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This morning I woke up way too early feeling kinda itchy and sick. The dry air here (back in Utah) has really been kinda rough on me this go around. (Guess I keep getting more and more sissyfied with every stay down in SoCal.) Couldn't sleep so went out to lay in the hammock to watch the stars. Saw quite a few meteors. I had read that the Perseids were due soon, but wasn't aware of the date (either of the Perseids, or what day it was today) and lucked into seeing them.
Just after sunrise I was falling back to sleep and a godawful scream woke me up. Something(s) up the canyon was making a terrible wailing/screeching sound. Couldn't tell what it was, so I put on some shoes and a jacket, and took the dog (Sebastian) to go investigate.
We got to the drift fence (keeps the livestock from "drifting" into areas they shouldn't be) down by the stream and I heard a couple of barks. My dog was pretty agitated, enough that he let out a bark of his own and was pulling at the leash. (He never barks while on leash with me, not even at other dogs.) Came through some bushes and saw 3 dogs there, looked like domesticated dogs, and I don't think they are what Sebastion barked at, he seemed to know them. They took a look at me and ran off up the canyon.
I found a place in the fence up the hill a ways that Sebastian could get through, and then I climbed over. He took off after something so I let him lead. That went nowhere (or nowhere within the range I was willing to go), so we doubled back and I checked around where we had run into the dogs before. Tied Sebastian to the fence and looked around in the bushes a bit.
Almost stepped on the fawn before I saw it. Not sure if the dogs had been on it, or if they had just shown up and chased off whatever had been. The dogs hadn't acted like it was "their" kill, and didn't seem particularly interested in it (neither did Sebastion... obviously as he had just passed it by the first time around) and the deer around here don't seem to have many troubles with the dogs. I think it probably had been a mountain lion.
Whatever it was had caught the fawn just at the fence, and the fawn was too young to cross there with the rest, so had just sat down back in the bushes. Kinda hard to get at. There was a bit of blood, but not a whole lot. I took off my jacket and draped in on the fence, then picked up the fawn thinking I'd at least help it across the fence... having seen some other deer over that way when I first set out.
Once I picked it up I could tell it was tore up pretty good. Scratches near the eye (looked like a cat), tears at the back of the neck, haunches, and most of the tail gone. The thought struck me that maybe I should just put it out of it's misery. But it looked like mostly flesh wounds , and it seemed to be doing ok. Not much blood on it or on the ground. And from experience, putting something out of it's misery when the only thing available is a rock... is really messy, and not as quick or simple as it would seem... definitely to be avoided.
I started to carry it back to the house to wash it up a bit, give it something to drink, and call someone who'd know better what to do. Was having a tough time of it, working through the brush, keeping the leash from getting tangled up, and having no experience with how to carry a fawn. It's hard enough getting through there even just with the dog. So I let the dog off and used the leash to make a crude harness to help me keep hold of the fawn. Had to take several breaks, even though it was only a few hundred yards. I'm not in terribly good shape, especially not for this altitude. During one break it struck me that my clothes, covered in blood, were a lost cause, and it made me feel a bit guilty just to even think of that.
Was about spent by the time I got up to the house.
Surprisingly Sebastian had followed along the whole way, without even getting distracted as we passed below his friends' houses up on the ridge. Usually if he's off the leash there he's headed straight up the hill (through brush I can't get through at all). But he just followed me right up to the house.
Set the fawn down in the grass and got some water in a bowl, poured some in his mouth. Seemed to respond to that a bit, but still looked like it was in shock. At that point I thought the fawn might just rest up and be able to walk off. Wasn't losing anymore blood, and was breathing well enough. Left it lying there in the shade and went to tie the dog up. As I was walking back, the fawn kicked a few times. I thought it was trying to stand up. Then it died.
I washed up, hosed down my clothes and the leash as best I could, and took the dog back down to get my jacket. Fish and Game is sending someone by to pick up the dead fawn.
Sorry for the crappy story. But that's how my day's been so far.
Just after sunrise I was falling back to sleep and a godawful scream woke me up. Something(s) up the canyon was making a terrible wailing/screeching sound. Couldn't tell what it was, so I put on some shoes and a jacket, and took the dog (Sebastian) to go investigate.
We got to the drift fence (keeps the livestock from "drifting" into areas they shouldn't be) down by the stream and I heard a couple of barks. My dog was pretty agitated, enough that he let out a bark of his own and was pulling at the leash. (He never barks while on leash with me, not even at other dogs.) Came through some bushes and saw 3 dogs there, looked like domesticated dogs, and I don't think they are what Sebastion barked at, he seemed to know them. They took a look at me and ran off up the canyon.
I found a place in the fence up the hill a ways that Sebastian could get through, and then I climbed over. He took off after something so I let him lead. That went nowhere (or nowhere within the range I was willing to go), so we doubled back and I checked around where we had run into the dogs before. Tied Sebastian to the fence and looked around in the bushes a bit.
Almost stepped on the fawn before I saw it. Not sure if the dogs had been on it, or if they had just shown up and chased off whatever had been. The dogs hadn't acted like it was "their" kill, and didn't seem particularly interested in it (neither did Sebastion... obviously as he had just passed it by the first time around) and the deer around here don't seem to have many troubles with the dogs. I think it probably had been a mountain lion.
Whatever it was had caught the fawn just at the fence, and the fawn was too young to cross there with the rest, so had just sat down back in the bushes. Kinda hard to get at. There was a bit of blood, but not a whole lot. I took off my jacket and draped in on the fence, then picked up the fawn thinking I'd at least help it across the fence... having seen some other deer over that way when I first set out.
Once I picked it up I could tell it was tore up pretty good. Scratches near the eye (looked like a cat), tears at the back of the neck, haunches, and most of the tail gone. The thought struck me that maybe I should just put it out of it's misery. But it looked like mostly flesh wounds , and it seemed to be doing ok. Not much blood on it or on the ground. And from experience, putting something out of it's misery when the only thing available is a rock... is really messy, and not as quick or simple as it would seem... definitely to be avoided.
I started to carry it back to the house to wash it up a bit, give it something to drink, and call someone who'd know better what to do. Was having a tough time of it, working through the brush, keeping the leash from getting tangled up, and having no experience with how to carry a fawn. It's hard enough getting through there even just with the dog. So I let the dog off and used the leash to make a crude harness to help me keep hold of the fawn. Had to take several breaks, even though it was only a few hundred yards. I'm not in terribly good shape, especially not for this altitude. During one break it struck me that my clothes, covered in blood, were a lost cause, and it made me feel a bit guilty just to even think of that.
Was about spent by the time I got up to the house.
Surprisingly Sebastian had followed along the whole way, without even getting distracted as we passed below his friends' houses up on the ridge. Usually if he's off the leash there he's headed straight up the hill (through brush I can't get through at all). But he just followed me right up to the house.
Set the fawn down in the grass and got some water in a bowl, poured some in his mouth. Seemed to respond to that a bit, but still looked like it was in shock. At that point I thought the fawn might just rest up and be able to walk off. Wasn't losing anymore blood, and was breathing well enough. Left it lying there in the shade and went to tie the dog up. As I was walking back, the fawn kicked a few times. I thought it was trying to stand up. Then it died.
I washed up, hosed down my clothes and the leash as best I could, and took the dog back down to get my jacket. Fish and Game is sending someone by to pick up the dead fawn.
Sorry for the crappy story. But that's how my day's been so far.
Plenty of black bear here of course.
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