Note: I got a very, very short piece written today. I've literally no time to do much of anything this past week, mostly due to college, but also due to other projects (like picking up 800 square feet of hardwood floors). But, I got somethin' written, still!

Driving north up North Ranch Road, which follows along the western side of the Ken Caryl Hogback, I noticed two mule deer standing stiff as boards in the shade of a red cedar tree, on the crest of a hill about 200 yards away. This was unusual, as the deer would usually be laying in the stubble or browsing for food, but those two deer were doing neither of that. They were on high alert, staring at something that I could not see, their heads and ears held high. 

Since I couldn’t see whatever it was they could, I decided to pull over and park at the hogback trailhead and check things out. I knew that whatever was out there probably wouldn’t be interested in me, especially if I stayed in the Xterra. But after several minutes of watching these two petrified deer, a doe and her yearling fawn, staring at a seemingly empty spot in the grass, I got out of the Xterra with my camera gear and bear spray in-hand, and headed their way. 

About a quarter of the way up the hogback, I finally saw some movement within the grass, spooking both me and the deer. Whatever it was blended in very well with the grass, at least until it lifted its head to glance at me. It was a massive coyote, stalking up to the deer thinking he could take them on. He only looked at me for a second before turning his attention back to the deer, where he put his head and ears low as he crept towards them. But, the deer knew exactly what the coyote was up to, and the doe in particular was not having it. 

When the coyote was about fifty yards from the deer, the doe pinned her ears and charged at the coyote. The coyote barely had any time to react before she was on top of him, stomping him with her two front hooves! I struggled to get my camera to focus in on the doe as she attacked the coyote, who yipped every time her cloven hooves made contact with his body. 

After taking several good beatings, the coyote was able to put some distance between himself and the angry doe, by sprinting towards the hogback with his tail between his legs, while the doe continued to chase after him, ears pinned in anger. Meanwhile, the fawn cantered behind its mom as she charged after the terrified coyote, who was desperately booking it to the sandstone rimrock. While this fiasco unfolded before my eyes, I finally got my camera to take a handful of pictures, one of which actually turned out very well!

Through the viewfinder of my camera, I watched the coyote scamper up the first section of rimrock, finally escaping the angry doe. He zig-zagged up the sandstone ledges until he crested the hogback and disappeared into the red and orange Gambel oaks. At the base of the hogback, the doe turned around, still with her ears pinned, to reunite with her fawn.

Neither deer cared that I was about fifty yards behind them, shivering from the excitement. I wasn’t ever scared, or worried that any of the animals would turn on me. I was just in awe that I got to see such a thing unfold before my very eyes. Especially that early on in the hike!