Stag-ered

Posted on November 11, 2019 by TJ

Areas downstate are getting quite a bit of snow today–up to 7 inches, the last I heard. Along the Lake Michigan coast to the west of us, there is a Winter Storm Warning. They are getting heavy lake-effect snow–up to 10 inches of additional snow is forecasted. We are under a Winter Storm Advisory starting this evening with 4-8 inches of snow expected but today we’ve had blue-ish skies smiling at us. I confess I sometimes chuckle because when we told people we were moving north, most of them said, “Oh! It’s so beautiful up there…but I sure would hate to live there in the winter!” Honestly, I think areas downstate get bad weather through the year more frequently than we do. So far, that is. We did hear that the year before we moved here, winter temperatures dipped to -40 degrees (F).

Image by PublicDomainImages from Pixabay

This morning a doe came up to the house to eat from the feeders. When Hannah Joy saw her, she barked and muttered threats under her breath. The doe ran a few feet away and then stood indecisively for a couple moments before trotting off over the hill to the east. A few minutes later, a magnificent buck (the word “stag” comes to mind) galloped right across the yard, obviously in pursuit of the doe. His head was down as if it was scenting her and he was following in her trail, only a few yards from the house. It was a thrilling sight.

When I told EJ about it later, he asked me how many points the buck had. I told him that I was so startled and so thrilled to see the buck that I didn’t count. Maybe he was six-pointed. Maybe eight. I don’t know. But his antlers looked like tree branches stuck on his head.

We are “friends” with many local and regional groups and pages at Facebook. They keep us updated on local news and events as well as weather and traffic conditions. In our little town’s FB group today someone shared that her “grandson had a large cat-like animal cross in front of his truck” just on the other side of town last night–about 2-3 miles from us–and other local residents shared their cougar sightings. That is totally cool. I would love to see a cougar, or bobcat, or bear as long as don’t threaten us or our pets. When I walked down to the road to the mailbox today, I tried to observe the various tracks in the snow. I saw several kinds, but no large paw prints.

There are times I wish I could get a security or trail camera. I’d love to see what critters are crossing our property, hidden from our view.