I just had the scare of my life!

[CAM]

Tonight I was just turning off the tv and heading to bed around 10pm. The kids were all asleep and of course, my husband is out of town. I have not had a good night sleep since he left three days ago because the coyotes have been near the house and horse pastures three nights straight. They NEVER come around when he is home and I always get up to keep an eye on the horses when I know they are around.

Just as my head was hitting the pillow Shasta, one of our Rottweilers, started growling, then barking. She was staring out the window into vast nothingness. That was unsettling because I have dogs that DON'T bark unless they hear or see something to be worried about. For those of you that don't know, we moved to 460 acres three months ago into prime cougar, coyote and bear territory and I have been a tad nervous, ok guys you know, a LOT nervous, about the predators because of our minis.

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I was uneasy when Shasta was barking but when I walked out to the livingroom I heard our Anatolian puppy barking a fierce bark. Now my blood is pumping! He has only barked one other time and that was when the coyotes were howling and extremely close to the horse pasture. I mean, they have been relatively close before and he won't bark so I knew something was up. And to top it off our llama was perusing the pasture fenceline uneasily. Now I'm really in a bad way.

:

I immediately headed for the gun closet only to realize my husband finally bought a second gun safe and locked my gun up safe and sound for me. Unfortunate problem here is I don't know the combination to the safe. Try to call my husband and he won't answer any of his cell phones because he last told me he was going to bed early because he has to get up at 3am to drive to work.

So I start thinking about what I have around that might protect the kids and I and fend off a wild animal that is certain to be calculating an attack on my babies outside. Then it occurs to me, "Aaah, the bear spray!" Something on hand from our last trip to the Canadian Rockies.

:

In the mean time I have put in an urgent, ok desperate, call to my friend/realtor/neighbor down the road who by now, after three months at our new house, realizes she is playing the roll of my second mother.

: She arrives with a headlamp and shotgun in hand to help out. So, here we are, two ol' broads, walking down to the barn with headlamps on our heads, wielding shotguns and bear spray!

We were shining lights on the horses one-by-one to check them out when I feel a light feathery touch and breath on the back of my neck! :new_shocked: I screamed and turned around so fast wielding the bear spray and shining the flashlight directly into the eyes of our llama!! I actually think I left my body for a brief second.

To make me feel "oh, so better", my neighbor informs me that two days ago our other neighbor (2mi away) lost a calf to a cougar and the Dept of Fish and Game have been out trying to hunt it down. Then she tells me she heard a bobcat or cougar in heat on her property last night. I am frantically waiting for the local power company to get off their hineys and get moving on bringing additional power up to our house so we can get the hotwire installed OUTSIDE of our horse pastures, top and bottom, so maybe someday I can get a good night's sleep!! Yeah, right!

 

[nootka]

Oh, Debra, that scares the heck out of me!

I know what you're up against and we have them here, too, though I think ours are far less likely to come near our house. In the eleven years we've been here, I can only count on one hand the times I've seen or heard a coyote very near.

My horses go into the barn at night with rare exceptions and we have a light on all night by the house...I have a gun w/a trigger lock and I do know where the key is, just in case, but wow...

sounds like you have a real potential problem there w/that much activity.

I will keep you in my thoughts and hope that you don't have any trouble...(hoping they stay away from your place!!)

Liz M.

 

[CAM]

Gosh Liz, I'll tell you, I am not one to overreact generally, and am a fiercely independent person, but this really shook me tonight. I felt really vulnerable and I don't like that feeling. Believe me, I will have the combination for that safe at 3am because I am not going to sleep anytime soon.

We keep the barn lights on all night and they shine out a bit over the closer pastures, we leave the radio on in the barn 24/7 and pull the minis into the middle pasture at night which is attached to the barn and they either have a big horse surrounding them on three sides or, as is the case tonight, they are sandwiched between two empty pastures on two sides of them with big horses on the other side. The fourth side of their pasture butts up against the fenceline to our backyard. I also have every outside floodlight on so we are lit up like the airport around here. That, and the llama and Anatolian are now in the pasture fulltime with the minis. Fortunately, after our overly playful episodes with the puppy and one of our minis, she gave him one good kick in the rear and he has been quite the gentleman ever since.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Do you have security lighting- the kind that comes on when a person walks into it's "area"??

