On our way back from Ouray, we went on through Ridgway, Placerville, Sawpit, Telluride, Mountain Village, Rico and Dolores. Between Ridgway and Placerville, we drove up the road alongside Alder Creek. There's a very pretty ranch in that canyon near the highway and then, several miles up the canyon, where the road gets up on the mesas, there are a number of new, very large houses.
Less than a quarter-mile from where one of those new homes is being constructed, on the opposite (west) side of the canyon, Sandy saw a coyote in an open area on the slope of a ridge. We stopped to photograph it (below). Suddenly three more coyotes burst out of the brush at the lower edge of the open area, in hot pursuit of a doe. They all, but for the one shown, disappeared over the crest of the ridge.
Soon, however, the doe came racing back around the shoulder of the range with the coyotes close behind her. She angled down below the lone coyote and tried to escape down the steep, wooded hillside above Alder Creek on the west. About two-thirds of the way down, the coyotes caught up with the doe. They confronted in a shadowy open spot among the trees. From our distant viewpoint, it looked like she was holding them at bay. Then she broke free, disappearing down through the brush to the iced-over stream. I couldn't see them, but I could hear the ice breaking as she thrashed around in the streambed. There was a single squeal from the doe, then silence. No further sign was seen or heard.
I assumed the coyotes had run down and killed the doe; I was convinced of it when I saw my pictures from the standoff. They, in fact, show that the deer was down and at least one coyote was biting her throat.
Through it all, the lone coyote above ran back and forth as the action traveled below, but stayed up on top. A sentinel? Too young to hunt? Too old or injured to hunt?
I've never seen a chase and takedown like this before. Even though I know the carnivores were just doing what carnivores have to do, I would have probably tried to shout or otherwise intervene if I'd been closer. Kinda disturbing to watch. tv
3 comments:
The lone, " sentry" was probably a cut off man, if the doe turned back up hill, there was another surprise awaiting.... hunger rules in the animal kingdom....
Good point; you're probably right. It was a well-organized chase and I had the feeling partway through of watching a train wreck in progress ... the outcome seemed more and more certain.
I know this is part of the cycle of life and you told the story well. Nice photos. I heard it was 15 degrees in Newberry this a.m.!
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