- Thread starter
- #101
freemotion
Food Guru
Hopefully, their lives won't be more brief than I have planned.
I was coming in from the back of the pasture, training them to follow me with the yogurt in my hand, when I could hear my dogs barking up in the yard. Normal.
As I got closer, I could hear the neighbor in his yard (he reminds me of Grizzly Adams!) saying, "What are you doing over here?" He repeated it two more times. I tried to tell by the sound if my dogs got out, if a goat got out, if a hen had gone AWOL. But all of my critter's voices were coming from the correct direction. So I went into one of my pasture gardens to inspect for sprouts.
Keith met me by the back fence and told me I'd better keep an eye on my goats. I asked what he meant, because I knew the does were just in the pasture with me, and the doelings were already in their stall for the night.
He had been talking to a 300 lb black bear that was stalking along my pasture fence, sniffing the air for my pigs and my goats. The bear went back across the busy road when Keith spoke to it. Imagine! I didn't even detect any stress in his voice, which kept me from bothering to really investigate further than determining that one of my critters was not in his yard. Other than a bird....not a big deal. A few of them come and go at will and the neighbors on either side are amused by it.
My reply....."Where is your GUN???"
Keith: "I don't think it would be legal for me to shoot it."
Me (slightly hysterical): "So what! I wouldn't tell! Besides, since when do YOU care if something is legal????"
He almost fell over laughing. I told him if he killed it and dressed it, I'd cook it and can it for him. This conversation went on and got even sillier until the mosquitoes drove us both in. I suggested he sleep with my piggies tonight with his gun, even generously offering some extra straw for his comfort......
I was coming in from the back of the pasture, training them to follow me with the yogurt in my hand, when I could hear my dogs barking up in the yard. Normal.
As I got closer, I could hear the neighbor in his yard (he reminds me of Grizzly Adams!) saying, "What are you doing over here?" He repeated it two more times. I tried to tell by the sound if my dogs got out, if a goat got out, if a hen had gone AWOL. But all of my critter's voices were coming from the correct direction. So I went into one of my pasture gardens to inspect for sprouts.
Keith met me by the back fence and told me I'd better keep an eye on my goats. I asked what he meant, because I knew the does were just in the pasture with me, and the doelings were already in their stall for the night.
He had been talking to a 300 lb black bear that was stalking along my pasture fence, sniffing the air for my pigs and my goats. The bear went back across the busy road when Keith spoke to it. Imagine! I didn't even detect any stress in his voice, which kept me from bothering to really investigate further than determining that one of my critters was not in his yard. Other than a bird....not a big deal. A few of them come and go at will and the neighbors on either side are amused by it.
My reply....."Where is your GUN???"
Keith: "I don't think it would be legal for me to shoot it."
Me (slightly hysterical): "So what! I wouldn't tell! Besides, since when do YOU care if something is legal????"
He almost fell over laughing. I told him if he killed it and dressed it, I'd cook it and can it for him. This conversation went on and got even sillier until the mosquitoes drove us both in. I suggested he sleep with my piggies tonight with his gun, even generously offering some extra straw for his comfort......
A black bear?? I hope you get those critters locked in tight tonight...do you have a baby monitor for out there?? I can hear all my critters on one monitor...I can tell ya, I sleep better knowing if something goes wrong out there, I will hear it, and run out there with the gun. I hope all are safe and mr bear moves on!
