Wildlife

"O give me a home, where the buffalo roam, and the deer

and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,(except right now in my household with fighting chidren) and the skies are not cloudy all day.

No I do not sing off key. I may not sing well but it isn't off key. It may not be beautiful and especially not quiet since I have my Grandfather's voice that could rattle the windows but never off key. I'll hush now though and tell you about the photos.

I've been watching these two does, one with a single fawn, and the other one with triplets. I keep hoping to catch them nearer the road but alas, no luck.
If I go off road, they see me coming on the wide open plains and beat a pretty fast retreat.

We giggle when tourist ask what kind of animal it is that the rancher's are raising and they are referring to Pronghorn Antelope which roam wild. But, really it isn't such a dumb question when you consider that the buffalo are raised behind fences though the barrier is just a suggestion as to where you want them for really they'll go where they please fences or not. Just ask the managers of the two buffalo ranches near town. They have a migratory plan for the buffalo and try to stay ahead of the bison opening gates before they open them on their own. Yeah, bison don't open them so neatly and that means a repair job.

If they have been to Sheridan at the Lion's Park, bison and elk graze in a pasture set aside for them. (This is a cow which means female elk.)

It's right in the middle of town so really how could a tourist know that the antelope roam free behind fences. Now if you know antelope, you would know that they try to go under the fences, not over them like deer but if no other choice, they will jump one. Since they run fast up to 65mph, they also don't look for cover but want to be out in the wide open where they can see their enemies coming.Isn't this bull elk beautiful all in velvet? I'm referring to his horns. They have a fuzzy covering on them that he will rub off on brush and trees. Yes, the trees do suffer.Okay, she's hardly considered wild game but the neighbors hen has been roaming free and hatched up these cute little ones four or five days ago. I've been feeding her and trying to encourage her to take her little ones into an empty shed of ours. I was making some progress as I was feeding her just outside it but today, I was disheartened when this morning I didn't see any chicks with her. I was afraid of that. The cats probably dined on them. One I know drowned in the goats waterer but the others just disappeared.

I've always wanted a hen to hatch out chicks for me but no one has been willing to do the task. I guess I don't know how to cross my toes and fingers correctly. What's the problem? I've too tried having a hen or two run loose. In fact, Mildred has been doing just that for over a year now. She's a Cochin and that breed is known to be very broody. I don't think she even lays eggs. I haven't found any. She even has a rooster from the neighbors to ablige in the fertility department but no doing. Of course both my neighbors have hens that run loose and hatch eggs.

I guess I'm destined to be without chicks unless I do it myself. I must be related to the Little Red Hen in the story book.