer, then shuffling around some of the other ‘stuff’ Boomer and I checked out everything going on around there.

Hummmmmmmmm the skunks are out-and-about. I think….snuff, sniff, snuff…yep, mating season. Oh! The badgers are waking up and doing some house cleaning….

Hey, Boom, don’t head over here… the badgers are out and about…you know how cranky they can get.

‘Snuff, snuff,ummm, yumm, swallow.’ Okay, Fuzzy. I’ll just stay up here where the cows and calves stay…smack, slurp.

Oh…hummm….yes! Oh, look a patch of Cheat Grass…the cows are going to love that.

The deer have come back…here is a great deer wallow. Oh, my…I think I’ll just head on back to Mom…COYOTE poop…not, good…not good at all. At my advanced age they would find me perfect for breakfast.

Boomer?

Slurp, slobber…(mouth-full) Yes, Fuzzy?

Let’s go back to Mom, it doesn’t seem, like, um, we had better hang out here much longer…I found evidence of coyotes!

COYOTES!!! Yikes!

Let’s go back to MOM! Beat you there!!!!!

WHEW! I’m glad we are back!

Looks like Mom and Dad are all loaded and ready to go.

This time Dad has the truck and Mom the tractor. You go ahead and ride Fuzzy, I want to run back to the house and check out the fields as I go.

Check out the fields for what, Boomer?

MILK DUDS, Fuzz! MILK DUDS!

Boomer, you really are something, you know it?

Yeah, Fuzzy. I keep the coyotes from getting close to the house!

Ackk! I guess so Boomer! Gag!

Fuzzy

Something Wicked This Way Comes—February 19, 2014

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Dayphoto

While out checking the cows and calves, which we do daily, Terry and ran over onto the cactus hill to see what we could see. We like this rocky point on the farm….every time we are up there we talk about maybe building a house on this hill. Although, it won’t be a typical house, but an house built into the hillside with southwest facing windows to capture the sunlight and the wonderful sunsets.

(Now to be honest you and I both know that Terry and I will never do this, but it’s fun to sit on the point and dream)

Leaving that point we headed over to the cattail area…Red-Winged Black birds were BACK! They wonderful songs filling the air. Traveling forward onto the grass pasture (next to the equipment area) three coyotes ran past us lickety-split. (Another of my Momma’s terms 🙂 )

This is blurry as they are running full speed. You can see the cattails in the forefront of the photo.

I detest these creatures.

We have lost calves to them. The sneaky pack of killers. They also kill cats! And small dogs!

Sometimes you have a cow that wants to be by herself to calve. The coyotes wait and watch, then when the calf starts to come out, they surround the cow, grab the calf, dragging it off and eating it–or eating parts of it leaving the poor helpless Mom in a frenzy.

Most cows will stay within the herd to calf, the other cows form a watch allowing the birth process to proceed as normal. IF a predator, coyote, wild dogs, or others try to capture the calf, the cows will stomp the coyote/predator to death, if they can. Most of the time the coyotes/predators know they will loose so they slink off.

They are heading into an area we call Deadman’s Land–the reason is it’s hard to get water there so nothing really grows well.

The other thing coyotes wait for is the sloppy-I really don’t want to be bothered by a child-Mother. Yes you have those Mom’s in the animal world, just like you do in the human world.

These Mom’s park their baby somewhere, anywhere, saying: you just stay there and don’t move—all cows put their babies in a safe spot (Usually with a cow babysitter) so the Mom’s can go graze. The “I really can’t be bothered with a kid” cow just parks her calf any old place and trots off to jolly it up with a group of her friends.

The coyotes wait, watch, make sure Mom isn’t paying any attention, slink in and have lunch/breakfast, dinner/snack.

Yes, I know the coyotes are beautiful. I also know that the calves and the cows are beautiful. Yes, I know the coyotes need to eat. BUT NOT OUR ANIMALS!

NO….feeding them WILL NOT STOP THEM FROM HUNTING!

In fact, it will just teach them that you are a source of food and create horrible coyote behavior—. Just read this little article from Boulder…

Whew! I guess I have ranted and raved long enough. I will stop now and apologize for this huge post.

