About mid March, I had just watched my 3 kids get on the bus. As the bus left, something caught my eye in the field across the street. It was a coyote. No worries I thought. When my DH, BIL and I go deer hunting we see them all the time. Then something out of the corner of my left eye caught my attention. It was another coyote. Ok I thought....there are two. I'm still not worried. They converged and started heading in my general direction. At this point, I wasn't freaking out yet, but the little red light in my head was starting to grow a little brighter.
Then it hit me...THE DOGS! We haven't built a fence yet since we only moved out to the country mid Feb. The dogs were on leads and Charm was in heat. OMG...now I'm thinking I might have a serious problem. These coyotes which now have grown to five are now roughly 50 yards or less from me and now in an established pack. I could see it all playing out in my head. Me trying to protect my dogs who are on leads and stuck to a certain area and my dogs trying to protect me. Although I have four dogs and that many are considered a pack, I am the alpha.
So I call my hubby on the Nextel walkie all the while I'm throwing rocks, banging a shovel against the tree and screaming deep trying to sound intimidating. When I get ahold of him I ask him where the 22 is and he said in the basement. I explained the situation as quickly as I could only to hear my DH tell me that getting the gun won't do any good because we are out of 22 shells.
At this point, the dogs are barking and going crazy and the coyotes are only 15 yards from me....right on the other side of the road. Just when I really thought I was going to have to physically take these animals on, my wonderful and I mean absolutely wonderful kids' bus driver had seen the problem and sped as fast as he safely could (with all the rural kids on the bus) and basically played "chicken" with them...no pun intended of course. They took off at a dead run.
Later than evening I couldn't figure out why my DH was late getting home. Long story short, he had stopped at Farm King and bought a few boxes of 22 shells. After supper, he had all the kids out teaching proper handeling and shooting of the gun. Mind you our kids have grown up with guns, have taken the hunters safety course and been out in the woods with us. We were all concerned with these coyotes because we had just got our first set of chicks. Although they were safe in the brooder located in the family room, we all knew there would come a day when they would stay outside. Although I haven't seen them since that day (which is just fine with me) I can assure you that I watch everything just a little closer no matter what time of day it is.
Then it hit me...THE DOGS! We haven't built a fence yet since we only moved out to the country mid Feb. The dogs were on leads and Charm was in heat. OMG...now I'm thinking I might have a serious problem. These coyotes which now have grown to five are now roughly 50 yards or less from me and now in an established pack. I could see it all playing out in my head. Me trying to protect my dogs who are on leads and stuck to a certain area and my dogs trying to protect me. Although I have four dogs and that many are considered a pack, I am the alpha.
So I call my hubby on the Nextel walkie all the while I'm throwing rocks, banging a shovel against the tree and screaming deep trying to sound intimidating. When I get ahold of him I ask him where the 22 is and he said in the basement. I explained the situation as quickly as I could only to hear my DH tell me that getting the gun won't do any good because we are out of 22 shells.
At this point, the dogs are barking and going crazy and the coyotes are only 15 yards from me....right on the other side of the road. Just when I really thought I was going to have to physically take these animals on, my wonderful and I mean absolutely wonderful kids' bus driver had seen the problem and sped as fast as he safely could (with all the rural kids on the bus) and basically played "chicken" with them...no pun intended of course. They took off at a dead run.
Later than evening I couldn't figure out why my DH was late getting home. Long story short, he had stopped at Farm King and bought a few boxes of 22 shells. After supper, he had all the kids out teaching proper handeling and shooting of the gun. Mind you our kids have grown up with guns, have taken the hunters safety course and been out in the woods with us. We were all concerned with these coyotes because we had just got our first set of chicks. Although they were safe in the brooder located in the family room, we all knew there would come a day when they would stay outside. Although I haven't seen them since that day (which is just fine with me) I can assure you that I watch everything just a little closer no matter what time of day it is.
