hunting

September 23, 2022

Passing Time

The four-footed one was chasing insects in the grass, making the most of the end of summer. It is safe to say that the insects were not interested in being chased by a large, furry creature. However, given their size, they didn’t have much choice other than to kick in as fast as possible to get away from her.

Those who didn’t get out of her way either got batted around by her paws or, worse, ended up in her mouth. Not that she was going to eat these insects, but she had to know if they were a viable food option.

While the four-footed one was occupied with her insect hunt, Beloved was busy pulling the flowers out of their pots. History has taught us that if we leave them for much longer, they run the risk of getting covered in frost. Since these flowers are near the end of their lives, the first frost will kill them. And the first frost will also turn them slimy once the sun hits them again. It’s much harder to remove them once they are slimy, mostly because they just slip through your grip and ooze around in the dirt and the grass.

July 27, 2020

Skillful Huntress

The four-footed one had spotted her prey long before I had. It was resting on the grass, next to some tall grass. We had started down this path, however, heading in a more westward direction when she suddenly veered off this way. She had probably caught wind of the prey.

As we drew closer, to where I could see what it was, she had lowered her body down in her walk, her steps more deliberate and careful, as if she were judging the ground and the distance. The prey remained unmoved.

When she felt she was close enough and knew the leash wouldn’t pull her back hard, she crouched down lower before pouncing on the poor unsuspecting prey item. She turned back to look at me, as if in triumph, before turning back to take a bite out of her victim with a loud crunching noise.

It seemed like as soon as she did that, a lady came running out of the house, waving her towel at us. Most likely because she was the one who had done the hard work, pulling up the prey. The four-footed one had simply spotted the bunch of carrots on the ground and claimed them as hers. There were probably six carrots in total that she had managed to obtain, plenty more in the dirt waiting to be pulled.

When the lady drew closer, she started laughing as she watched the four-footed one try to gobble up the carrots so they couldn’t be taken away. In the end, the four-footed one ate a whole carrot and I came home with another seventeen freshly pulled carrots, courtesy of the nice lady. But don’t let the four-footed one know this; she thinks she hunted them all on her own!

February 1, 2019

Instincts

Today the four-footed one got n touch with her wild side.  She careful observed the landscape, sight her prey and went after it like a professional.  Of course her prey was already dead.  But still.

Okay so the thing is she found three deceased mice today.  In the yard.  When we don’t have mice.  They were delivered, via air.  Thanks to the local birds.

I’m impressed with her sniffing skills.  And I’m glad I stopped her from actually getting to the poor mice, because heaven knows what disease they may be carrying.  Don’t worry friends, the bodies were disposed of with great respect and care.

Hopefully the air deliveries will stop because mice aren’t really on the menu here.  Although the way the four-footed one behaves, you’d think she’s starved and mistreated.  You’d think she scavenges for every morsel she gets due to no food in the house.

And I know her breed, historically at any rate, was considered to be ideal for getting rid of rodents.  I also know certain things cannot be removed from genetics, nor would I want that as per say.  I just wish she had a fear of mice and such so she’d give them a wide berth.

September 19, 2017

The Hunt Is On

Some people have Easter Egg Hunts in their backyards.  At Easter time. But that’s not how it works at my house.

It isn’t that I planned to have, or not have, any type of hunt in my backyard.  It just sort of happened today.  The four-footed one was the one doing all the hunting.  For peanuts.  Which were hidden by the magpies and crows.  Except I don’t think the birds actually meant to hide anything, rather I think the peanuts were inadvertently dropped by the birds.

And my job?  Well my job was to get the peanuts away from the four-footed one before she ate them.  None of this however was what I had planned to do today.  Of course none of that matters to ether the four-footed or the birds.  And so my plans suddenly included a half hour adventure of hunting for dropped peanuts in our lawn.

After that, well it was a bit of rushing around to get back on schedule, but at least I managed to get extra steps in today!  And yes, it goes to show that our house is a bit unconventional, but that’s okay.  We like it this way!

March 15, 2014

Hunting and Gathering

A friend of ours announced he was on a new nutrition program, he was going to eat as our ancestors did. Being me, I naturally had to ask which ancestors was he referring to when he made this statement.

He rolled his eyes and informed me he was following a more organic way of eating, the hunting and gathering style. I had to excuse myself after he said this, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to contain the giggles threatening to burst out. The were just there, bubbling up when I stepped out and tried to take a deep breath.

I didn’t mean to laugh at him, but this friend doesn’t do physical work or any kind really. Add to this he fact that he is ace ratified city kid who had to be told that vegetables are grown elsewhere and brought to the store and well maybe you could see my issue.

So I had an image of him going out into the fields gathering up grasses and grains, nuts and seeds, not really sure if what he was collecting was edible or not, just hoping it would work. And the thought of him hunting, well let’s just day my abs got a good work out from that fit of laughter!

I know, I know, cruel of me, but again this is a man who doesn’t kill anything at all. So how could he possible manage this lifestyle I wondered.

When I came back into the room it was to hearing my friend explain how he was not actually going to gather anything other than at the store. It was more a case of considering wha the ate and eating that which was natural. Again this gave me pause because if he were to follow this lifestyle based on where we live he’d be giving up a lot of e foods he enjoys simply because they aren’t local in any way at all.

I will give him a few months and then check back to see how he is doing as a hunter and gatherer from the local grocery store!