The Predators

The “Predators”

          The dogs were restless as they anticipated Saturday’s hunt.  Big Baby was so excited she jumped into the trunk of the car herself.  The dawn’s crisp air was invigorating with a light breeze flowing down Slate Canyon.  Butch drove the dogs to the base of the canyon at the trail head and let them out.  They immediately had their noses to the ground and the hunt was on in earnest.  Gracie was from a strong genetic line of Dachshunds that were instinctively born to battle.  Her mother and grandmother loved the thrill of the pursuit and were very effective.  She instinctively held her nose to the ground and was bent on finding a strong scent.  On the other hand Big Baby was still a pup and always followed Gracie but was not that interested or focused.  She was a much bigger dog than Gracie and was gifted with great athletic talent.  She was aggressive, quick, and had great leaping ability.  After the group had progressed about a hundred feet the pups were busy tracking varmints and Butch looked up the trail and saw immediate danger as a large black and white Collie loomed on the horizon.  Its owner likewise sensed a confrontation and quickly put it on a leash.  However, the pups saw the Collie and they began to charge.  Butch instinctively grabbed Big Baby and held her as tight as he could.  Dachshunds, by their nature, are fearless and will attack dogs two or three times their size.  Gracie sensed Big Baby had been stopped and reacted to Butch's command to abort the fight.  She backed off and Butch got Big Baby under control long enough for the Collie and its owner to pass.  They proceeded up Slate Canyon for a ways and then headed on the upper trail above the fire road.  The mountain side was unusually green and beautiful as it was covered by weeds and grass about five to six inches tall.  The low ground cover gave Butch an unusually good view of the dogs as they chased Quail up and down the mountain.  They passed the foxes den as the morning sun rose into a clear blue sky as it erased the early shadows that blanketed the slopes.  The Foxes moved higher up the mountain earlier in the year but the pups were in a fever pitch as they picked up the still strong musky scent.  They continued to move along the trail when a Pheasant gave an early morning cackle.  The dogs heard the noise and they were off and running at full speed.  The noise had come from above the trail and the dogs were right on it.  The frightened rooster hunkered down for a few seconds until it was almost too late.  It finally exploded from the ground with a furious rush of its’ wings.  The dogs chased it for a while until it got too high and outdistanced their pursuit.  A strip of darkened fur stood up on their backs as they returned triumphantly from their success.  As they progressed south towards Hobble Creek, it became very quiet and serene.  They were totally cut off from the frantic and hectic city life.  They passed an old mine which the dogs immediately had to explore.  There were a lot of rattlesnakes in the area and Butchwas concerned there may be a nest of them somewhere curled up in the obsolete mine shaft.

 It took a lot of yelling, whistling, and coaxing to get the dogs out but, Butch persisted and they finally responded.  They then proceeded a little higher on the trail to a narrow area that was on the edge of a very steep cliff and a long vertical drop.  Butch was startled by a large shadow that passed above his head.  He looked up and saw a great bird which on first glance looked like a Raven or Crow.  However, as it got closer it had the same color and size as a Golden Eagle.  Without warning, Big Baby gave a furious guttural growl and jumped three feet in the air as another bird came swooping up at her from the face of the cliff.  Then Butch turned around and a third bird came down out of the sky at a full attack speed at Gracie.  Butch yelled and Big Baby deflected its flight in mid-air with another heroic leap.  Butch started throwing rocks and tried to keep track of the location of the dogs.  The birds regrouped and two of them lit at the top of two huge high power lines about thirty feet west of the trail.  The third was circling around Butch and the dogs.  Once the birds were finally stopped on the poles he could see their bodies were golden brown but their heads were red.  He knew in an instant that they were carnivorous raptors, (Cathartes Aura), or “Turkey Buzzards.”  They hunted for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses especially vision.  They had robust bodies and broad wings.  The poles they were on must have been over one hundred foot high which gave them a visual command of the entire mountain side.  The frisky dogs had now become the prey.  It was unnerving for Butch to see the third bird circling and stalking.  He immediately picked up Gracie and carried her as she was the smallest of the dogs. Big Baby stayed close to Butch and seemed oblivious to the dangerous situation they were facing.  It didn’t seem to matter where the group went, because the Buzzards had their eyes glued on them and they could mount an attack at any time.  On the next turn of the trail, Bailey spotted the old mine entrance and he raced furiously for the opening with Big Baby out in front.  Once in the mine they all rested and their hearts got back to a normal beat.   After a while Butch ventured outside and to his relief the birds had left their perches on the pole and had flown somewhere else to hunt easier prey.  The group then proceeded north to Slate Canyon and the safety of their car. 

    (See pictures of birds and dogs below)    Copyright Gandy Dancer: April 22, 2010