I chased two of them away at 9:00 and then sat in the garden and just listened to their cries in the dark distance. It seemed like something from a horror movie sound track, but it was in our back yard! Even though it was kind of cool to see them so close, I was hoping they wouldn’t be back. But at 11:30, Angel, our Great Pyrenees guardian dog, was frantic again, so I got up to investigate. I spotted movement behind the goat pen, just past the edge of the spotlights’ reach in the yard. I yelled at my husband, ‘They’re back, bring a light!’ and ran to the backdoor barefooted, but with my weapon…I had prepared myself since the initial sighting at 9:00 and I was determined!
I had to drop the flashlight because my hands were full, but I knew the general direction of their location. I was running towards them in the dark in just an oversized nightgown, with my turkey roasting pan in one hand high above my head, slamming it with my big metal spoon in the other hand and screaming and whaling like a banshee. For a moment, I thought, maybe there are MORE than the two that had arrived earlier. Maybe they would attack a HUMAN. It’s mating season and they are more aggressive right now. But I couldn’t think that way, I had to run toward them to make THEM afraid of ME. I had to protect the goats. I focused on the dark. I huffed and puffed and ran as far and as fast as I could before my shortness of breath and the cold air left me heaving and doubled over at the edge of the wheat field. Of course, my thoughts turned to my husband now, where was he? Maybe it was only seconds, but it seemed to be taking WAY too long to get his shoes on! He finally came to my rescue and brought the spotlight. He shined the light along the tree line and we could see the glow of the yellow eyes looking back at us from the farthest corner of the property. A few more bangs and yells in their direction sent them over the hill to the back fields. With another scan of the tree line, we decided it was all clear and went towards the house and let Beans and Barney (our outdoor barn cats) slip into the garage. Neither goat nor kitty would be on the menu at our house tonight.
I couldn’t sleep after that. I was afraid they would be back again. I stayed up and nervously waited and watched until 2 am, then reluctantly turned it over to the dog. It was her job after all, and she was good at it. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamed about eyes watching the house from the tree line. They glowed bright yellow, just like the coyotes’ eyes last night. 6 pairs of them.
Today, I am buying ammunition for the 20 gauge. After work, of course. I think that will be more effective than a turkey pan and big spoon.
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