Y2K Surprise

In what has now turned out to be the last day in the year 2000 that I was able to hunt.  I'd sat beneath a scrub piñon tree overlooking a fairly wide valley with good sage brush cover for coyotes to make their approach.  After nearly 8 minutes of calling with no customers, I thought to myself, "this spot just looks too good to not produce..."  So I allowed an extra minute or two of silence, gave a long locator type howl, and went back to my distress call.  Just moments later, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, as a varmint stalked me from shrub to shrub.  But what appeared at only 7 paces away from me when it cleared the last sage brush was this badger.   Not what I'd expected at all.  The clicking of the camera shutter didn't bother this guy and, when I put the camera down (I was a little nervous having a healthy, hungry badger this close) he bowed up like he was ready for a fight.  But pointing the business end of my Savage 24F at him and softly speaking the words, "Don't you do it."  Changed his attitude and his direction.

27Dec2000