Linda

Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Dayphoto

The moon is coming up later and later now, still the dogs and I go for a walk. We go around one to one thirty in the early, early morning. I dress up like a huge abominable snowman—many, many, many layers…its COLD out there that time of night! 🙂

This was taken about 14 days ago.

One a side bar note–I would HATE to run into a Yeti…well, I wouldn’t see a Yeti here but there have been sightings of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch in Colorado.

There is some who think Bigfoot has been seen as close as the Lake City Area (which is not far from Montrose or Gunnison) so far nothing on the Uncompahgre Plateau or around the canyons next to our mesa….but one never knows! 🙂 da,da,da,da ♪♫♫♪

Still off we go. We don’t go for long and we don’t go far.

In the evening we either walk to the old tree site, (a tree the ditch company just had to destroy in the fire a couple of years ago), or we walk to the end of the grain bin field…both are about 15 minutes one way then 15 minutes back. If Fuzzy could move a little faster we would get back faster.

(This was shamelessly taken from the internet-The credits are on the map the web site is here with other photos of Bigfoot in Colorado)

Since I don’t have worry about big furry unknown creatures, and the bears are sleeping away the winter, the dogs and I only have to worry about the coyotes, foxes, and big cats (the skunks are sleeping right now also)—which is why I don’t like to go far. In the middle of the night we just walk down the lane to our house. Boomer has a bad habit of running off after smells, if I contain him to boring smells we both do much better.

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! We will have our big celebration tonight with all the family here. Tomorrow is family day…buffet of snack foods and lots of family games.

Your friend,

Linda

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Dayphoto

I love the moon! I love when the moon is full — spreading sliver and crystal and blue lights upon the land.

The dogs and I go for a walk, just to be showered in the lovely glow

We go just as it’s just coming up and we go again just before nine at night

I always try to wake-up sometime during the night, just to take the dogs and go walking down the lane…oh, sometime around one or so in the morning. The dogs know the second I start putting on my Carhart we are going for a walk.

I don’t walk out into the fields late at night…too many coyotes and other critters I don’t want to meet, but in the evening we do.

In the evening we are surrounded in the glow of the winter sunset

With the air full of winter bird calls…the Canadian Geese and the Sandhill Cranes…later after mid-night the owls will hoo-hoo -hoo , we will hear a fox barking and the coyotes yipping as the moon light and the star light fills the shinning clear air.

We will walk along, the dogs sniffing out news and I watching stars fall from a million years ago.

The neighbor’s dog (who lives outside, no matter the temperatures) will hear us crunching along in the snow, or hear me calling to Boomer to not go off too far…he adds his warning bark to the other sounds. His people, either don’t care nor never hear, I call to him…’It’s okay…it’s just us walking in the moonlight. It’s okay…’ He stops. Then calls out again…”GOOD NIGHT” I call back…’Sleep Well, little dog! Sleep Well.” Then the dogs and I go in to the warmth of the wood stove and snugly blankets.

By five in the morning the moon has made it’s way to shine into the bedroom windows, lighting up Sammy the cat as he sleeps on the edge of the bed. Sam puts a paw over his eyes and keeps on sleeping. Monkey jumps into the window to watch the world from the warmth and safety of the house. I too watch the world as the moon slowly sinks and the day begins.

Good Morning everyone!

Your friend,

Linda

A Short Primer on Coyotes —Proceed Only if You Want to be Educated, not to Attack Me

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Dayphoto

Since we had a really bad problem with coyotes a year or so ago, we talked to a Government Trapper (yes, there really is such a person). Remember the information below is FROM THE GOVERNMENT TRAPPER, I am NOT an Expert!!!

Please do NOT send me horrible emails telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about…I only have my experience and what the expert has told us.

A couple of times Terry was actually stalked by a coyote—probably defending the den, while he was changing water late in the evening……and once the dogs and I were stalked.

We have had coyotes come into the yard….sending in Missey Coyote to lure the dogs out so they can …well…have killing sport with the dogs.

We have had to train the grandchildren not to run around on back of the farm in the late evening…ever!