If not get some- the brightest you can get, and also put in some permanent lights around the barn so the horses are visible- it is not going to harm the horses they will get used to it quickly, but the sudden extra light will be more difficult for a night hunter, which would be alarmed to find itself suddenly in daylight!

I feel for you, I really do, I can only imagine what you are going through, and you can give your husband a good old fashioned ding alongside the ear for locking up the guns and leaving you helpless- what if it had been an intruder in the house???

I hope you can get this sorted to the level at least when you can get some sleep, I think the precautions you have are good.

You might want to also try a couple of radios set to a talk channel, and put them on a timer so they come on and go off at irregular intervals- anything that is on all the time, they will get used to if they are determined to do so.

God Bless, do try to get some sleep!!

 

[EAD Minis]

Oh my gosh that is just sooo scary!!!!!I was worried about the coyotes 2miles away when my parents were up north and Roy was safe in his barn

: . I can only imagine!!!!Awww I realy hope you get this sorted out so you can have a good sleep

: . Goodluck hope all turns out ok, im sure you will find a system

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[ChrystalPaths]

All terror considered you did great! You have done some super things to keep them safe, the dogs and that spooky (had to laugh) llama, are definitely doing thier jobs (extra cookie time) but the hubby needs a good ear tweak! Be sure to get that combination today just in case and it never hurts to just stand outside and yell...."I have a gun and I know how to use it!"....then aim straight up sorta and bang! Humans and animals will run off. You did good! :aktion033:

 

[DunPainted]

HOORAY FOR YOUR DOGS......especially your new puppy (he's proved his worth already!)

Always listen (rely) to small children and animals. They're free of filters, and go on instinct!

I don't know much, but LET THE DOGS OUT first, then get your gun. By that time, they'll have sorted out the source of alarm. It's their job, from which they derive much esteem. Be sure to heartily praise them when all's clear and they've settled down. God gave 'em a keen sense of hearing - you're quite blessed!

Thank God for your llama(s), too! They're worth their in gold, it seems. Our two llamas make a very loud alarm -- sounds like a doofus who keeps trying to start their car when it's obviously flooded! On a couple occasions when a predator (we could not see) came near the pasture -- it headed back into the woods. My guess is their gawd-awful warning sound seems like a freak of nature.

:

Great job! :risa8:

 

[Charlotte]

OMG, My heart was pounding just reading that!

I bet you've got the combination to that gun safe now!

Stay safe out there.

Charlotte

 

[CAM]

We have a radio that is set to an AM station that has talk radio and music and better yet, because of our location, we get static intermittently too. And Jane, to think my husband didn't like my idea of the motion sensor floodlights on the barn because he thought it would scare the deer away! Well, good riddance because where there's deer, there are deer predators and frankly, about the time I ding him upside the head and get the safe combination (not necessarily in that order

: ), I will be checking into floodlights. God knows, he is gone often enough, he will likely not even notice! Ha!

:

Now, off to get the toothpicks to hold my eyes open.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

For what it is worth I have heard that radios playing heavy metal (no offense to fans) will help keep them away.

Maybe well you dont say how far the pasture(barn) is from the house but maybe a camera with sound so you can hear what is going on out there will help to at least ease your mind

 

[MiniforFaith]

That would have scared the bajesus out of me too. :cold: .I now we have wild critters around here too, but my dogs don't warn us at night.(My car got broken into and no one even barked) The only episode I have had was the loose cow..

: That was one I'll never forget.. I know where the keys are for the gun and I've had shooting practice.. Just wish we had outside warnings like you.. But now if there was a flea walking down the road, they bark..

