The Bobcats Are Coming
West Texas is famous for reclusive animals, badgers and bobcats being two of the best examples.
"Bill" told me this story the other day about an encounter with a bobcat.
You can imagine my surprise the other day when I discovered the source of a weird growling sound coming from outside the house to derive from a gigantic muscular bobcat.
He was on our front porch staring in the sliding glass door.
He stood almost two feet tall, with a beautiful spotted coat, unusually long back legs and large powerful paws and jaws.
His tail was short and bobbed.
He stared into the house totally fearless.
With bright yellow unblinking eyes.
A little confused.
The dog tried ferociously to attack the creature through the glass but it simply crouched unmoving, glaring into the room.
Finally I stuck the dog in the utility room.
Then stared back at the beast for about ten minutes, fascinated, trying to determine between a gun or a video camera.
It was a little unnerving.
I finally decided on the video camera but it was in the truck parked outside.
I thought the animal might be rabid or attack the dog.
He also looked dangerous enough not to attempt a sudden encounter unprotected, so I got the gun.
As I crept out into the yard with the rifle to retrieve the camera the beast, as if divining my intent, ran away from the window and under the truck.
I inched closer, rifle primed, but the cat, perhaps spying the firearm, bounded out into the pasture brush.
I have seen only a few bobcats in my years of living in the country.
To see a live one in the wild that close up was quite a treat.
"Bill" told me this story the other day about an encounter with a bobcat.
You can imagine my surprise the other day when I discovered the source of a weird growling sound coming from outside the house to derive from a gigantic muscular bobcat.
He was on our front porch staring in the sliding glass door.
He stood almost two feet tall, with a beautiful spotted coat, unusually long back legs and large powerful paws and jaws.
His tail was short and bobbed.
He stared into the house totally fearless.
With bright yellow unblinking eyes.
A little confused.
The dog tried ferociously to attack the creature through the glass but it simply crouched unmoving, glaring into the room.
Finally I stuck the dog in the utility room.
Then stared back at the beast for about ten minutes, fascinated, trying to determine between a gun or a video camera.
It was a little unnerving.
I finally decided on the video camera but it was in the truck parked outside.
I thought the animal might be rabid or attack the dog.
He also looked dangerous enough not to attempt a sudden encounter unprotected, so I got the gun.
As I crept out into the yard with the rifle to retrieve the camera the beast, as if divining my intent, ran away from the window and under the truck.
I inched closer, rifle primed, but the cat, perhaps spying the firearm, bounded out into the pasture brush.
I have seen only a few bobcats in my years of living in the country.
To see a live one in the wild that close up was quite a treat.
posted by SnyderTexas.net at 3:42 PM
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