Burbank Deer

Vaughn McMillan

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Saw this young guy as I was pulling into the parking lot at the office this afternoon.

Diskeeper Deer 1 - 800.jpg

He was right by the gate to our parking lot, having lunch. (It was about 2:45 PM.) This is about 100 yards from a main street (Glenoaks Blvd.) and about 150 yards from the I-5 freeway. There is about a quarter mile of condos between this spot and the undeveloped area he surely came down from at the top of the hill.

All of this just a couple miles from Beautiful Downtown Burbank.
 
Wonder if the fires are driving them to find new spots...

Is it my imagination, or is there only one antler on that guy?
 
Wonder if the fires are driving them to find new spots...

Is it my imagination, or is there only one antler on that guy?
I've seen them grazing there before, so I don't think it had to do with the fires. This is just the first time I had a camera handy. I think they like the fresh grass in the landscaped areas more than the dry brush up the hill. Lots of critters around here. I've seen coyotes walking up the street through the condos (next to the office) in the middle of the day. The park at the end of the street (also next to the condos) even has signs that say "Danger! Rattlesnakes". It always amazes me when I see the amount of wildlife that lives in the middle of a huge city.

And you're not seeing things, he's only got the one antler.
 
I had to stop twice on the road the other night in a 1 mile stretch.

First stop was for some Mule deer and their babies that wanted to cross the road.

Next a few hundred yards down was the local 8 pack of 'wild' horses that decided to travel down the very well traveled fence lined road for some reason :rolleyes:

When we first moved in, the lady across the street was feeding the wild horses 2 times, and sometimes 3 times a day. There must have been 50 or more of them at one time. That is until one of the neighbors got some of the Indians from the nearby reservation to come in and round them up. There was a lot of drama that weekend, but at least I don't have to shovel up tons of horse manure off my lawn...

Wild horses are a bit controversial here in Nevada. I've got mixed emotions on them. I like seeing them, but sometimes around highways they can be dangerous, and they also crowd out some of the more native species.

And then of course we have the coyotes, snakes, and rabbits. And there is something using a pile of sand I have as a bathroom. Must be a cat of some sort, but I've never seen it.

Ahh, then there are the quail and chukars. Tons of both of them.

I'm not complaining. I LOVE seeing the wildlife here. It's one of the reasons I moved!
 
While on the way to Phoenix last Friday night, we almost hit a deer standing about 2 feet onto the pavement--and just as a car was coming from the other direction. David slammed on the brakes and fortunately, the deer reversed course and bounded back off to the right side of the highway, out of the path of danger. It took several miles for both of us to get our breathing and heartbeats down to normal.

I haven't seen any coyotes around our house, although neighbors claim to have seen them. We have a couple of skunks around every summer, who decide to leave their marks at 3:00 a.m.!

Here's the little guy who was in my front yard the other day.

IMG_1498.jpg

Yep, that's a roadrunner, state bird of New Mexico. I had to snap the picture quickly, as he was wary of the human. I used to have a pair of them living in the cacti in front of my house--one of them would come onto the back patio and peck at the glass door. I see them regularly all over town, especiallly in the office park where I used to work. Their nests/homes are being destroyed with all of the new buildings going up. It's sad--soon we'll see them only in pictures.
 
Roadrunners are very cool. Sorry to see their numbers are declining. I used to see them pretty regularly when I was working at the ABQ airport, and out in the open spaces south of there. (I used to go play in my Jeep on my lunch breaks.) :D

When I lived in Albuquerque I never did see or hear a coyote, and I used to spend a lot of time on both the east and west mesas. I think they all moved to LA. You can't swing a cat in my neighborhood without hitting (and feeding) a coyote. They're loud, too. Some nights you can hear the howling as if they're right across the street. (Because they are...on the hill just across the street.) They don't really worry us -- any of our three dogs could take on a coyote and win, and they stay inside most of the time anyway.
 
