I was awakened Saturday night to what sounded like a tiger fighting a wolf right outside my bedroom window. That’s what it sounded like in my sleep-addled mind, anyway, but as I came to consciousness, I realized it was a cat sitting on my window ledge, growling, hissing and spitting at a coyote trying to get said cat.
I went through the garage, knowing the door out the back of the garage would put me right on top of those squealing, shrieking animals, and the door wouldn’t make enough noise to startle them. But as I was moving toward the back door of the garage, I walked past both our cats, who were looking at me like, “hey, what’s with all the ruckus outside?”
Apparently, the coyote had kicked up a feral cat out on the prairie, and he’d treed it on my bedroom windowsill. If they hadn’t been making such an awful racket, I’d have been tempted to let nature take its course.
I opened the door about the same time someone turned the back porch light on, and the light and the opening door caused both the coyote and the cat to forget about each other for a moment, and they both took off running – in the same direction. I have no idea how long they ran together, but neither one will likely be back anytime soon.
But the whole episode got me thinking maybe I should get a night vision scope for the coyote rifle. You can get a pretty decent digital version for less than $1,000 now. That would give me a better chance of making absolute sure a gutsy coyote – or skunk, raccoon or other critter – would not be back to harass my domestic animals.
The one thing keeping me from getting a night scope, though, is that to see what it will show you, you have to be pointing your gun at whatever it is. Maybe I’ll stick with the Maglite for now. It’s safer, and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper.
