I was bushhogging the big field down below the house just before dark, and looked up ahead just in time to see a fair-sized bobcat casually loping across the field just ahead of me. Got a pretty good look at him - very dark colored on his back, with lighter fur and dark spots along his sides and belly.

Really neat to see one of those beautiful critters running free instead of asleep in a cage somewhere.

About a week back I woke up to a bobcat yowling towards the back of our property. Since we have a brave (but sometimes foolish) Border Collie/Red Heeler mix, I wandered out to check on things, as he was barking pretty good.

Well, foolish he might be at times, but he knew better than to visit that cat! He tried his darndest to get me involved, by dashing forward a few feet then turning back to urge me into the fray, but I wasn’t having any of it either. So he allowed as to how he was going to stick by me and protect us both by woofing in the general direction of the noise. That bobcat entertained us with a few more shrieks, then drew the curtain after its last bow.

A year or so earlier we had a mountain lion roam through the property late of one evening, and that dog was smart enough to hide in a small furrow in the yard. Apparently he knows when discretion is the better part of valor. Soon as I opened the door to check on things he dashed between my legs, into the bedroom, and clean under the bed. Me being a slow learner and all, this obvious good information didn’t make enough of an impression to further my education, so I sauntered out in all my armored glory, which consisted of boxer shorts and muck boots, armed with a KelTec P32 of all things (don’t laugh, it was loaded and close to hand).

About the time I crossed the back lawn and hit the driveway, the darn cat rose up from behind one of the trees in our orchard and took off, headed east. I clearly recall that he was bigger than I expected (although I don’t know exactly what I was expecting) and that he stood out pretty well in the moonlight, light colored as he was. I myself swapped ends and headed west into the house, all the while watching for any rear guard action by a feline with felonious intent. Made it inside and rewarded myself with a tumbler of rum. The dog got a few biscuits, and we settled in after a job well done. We survived with all our parts intact and our pride relatively intact. The chickens out in the coop all made it through the night as well, even fending for their own darned selves!

Otony