I never leave dog food or cat food outside, nor do we throw scraps out for the hens, all scraps are in a pan in the hen house.

The dogs do like to sleep outside in the summer and we let them. We also are very diligent to check on everything and everyone the minute we hear anything out of the ordinary.

The other thing we have here are very stupid people who dump their dogs off, thinking they will find a home on the farm. Usually what happens is they gather together and form dog packs. Dog packs are just as bad or maybe worse than coyotes as they love to kill for fun and sport and are NOT in any way afraid of humans since they once lived with humans.

Sometimes the dogs mate with coyotes…then what happens the result is called a cy-dog. Not a good mix.

We also learned some of the language of the coyotes:

Howling – communication with other coyotes in the area. Also, an announcement that “I am here and this is my area.”

Yelping – a celebration or criticism within a small group of coyotes. Often heard during play among pups or young animals.

Bark – The scientific name for coyotes means “barking dog,” Canis latrans. The bark is thought to be a threat display when a coyote is protecting a den or a kill.

Huffing – is usually used for calling pups without making a great deal of noise.

One way to tell if an attack was by a dog or a coyote is to look at the size of their tracks and the spacing of canine tooth punctures. Dogs aren’t known for killing sheep or calves for food and dogs are random in how and where they attack. Coyote tracks have more of an oval shape and seem more compact that a domestic or wild dog tracks.

Damage Problems–In the western United States, coyotes are the main predator of domestic sheep, causing significant losses in select areas. They can also prey upon goats, calves, hogs, poultry and watermelons. Coyotes will also kill domestic dogs and house cats. They most often kill larger prey by biting the throat, causing death by suffocation. Coyotes frequently adjust their grip on the prey’s neck, leaving multiple bite marks.

Coyotes may attack fleeing animals from the rear, biting the legs or tail to slow them down. Coyotes typically begin feeding behind the ribs, often eating the stomach of nursing animals. The nose and hindquarters are typically eaten on calves. Coyotes have been known to attack cows in labor, feeding on both the emerging calf and mother.

We have other known predators here…if you ever walk in Confluence Park you will see that we have Mountain lions that move through the area, signs are everywhere informing you of what to do and how to protect yourself if you cross paths with one. We have fox…lots of fox, but they don’t harm cattle. Randomly a bear will wander in, but that is random.

Some of you live in places that have other predators, animals we have never had here or if we did are now gone–like the wolf.

I’m sure you are tired of this subject so this is my last post on on predators for a while. I hope you have found it educational, which is what is intended to be.

Once more, thanks ever so much for stopping by.

Linda

Cows and Coyotes—What I Know—and It Might Not Be Enough

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Dayphoto

Coyotes and Cows…. here is what I know — and I am very…. I STRESS VERY ... reluctant to post this as I’m sure that I will get hate mail, since I have had it happen before. (Years ago when I first started blogging).

Cows are domesticated animals…they are people animals. Many people think that cows are stupid and dumb. I’ve had people tell me that cows are the stupidest animal on earth. This usually is said by people who have only seen a cow in a pasture or read about a cow somewhere, some place, at some time.

Cows are not stupid, nor are they dumb.

They are herding animals, therefore they think like a herd…band together, gather together, play together and protect each other. Cattle are very similar to Buffalo Bison. I have never heard anyone say a Buffalo is stupid and dumb, but they will say cattle are.

Beats me why.

Anyway…cows will band together if there is a perceived danger to each other or their calves…they group together in a huge group with the calves in the middle. When we had that horrible fire last spring all the cows gathered together and pushed the babies into the middle and walked to the furthest point away from the fire and stayed there until THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT.

Doesn’t seem very dumb to me.

As the babies are born the new moms collect and stay in a group chatting and discussing all the new cute baby things that the calves do. As the babies mature, one or two cows will stay with the calves (the babysitter cows) while the others graze, they then take turns with watching the youngsters.

Danger from coyotes come when a cow is in labor and/or as the calve emerges and/or if a young mother has a new calf and tells it to stay in a unprotected area while she wanders off. Just like some women, these cows are very poor mothers putting their own needs first before the needs of the calf.

