Winter sounds

I opened the front door this evening, and was greeted by a world gradually blurring to white. A light snow was falling out of the dark sky, hiding the world beyond the spill of our porch lights. As I walked to the driveway with a bucket of ashes to dump, I was greeted by the sharp squeal of an animal learning to appreciate the food chain... and then the yipping song of coyotes on the hunt.

It's an eerie but beautiful sound. Tonight, it sounded like they were in the field directly across the road from the house. My first instinct, given how loud they were, was that I was hearing a hunter's recorded call. As I listened and looked, though, I realized that they were moving - quickly. Most likely they had found a rabbit browsing the hedges and didn't quite kill it.

I stood and looked and listened in the cold for a moment, ash bucket in one hand and the other twitching toward the revolver on my belt. I've never heard coyotes that close, and they are not a predator to be trifled with around here - in truth, they are the only large-ish predator we have. A record coyote was taken about an hour from us three or four years ago; it weighed in at 85lbs, if memory serves. Talking with other hunters, the usual is more in the 50-60lb range. For perspective, an average German Shepherd male will top out right around 90lbs.

I shivered and shook myself out of my cautious reverie, and walked back in to the house - where both cats were standing in the hallway staring directly at the door, and looking like a stiff breeze would send them flying up the stairs. When I went out the back door to the garage, I said goodnight to the goats - both of whom were standing outside their hut and staring into the field across the road. I looked again, but couldn't see anything through snow and brush.

I think I need to talk to the neighbor about permission to hunt there, soon.


Off topic amusement: topic in the ARFCOM "AR Discussion" forum: "End of the world scenario: What color furniture for AR15". ... because damnit, if the world is ending, I want to make sure I look GOOD!