Success!

It finally happened....Our Coyote Ridge trail camera caught a coyote!
We hear them all the time and occasionally spot then on our wooded property, but they just haven't wandered in front of the trail camera....until this past Wednesday evening shortly after 6PM.
The camera took three pictures of it, with these two turning out pretty good. I had to enlarge them, so some of the quality was lost....but they are still acceptable.
Click on the image for a better view.


Success at last!

Cougar Ridge Instead Of Coyote Ridge?

Some weird stuff here at Coyote Ridge of late.
Here is the story....The other night we were letting the dogs out one last time for the night. As usual, we shined the big spotlight around the property to check for monsters.
All of a sudden we spotted these bright gold eyes looking back at us. The animal then looked like it jumped and we lost sight of it.
The next morning Sue looked out the kitchen window and spotted a full size cougar standing in the back yard near the tree line. By the time she grabbed the camera it was gone.
I called the DNR and they said at this point they could not do anything about the cougar.
I just received our trail camera back from the repair facility Friday and had not set it back out yet. If I had had the camera in it's normal hiding place, we would have caught the big cat on "digital film".
The camera is now in it's place and working fine as you can see in this picture of me caught in the headlights.

Not that I am paranoid, but you can see my trusty 9mm holstered on my hip....just in case the 150 pound cat decides to attack!

Please do stay tuned because I think some really cool pictures are about to be created here at Coyote Ridge.

Honoring The Coyote

These are such beautiful animals. Out of respect for them, and the abundance of them here on our property, we named our homestead in their honor.
Sue's brother, Bob, sent this amazing story.

This one is pretty hard to believe, but the pictures pretty much say it all.


Meet the wiliest of all coyotes: Hit by a car at 75mph, embedded in the fender,road for 600 miles - and SURVIVED!
When a brother and sister struck a coyote at 75mph they assumed they had killed the animal and drove on.
They didn't realize this was the toughest creature ever to survive a hit-and-run.
Eight hours, two fuel stops, and 600 miles later they found the wild animal embedded in their front fender - and very much alive.
Daniel and Tevyn East were driving at night along Interstate 80 near the Nevada-Utah border when they noticed a pack of coyotes near the roadside on October 12.
When one of the animals ran in front of the car, the impact sounded fatal so the siblings thought there no point in stopping.
'Right off the bat, we knew it was bad,' Daniel explained. 'We thought the story was over.'


After the incident around 1am, they continued their 600 mile drive to North San Juan - even stopping for fuel at least twice.
But it was only when they finally reached their destination at 9am did they take time to examine what damage they may have sustained.
At first it looked as though it was going to be quite gruesome.
'[Daniel] saw fur and the body inside the grill,' Tevyn East said. 'I was trying to keep some distance. Our assumption was it was part of the coyote - it didn't register it was the whole animal.'
Daniel East got a broom to try and pry the remains out of the bumper and got the shock of his life.
'It flinched,' Tevyn East said. 'It was a huge surprise - he got a little freaked out.'





'We knew it was bad': Tevyn East, who was in the car when it hit the coyote, bends down to take a look at the fur poking through the fender


Fur Pete's sake: What Mr. East spotted as he bent down to inspect the damage to his car - the body of the coyote poking out through the radiator


Wily coyote: The animal's head can be seen as rescuers took apart the front fender to save it after it was struck by the car at 75mph



Miracle escape: As the animal struggled, wildlife protection officials put a loop around its neck to prevent it from further injuring itself

The front of the car is completely taken apart as the coyote begins to wriggle free


And voila! Tricky the toughest coyote ever rests in a cage after its ordeal - which it survived with just some scrapes to its paw


WOW!

Here We Go Again!

Winter time is project time out here at Coyote Ridge. We are keeping to tradition and have at least one major project that has made it from the drawing board to semi-reality.
Last winter we completely re-did the main floor bath. Today we started the demo work on the second floor bath.
Here are a few pictures of the process.



We will be installing ceramic tile above the shower.

The ceiling will be tongue and groove cedar.

We will be installing all new tub and sink water fixtures as well as counter tops. A new mirror and light fixtures should finish off the project....hopefully by Christmas. I will update you along the way, as we make progress.
Tune in again real soon for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Squirrel Doing Tricks

You just never know what you will see when you tune in to this site.
Ladies and gentlemen, today's featured act was caught on my trail camera here at Coyote Ridge.
This little rodent put on quite a show by doing a hand stand for our viewing pleasure. Click on pic for a better view.

Thank you Mr. Squirrel for the entertainment.
Tune in again real soon for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

A Few Questions Answered

I have had several people ask me what kind of camera we are using to take the outdoor pictures. Always aiming to please, I will do my best to explain.

Small enough to fit in your palm, yet big on technology. Lightning-fast trigger speed at less than one second. Multi-image mode can capture one to three images per trigger. Functions up to six months on a single set of four AA batteries or 12 months on eight AA batteries (batteries not included). Day/night autosensor. High-quality, full-color resolution options from 3.0 megapixels to 5.0 megapixels. Crisp VGA videos at 16 fps and QVGA video at 20 fps. Programmable video lengths from one second to 60 seconds. Interval trigger is programmable for between one-second and 60-minute shots. It has 24 infrared nightvision LEDs with a flash range out to 45 ft. The PIR sensor is motion-activated out to 45 ft. and it has adjustable settings (low/med/high). Time-lapse mode. Adjustable web belt and 1/4-20 socket. Functions in extreme temperatures from -5°F to 140°F. SD card slot with a 2GB capacity. Includes a FREE 512MB SD memory card.
Camo Pattern: Realtree® AP HD®

How about that for a cut and paste description right off Cabela's website?

I have been very impressed with the camera so far. I am even considering purchasing another one to place somewhere else out here at Coyote Ridge.

Tune in again real soon for other edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Look What The Trail Camera Caught!

The camera caught me red handed...red handed squirrel that is.


As always, you may click on the images to enlarge them.
After catching the squirrel (with bare hands of course) I snapped it's neck and deposited it's carcass in front of the camera.
The first visitor looked a bit curious.



Once dark set in, our normal visitors started coming out.


Then the party started.....


I have no idea what happened to the dead squirrel. We were in hopes that a coyote would venture into camera range and find a meal.

I will just have to grab another squirrel and see what happens tonight.

Stay tuned for another exciting tale on "Now What Are They Doing?"