Just like women, cows do not LIKE to go into labor and have their baby with a bunch of prying eyes. The majority of the time a cow will have her calf as the edge of the herd, but there are always some that want to go to a hidden spot for a little more privacy.

When the calves are first born the mothers will lick the mucus off of the calf’s body until it is clean. This encourages the calf to attempt to stand and go find the udder. From that day forth they (the cows) watch out for the calves, let them suckle every 2 to 3 hours, babysit them, and teach them where to go, what to eat, and that the person looking after them is someone to be respected, and what a predator is.

Cows also communicate with their calves (and each other and sometimes to us humans) whenever they get separated by certain moos and loud calls. This voice recognition is established at birth.

Cows protect their calves by using their heads, feet and chests to crush and stomp on a predator that threatens their calves or them. They are HUGE animals weighting many, many pounds…they will even take on a human, if they perceive the human might be a threat to them or their calf or the herd.

Now just what I know for sure, …… what we have had happen to us/our ranching friends and other farmers in our area …. AND NO —- FEEDING THE COYOTES WILL NOT STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING!!! — Coyotes are known to attack cows in labor, feeding on both the emerging calf and possibly the mother. IF the cow is not close enough for the herd to help protect her.

As to the other question of where do the cows stay for protection — we have lots of areas that are sheltered and protected by trees, bushes, and shrubs, areas the cows adore sleeping in. It was one of the reason’s Terry and I were so upset with the fire…many of those areas were destroyed in the fire.

This year the cows are sleeping around the equipment area…which is another very protected place on our property.

Our storm blew in and blew out rapidly last night, most of the snow was dumped in the mountains which is perfect!

Linda

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Dayphoto

Another winter storm is heading into us by 8 O’clock tonight. The cows spent all day eating yesterday, until sometime after mid-night, stocking up on food encase the weather is too nasty to get out an graze.

Also, the coyotes were extremely busy…I could hear them in every direction. I would much prefer NOT hearing the coyotes. One reason they are so energetic is this is calving season…nothing tastes as good as a tiny, new born calf. And we are surround with calving cows in every direction.

The rancher has brought up seventy spring’n heifers to calve out on our place. Every day the dogs and I (if we walk-the cat) go out and check to see how many are ‘with calf’.

So far there are 11 new babies- with one set of twins.

By the end of the month, there should be seventy new Momma’s.

I keep thinking we might get cows again, but always the answer is no. So for a short time of the year I get to enjoy these girls. They are really rather tame for range cows, allowing us to move through the herd (on the four-wheelers), not running away. If I am walking, they allow the dogs and I to skirt the edges as long as the dogs are right with me.

Linda

January 21, 2013

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Dayphoto

I tried to get the Sand hill Cranes in flight but no such luck.

Anyway, for those of you who enjoy these delightful creatures I give you the following:

A crane just landing….I hope you can see it

They are here all the time. I took this series of photos around 5 O’clock in the afternoon

There are hundreds here in this one field. The corn is field corn, not sweet corn. Sometimes a group of birds leaves, but another soon lands…always a large, large number feeding at anyone time.

They also spend the night here, I guess they feel safe with the calves present.

Last night I heard coyotes from three directions ….

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Continued

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Dayphoto

Two golden-eyed coyotes, just sitting on the sagebrush hill watching our every move. Boomer thought they were heading our way, but they just walked out of the brush and sat down.

“W—-what do they want, Fuzzy?”

“I-I’m not sure. I can’t see them real well, so you are going to have to be my eyes for me, Boomer.”

“O-okay, Fuzzy. Just tell me what you want to know.”

“Where’s Mom? That’s the most important question and the second important question is tell me when they start to move.”

“Al-alright, Fuzzy, I’ll will.”

“Well, where is Mom? Remember that is the first important question.”

“Oh, yeah, right, but if I take my eyes off the coyotes how will I know they move?”

“Be fast, son! Be real fast! But Find Mom! We have to know if she is safe. We also have to know if she is coming to find us.”

“Look quick and then look back at the coyotes. You have a general idea of where Mom was the last time we checked.”

“O-okay.”