WE have always been able to see deer from the house of course, (this is very rural), but lately the deer are literally in our backyard. The coyotes are pushing them closer and closer to peoples houses. Last year was real brutal as the snow was so deep (197 inches over the winter) and the hunters could not hunt the coyotes so the deer came in. You could see them bedded down 20-30 yards from the house.

In some ways I did not help the deer as I was cutting wood. The deer would get on nice packed trails and have fallen trees (with buds and limbs) to browse on) but the coyotes would circle these areas and then pounce. This spring I went back to see how the area looked without4 feet of snow, and the stench from rotting deer carcasses drove me out. The coyotes wiped out 30% of the deer population in Mainelast year because of the heavy snowfall. :(
 
Vaughn McMillan said:
They're loud, too. Some nights you can hear the howling as if they're right across the street. (Because they are...on the hill just across the street.) They don't really worry us -- any of our three dogs could take on a coyote and win, and they stay inside most of the time anyway.

vaughn you might be surprized! think about the size of a raccoon and they can take out coon hounds if they get the right hold.. coyotes are like athletes they depend on there physical condition for sustance and our dogs dont.. they are less likely to take on a large dog true just becasue the other things are easier.. but if they had a one on one battle with most dogs they would probally win.. but like i said ewarlier our larger breeds are safe ,, its the mop dogs that are in danger,, they can be supper easily.
 
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I live out and of course we have wildlife. Twice I have seen a doe jump the fence, head down chase my dog across the yard. Then I will saw her fawn she was protecting. :thumb:

Coyotes, deer, coons, fox, etc are not everyday sites but we see them.

There have been rumors for years that there is panther in the area. Yes, long tailed black cat. The stories have come from people I trust. My father had a neighbor that said he saw one. My dad said if that man said it, it was true. Our vet has a neighbor that saw one in his carport, ect. Enough stories I think there is at least one. Game Wardens official line is there is no conformation. Unofficially if you know one, they believe we have at least one in the area too.

4 or 5 years ago when we were building the house I was working down here after dark. The house didn't have all the doors in at that time. I am on a ladder pulling wire and I hear a cat scream at the barn. I assumed it was two Tom Cats about to fight. You know how they can let out some really loud screams. A few minutes latter I hear it again and it's closer. And I thought, that is not a domestic cat? I kept working, then I heard it again.

OK, that is getting closer and that is not kitty cat! I am thinking Bob Cat. A few more minutes same thing. Closer and blood curdling scream. I get off the ladder and and listen and this time it is in edge of the yard. That scream intimidates me!

About that time my wife drives up, she comes in and tell her to be quite and listen. Just hoping she will hear it. He screams one more time and is in the back yard right right behind the house. The look on her face is close to fear. Scariest sound I have ever heard in the woods. I assume it was just a Bob Cat because they are around here. But I will say I wanted no part of that kitty cat!
 
vaughn you might be surprized! think about the size of a raccoon and they can take out coon hounds if they get the right hold.. coyotes are like athletes they depend on there physical condition for sustance and our dogs dont.. they are less likely to take on a large dog true just becasue the other things are easier.. but if they had a one on one battle with most dogs they would probally win.. but like i said ewarlier our larger breeds are safe ,, its the mop dogs that are in danger,, they can be supper easily.
Our smallest dog has a couple inches and probably about 20 pounds (of muscle) on any of the coyotes I've seen around here, so I suspect in a one-on-one situation, the coyote would turn tail and run. If they did fight, a coyote might inflict some damage, but I think it would lose.

Raccoons have a bit of advantage in in a dog fight, since they are short and stout. They can come up under a dog's throat easier than another dog (or coyote) can. I had our small dog chase a trio of coons out of the neighbor's yard one night a year or so ago. She's very good on voice commands, so I was able to have her go after the coons, but then back off when they started getting defensive. The neighbor was impressed when I yelled "Leave It!" and the dog stepped away from the coons. She cornered them a few times that way until they got to a spot where they could take off into the woods.
 
