by Curt Kovener
I have written on several occasions of my enjoyment of the outdoor life in the wilderness.
And Becky and Emma the Great Pyrenees share that interest in the outdoors. Thanks to Emma’s late afternoon walkabouts, they have has taken up hunting… mole hunting.
Actually, Emma does the hunting. Becky just sort of stands and watches the stealth then the attack.
I do not know if they violate any state game laws, but they do hunt without a license. But it is on private property so I do not believe DNR will object.
Emma injured a rear leg (too much running up and down the ridges) and while she is on the mend, we have been walking her on a leash. The livestock guard dog is very content with that until a squirrel makes an appearance. Then we humans must keep a firm grip on the leash.
Emma usually just meanders about looking for the ideal place to relieve herself to “irrigate or fertilize” the property.
And once the calls of nature have been answered, Emma scans the adjacent property and listens carefully. Suddenly she freezes— there is total concentration— while Emma watches for some ground movement. Ever so slightly, the vegetation will move and the Pyre will ever so slowly move towards the underground tunnel producer.
She gets within Pyre paw reach and waits. At some unheard signal she pounces with both front feet, a paw makes a quick dig followed by a nose being buried in the dirt and out comes a fuzzy mole in her mouth.
The hunt now turns to Pyre fun with a live action squeak toy. Needless to say, it does not end well for the mole.
After a successful hunt, Emma gets released from her leash as we have learned she wants to bring her catch up for Willow the cat to see…much like Willow does with her successful small rodent hunts.
Eventually, the non–moving mole no longer holds Emma’s interest and she knocks on the door to come in.
I let her in then quietly go the now deceased mole, and give it am aerial burial toss down the ridge.
That evening as we take Emma out for the final constitutional of the night, she walks right to where the formerly alive play toy was and appears puzzled that it is not where she left it. Looking around and not finding her toy, she sort of gives a dog shrug of the shoulders and moseys off to take care of her business
So far, I don’t think she has reached her possession limit of moles because nature always provides more moles.
I have suggested to Becky that we could save the next few moles Emma brings us so she could cook up their hams and make mole-asses.