“Well…..”

“Hummmmm she is coming off the cactus hill and heading for the dirt bridge that crosses the pond.”

“Is she walking?”

“Well, no, sort of run sliding.”

“Have the coyotes moved?”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot!”

“Boomer! You can’t forget! You have to be fast and in charge. “

“HOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“NO, Boomer! Don’t bay!” I gave him a writhing look.

“But I want MOM!!!!”

“Well, look for her!”

“But the coyotes are grinning at us!!!”

“YIPES!”

I took a moment to collect my thoughts and breathe deep. “Okay, Boomer. Chill for a moment. Have they MOVED?!!”

“Wellllll, no.”

Whew!

“Okay, tell me where Mom is”

She is crossing the edge of the pond right now and moving fast around the swamp, she should be here pretty sooooooooooooooooooooooon!”

“BOOMER! DO NOT BAY! What are the coyotes doing?”

“They haven’t moved they are just sitting there staring at us as though…as though they can’t believe what they are seeing.”

“Good. That’s good, Boomer. As soon as Mom gets here I’ll just bet you will see them melt back into the brush.”

“Good! When they go I’ll give them a happy little wave good-bye!”

“No! Don’t do that! If you do that they will be over here in a flash. Faster than you can hoooo for Mom.”

About that time I could see Mom was walking up the little grade toward the cow pasture.

The coyotes saw her too.

Coyotes understand if you have a gun and can shoot at them. They also understand what a gun looks like. Mom says coyotes help keep the rodent population down, but when they decide to take down a calf or come into the yard then coyotes have to learn lessons.

But Mom didn’t have a gun, she only had a camera.

“Here comes Mom, Fuzzy! I can see her!”

“I see her too, Boomer, it won’t be long now until the coyotes will see her and leave. Well, at least melt into the sagebrush and rabbit brush so Mom won’t be able to see them.”

“Oh, goody! We will be safe as soon as Mom gets here.”

“I sure hope so, Boomer. I sure hope so.”

Fuzzy

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Cow Pasture

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Dayphoto

Boomer and I decided to go up to the cow pasture, without Mom. Well, Mom was around — she was over on the sagebrush hill looking for something that nature framed for the Sunday Stills assignment.

The snow is gone and the mud is thick, we headed up early so the mud wouldn’t be a problem, you can’t go late because late would be would be way early morning and none of us would like to travel up there in the dark.

Boom and I saw lots of stuff…the bees were out. It warmed up enough they wanted to see if there was anything to eat and to do some house cleaning. We didn’t hang with them too long.

We checked out lots of smells…

raccoon, skunk, and a couple of badger dens. I think the badgers must still be sleeping. Boom left his mark everywhere. I tried to match him, but I just couldn’t keep up with that young bladder.

“Hey, Boom!” I yelled. “There are skunk smells over here!”

“Wow! Really! Wait just minute I’ll be there!

We sniffed around quite a bit, then decided that maybe we had better NOT follow the skunk smell. It was pretty fresh so we knew we could find it and where it is holed up for the winter.

“Er Fuzz?”

“Yeah?’

Maybe we better not go any further…the last time I found a skunk Mom made me get three baths and to sleep outside for several days. And that was spring. It’s still pretty cold to sleep outside and I don’t think either one of us really wants a bath, let alone three baths.”

“Good idea, Boomer! Let’s head on over to the Fox den and see if Freddy the Fox is still sleeping in there. He might be gone because Evan has been hauling some of the wood over to his house for his fireplace.”

“Cool, Sure! “

“Come on let’s go!”

So off we went. The pile was a little slimmer, but not much. We sniffed around for some time. Mom was way over on the cactus hill (that’s what Boomer and I call it, because it has lots of cactus and you have to be careful where you run). We could see her so we knew she was alright.

Suddenly I got a strange sensation, sort of like a creepy feeling…the hairs on the back of my neck picked up …. I cut my eyes both ways and then put my nose to the wind.

Boomer was busy sniffing in the hole and all around the wood…

“Yep, Evan’s been here. Oh, yes, and so have Mom and Dad….humm, I think they took about a cord of wood…