When I got up this morning I looked out the front window as is my custom to see if anything was going on. I noticed a doe deer standing across the road intently looking down the mountain. I waited to see what she was looking at and as I waited I noticed a baby fawn right near her but it had not moved and was being very still. All to far away to get a photo. After several minutes with the mother being on high alert she suddenly took off down the mountain.
I couldn't see what she was after but a couple minutes later she came back and took her little fawn in the opposite direction. Then I noticed two coyotes heading away from where she had gone. Clearly they did not want to mess with mama and for good reason. They had been following her and she was aware of it and had led her fawn to a safe place and sent a message to the coyotes that they fully understood.
We have only seen this behavior one other time when we were out for a walk and saw a coyote running for its life. A doe was right behind it and overtook the coyote and pounced on the coyote with all four hooves. At one point in the attack the coyote flipped up in the air upside down about 8' high. The mama went back to her baby and it was all the coyote could do to limp off and stay upright. If that coyote lived I bet it never went after another baby when it was with the mama. We have seen this scenario play out two times in 24 years and both times the coyote ended up on the short end of the stick.
I would love to have gotten that on video but it was to far away and partly out of sight.
1 comment:
I bet that was a sight to see! I love and try to understand all animals, but deer have to be so cautious - man is probably the most dangerous predator, but maybe not. Don't threaten a mama when it comes to her babies. My four "babies" are all over 45 yrs old, and I have the same maternal instinct!
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