Dogs don't stand a chance against a coyote. Dogs are dumb, while coyotes must exercise their minds if they are going to eat. We all watched Wiley Coyote get pummeled show after cartoon show because his Acme products failed, but that is a cartoon. In real life a coyote is a smart, sophisticated hunter that can prey on anything if determined.It deserves respect even if we dislike them for what they do.

The only reason LGD's work is because they can talk a coyote's talk. They are canines after all, and its an understanding...'these are my sheep, you are better off going elsewhere to find a meal', but don't be swayed...if faced with starvation a coyote can get at any sheep, protected by a LGD or not and as you know Great Pyrenees got the first part of their name from their size. Its the same with Llamas and Donkeys, they merely let the coyote know that they are present and that an easier meal can be had elsewhere.

I have a lot of respect for the coyote because they can easily avoid hunting dogs, and even team up with other coyotes if they need help in obtaining prey (like sheep protected by LGD's). They simply have one coyote distract the LGD while the other grabs the lamb. They share the meal then go their separate ways, only to hunt alone or together if needed.

Another interesting aspect of coyotes is that they breed according to population density. If the coyote density per square mile is low, they have multiple births to compensate. If they are thick, they simply have single births. No one really knows how they do this, but they do . Its one of the reasons why heavily hunting coyotes does notwork...they simple breed back to compensate. Hunting, in conjunction with LGD's, baiting and good fences REDUCES sheep losses, but its not a stand alone measure to stop it.
 
Jeff you post we as too long to quote but I can relate. The best time to bait-hunt coyotes here is in January when the winter is at its coldest and the coyotes have thick pelts that are not shedding, nor have more fur yet to grow.

Bait hunting takes two people because of how wiley these darn creatures are. We like to use calfs that died on the farm and place them in this big field on a moon-filled night. The coyotes will come in circling. One person hides within sight of the bait but more then likely he won't get a shot off. In a way he is bait for the bait.

That's because the coyotes will circle the field sniffing the air and the ground until they smell the tracks you made to drop the bait off. Then the coyotes start tracking the first hunter. It is a true "the hunter becomes the hunted". If you are lucky, you buddy is watching your back and sees the coyotes hunting you and gets a shot off.

Its probably one of the most intense hunts a person can go on. Its freezing cold, you are essentially hunted in return and its a matching of wits and hunting skills on an equally savy predator. But brother, you better believe it is a hair raising experience, listening to those coyotes circling around you on a cold, crisp moonlit night with their howls and footfalls only yards away from you. It will scare the living feathers out of you for sure and it takes sheer willpower to stand there and wait. (assuming you are the first hunter). Its equally hair raising for the second hunter, but he had better be a good shot because long distance shots are part of the game.

In the end you are rewarded with one of the most lush pelts imaginable. It's intense, but fun.
 
There was a lady with a Newfoundland aroud here that lost it last year to the coyotes.

This Newfie was named 'Bear'. Granted, it was a bit older, but the coyotes took it down.

Granted they coyotes are typically pretty shy, but if push came to shove, I wouldnt' doubt that in a fight they'd either kill or badly hurt my bucky. Currently she's probably 60 lbs, fast as greased lightning, strong as an ox, and barky as all get out :rolleyes:

The Scheels and Cabelas stores here have stuffed coyotes on display and I'm always surprised at how scrawny and small they look. I've had them stare me down before outside. I don't trust them.
 
Vaughn, deer in populated areas is becoming a widespread problem. Some towns are allowing bow hunting right in cities. Others won't do anything and the car/deer accident rate is skyrocketing.
Nancy, very luck and unusual to get a picture of a road runner. We have some around here and I can attest to the fact they can run.
Travis, et al, raccoons are a problem everywhere. They killed one of my wife's cats, tear into trash, etc. I'll turn on a backyard light and shoot them whenever possible. Some are very large. We have coyotes but numbers have dwindled in recent years due to new restrictions on how turkey farmers must dispose of dead birds. Supposedly we have mountain lions but I have never seen one.
Rural living is wonderful but nature sometimes must be kept in balance by man.
 
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