A little before sunrise this morning Dad and Mom heard our rat terror barking, and thus the beginning of a ton of excitement. They raced out the front door because we had seen coyotes two days ago, and one even ran through our front yard. (That has never happened before that we know of.) They took the situation in in one second, and yelled “Coyotes” loud enough that the whole house was woken. The three youngsters climbed straight out of bed and sped to the front door. Nathan didn’t even have his gun, so we all told him, “Get your gun.” He ran and got his 30-06, and loaded it as he sprinted to the front door. We were all out there intently watching the coyotes who seemed to be out on a morning jaunt about seventy-five yards from the house in Piper’s pasture. Meanwhile, Yip Yap barked his earsplitting, growl bark. Nathan ran down the front steps in his bare feet, and leaned up against a pillar of the porch. He aimed, and said “It’s gonna be loud.” In the next moment, there was a tremendous explosion, and the rat terrier high tailed it for cover. The offending coyote seemed to have a dislocated jaw and a few other things, and was unable to make his getaway. A loud cheer arose and clear from the spectators, and Dad said, “You actually got him!” To some the excitement was over, due to the fact that it was 25 degrees outside, and they weren’t wearing enough clothes for the conditions. However, Nathan and the recovered Yip Yap made haste to the bloody coyote. Sleep still sticking to his face, Nathan rolled under the fence, sprinted down the pasture, and soon he was back with the trophy. All in all, it was a rude but extremely happy awakening for one boy. This event was an eye opener for all women involved. Numerous blow by blow reruns of this historic event were recounted in the hour following the massacre. They now realize the importance of careful dissection of traumatic events of this type. It helps the involved ladies understand that hunting is a right of passage that marks when some young man passes from boyhood to a adulthood. The hunting instinct in young man is somewhat similar to the nesting instinct in most women. When viewed in this perspective, it gives females more sympathy for those affected by this ailment.(Nathan plans to take it over to Ethan and Chadwin this afternoon to help skin it, since they seem to have a license. In the past months, Chadwin and Ethan have butchered: a road kill coyote, a armadillo, a possum, many birds, etc, etc.)