 

[runaway ranch]

Scary. I know the feeling, we have had coyote right up to the house. Thank heaven for my llama's and dogs. They always sound the alarm.

 

[minisaremighty]

Holy Cow Debra!! What excitement you had last night!

It's too bad that awesome acreage comes with such abundant wildlife! LOL!! Your hubby was sooooo sweet to give you that gun as a gift but he certainly had a brain fart when he locked it up! :new_shocked: LOL!!

Keep safe my friend. :xbud:

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[HGFarm]

I understand your trauma but I just had to laugh when you explained about the llama. I wonder how badly it was scared, LOL It's lucky it's not mine because I would probably have beaten it to death in my panic! :new_shocked:

 

[Miniv]

Debra,

Did you ever find out for sure what was out there???

Sounds like Tippy was on the alert too, and was aware of your panic. Sounds like she's found a wonderful home with you..........

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MA

 

[CAM]

Gosh Lisa, heavy metal? You think it will scare the horses too?

: :bgrin I actually have barn cameras but could only afford enough to cover the stalls and they don't have sound.

I had hoped to be able to have the wide range, long distance ones he had recommended for viewing the pastures but couldn't swing all the wiring and conduit costs in addition to the camera costs to get the entire job done. The barn is about 200-300 feet from the house and with the barn lights on and my back porch flood lights, I can see reasonably well out there. The dogs and llama however, were all staring and/or barking in an entirely different direction where we have limited lighting, a short vinyl fence and nothing but woods. This area also happens to be off my bedroom window. :new_shocked:

You guys did make me laugh as I sit here watching the sun go down and feeling that knot in the pit of my stomach starting up. My hubby definitely had a "brain fart" and I will be sure to tell him you said so Kath! :new_rofl:

HGFarm/Heather (?), I was just grateful the llama didn't get doused in bear spray and I my out of body experience was short lived.

: :bgrin

MA, Tippy is a doll and certainly pulling her weight around here. Now, if I could just teach her to stop the midnight neck kisses I might live to see another year.

:

Oh, and I spoke to the local Dept of Fish and Wildlife and they confirmed the calf incident this week and said there are 3 or 4 cougars in our immediate area and he indicated we are allowed in this state to shoot to protect our livestock and asked if we had a cougar tag (yes, we do). I told him frankly, I didn't care whether the state gave me permission or not to protect my livestock that I would do it anyway! These aren't cows, they are my pets!

 

[Gena]

What a night! Sorry for what you are going through, I know just how you feel, it makes it hard to have a good nights sleep. We have wolves and black bears in our area - our neighbor caught a wolf with one of his new born calves. We used to see a wolf that would pass through our property. Thankfully none of our miniatures were attacked. We left lights on too and left our cameras on with the sound up in the house. I was thinking since your cameras don't have sound maybe one of those intercoms would work? Not sure how far they would reach though?

 

[Danielle_E.]

The only thing we have around here are the coyotes and my poor grandaughter who is turning 5 soon is so paranoid when she comes to the barn with me after dark. Last week we were just about at the barn when the coyotes started and I swear they were at the fence line of my side pasture, exactly where my minis were. Poor Makayla took one look at me as the yowling started and clung to me like no tomorrow and was so upset I had to take her back to the house. Ever since she watched the movie "Barnyard" by Disney, the segment with the coyotes attacking the cow.... Anyway got her back in the house and headed for the side of the house where the side pasture is, screaming and yelling "GET OUT OF HERE"... then I ran to the back pasture and ran to the next pasture where my arabians are and almost got run over by Shafeena who I guess was in a panic at the sounds of the coyotes. I get to the far pasture and there are the minis just relaxing, calm as could be and here I am out of breath, cursing those darn coyotes.... They make the most eerie sound and when they started yowling that night there must have been another pack at the back of our property answering them... I told my husband it's time to get a gun.

 

[Reble]

Oh my goodness, Keep safe and will be thinking of you untill hubby returns.

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[minisaremighty]

Hey Debra,

Did you get any sleep last night?? :lol:

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