Guest Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 I feel a stakeout coming on... 'Tex is this Kill Zone 2? I remember the first KZ which stopped getting fresh carcasses when you made an inquiry with the city/county about possible dumping there. But if I recall correctly there was another spot not that far from KZ1 where you saw several carcasses show up as well. Is this new kill zone KZ 2 or a totally new area? Despite the remoteness of the location, I would have to assume that any grouping of carcasses would have to be attributed to the same gov. workers responsible for similar behavior at KZ1. If they stopped dumping them there, my first inclination is that they are dumping them somewhere else - even if it's harder to get into. I'd want to completely rule that out before jumping to other conclusions. That being said, I thought I remembered on the old thread a few people postulating that big cats can create 'kill zones' like this one, choosing to eat their prey in the same area all the time. The funnel area is a great spot for any predator to catch a meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 This would be KZ-2.5, near KZ-2.....not sure all are being killed there, but is not really my point, some are, and all are being eaten by something in this area. If it is part dumping, poaching, and natural predation, the area is certainly 'on the radar' for various animals to come in and eat what's left for them. The only roads that could be used for dumping are not very close, and I doubt someone is carrying these dead animals back into the forest........which means they are being dragged/carried by the animal consumers? Most are Deer, and they are heavy.........must be strong, whatever is taking them to this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 It's been hot and dry, not good for finding sign or tracks of anything. Found one interesting 'track' yesterday though. I was hiking on an established game trail where it comes down to one of the feeder creeks to the Colorado River, but still a few miles from the River, deep in the woods. I was coming up to the cliff side of the creek, now dry, and the edge is about 30 feet above the creek. The game trail uses a series of natural small ledges to get from top to bottom, or vice versa, it is a bit steep, and great care must be taken. I had been through this area only days before, and the 'disturbance' or slide shown in the pictures was not present. It appeared something came down this game trail to the creek below, but jumped the last few ledges, landing on a extreme angled portion of small plants/dirt, and slid down about 6 feet to the bottom. I have taken this trail down the cliff to the creek many times, and there's just no way that I would try anything like this without risking a broken ankle or worse.......a VERY athletic move for sure, and it wasn't a 4 legged animal that did this either. Kinda hard to see, but one foot landed, then slid about 6 feet down to the flatter portion of the creek bed where you can see the debris deposited, as it had been pushed down by the slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 I will be heading up to my cabin in the Cascade's first long weekend in October......it is near Granite Falls WA., and about an hour or so NE of Seattle. Would be great to meet some like minded folks up that way, and hike/camp some rugged areas. Hiking/camping in Texas is one thing, but up in dem PSW woods is something entirely different, and would be nice to join someone who is familiar with that type of topography. Please send me a message if anyone is interested......thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanV Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Hi BigTex! I have really enjoyed this thread and want to wish you luck in WA. Will you be taking your dogs? I would love to see more pictures of them. Have you thought about putting a colorful collar or adding a scarf or bandana for Lucy? That way no hunter or hiker could possibly think of her as a wild wolf and shoot at her by mistake! Take care and enjoy your trip. The weather should be lovely ( a nice change from TX). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Thanks JanV.......Lucy does have a collar, but will be adding a red bandanna this hunting season for sure, The doggies have to stay at home for this trip:( Here's something interesting about Wolves, and how they communicate when running in the woods, It's hard to see Lucy, she blinds well, and is very quiet. What she does in normal mode is stick her tail up, and wave it in a wispy motion, with the white tip on black easy to see & follow. When in the alert mode, the tail comes down tight to her back side, and the black 'T' on the tail can now be followed. Most Wolves have these same tail markings, and these 'follow-me' markings actually have a purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 I normally leave the snakes alone, but this particular Diamond Back Rattlesnake was wat to aggressive, and needed to be killed before he hurt man or beast. Still hot 'n dry, and expecting triple digit temps all week long......looking forward to some cooler weather and rain hopefully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanV Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 How was your trip to the PNW? Did you get out into the woods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 7, 2012 Author Share Posted September 7, 2012 Hey JanV......no trip to the PNW until 10/4, and can't wait for some cooler temperatures! We get a 'cold' front tonight, and is only supposed to get to 90 tomorrow, beats the heck outta 103 today. Here's a track that I found, and looks like a 2-fer - large dog, probably my Wolf, over Cougar. I've kept up the hiking this summer, but everything is super dry, no water, and hard to track anything........having to pack a gallon of water for 3 dogs and myself, about 2 hours worth in this heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanV Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Hey Bigtex, I wanted to thank you for the info on and pics of Lucy's tail. I hand no knowledge of tail markings and how they impact the pack behavior. Can you recommend a book on wolves for me to read? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 (edited) Hey JanV......my Mother has always loved Wolves, so I had a keen interest from a very early age, and wanted to learn as much as possible through the years. You can learn a lot from books & videos, but none of it equals just 10 months of living with one in your house. I office from home, so I have been with wolfy since 5 weeks, every day, all day, and hiking 4 to 5 days a week in the wilds. We have gained an amazing bond & trust, and like no other dog I have ever had......she teaches me things every day about the mysterious world of the Wolf, and I'm so in awe! She follows me from room to room, sleeps in her 'wolf den' under my bed, and is here with me now chewing a Deer bone she found yesterday while hiking. She just looked at me, and gave a short howl........she wants to go outside, done, and will howl to get back in, pretty darn cute, and glad the neighbors think so too:) She is REAL dang smart, and can use her 6th sense to get my attention as well. The subtleties' of her behavior hiking in the woods is really interesting, and at 10 months, is already far ahead of my other two dogs with respect to everything regarding the wilds......totally stealthy, seems to float on air, and WOW, what a nose! I had never heard of the tail marking deal either, and how it is used to communicate. I mentioned this to a 'wolf guy', and he had never heard of it before either. There's just no way you could 'connect the dots' unless you spent considerable time running in the woods with one, then the moment you realize what's going on.....it's like "DUH". Here's another thing I didn't know about Wolves, and helps explain their stealthiness, she has 2-stage retractable claws, similar to a Cheetah, and is retracted during normal motion - no clicking on hard surfaces - with just the pads in contact with the ground, but when she needs to move, they come out like a sprinters cleats, and she can really take off. The claws are sharp and shaped unlike any dogs I have seen, she can use them as a weapon too. Wolves don't fight like other dogs either, as much is done while standing on the hind legs, and thrusting teeth & claws forward/downward. It took my male Ridgeback several weeks to counter her play attacks from above, as he had never played with a dog who goes aerial on him.....I hadn't seen one either. And those teeth.......man, would wanna stay on the friendly side of those. The canines are unique as well. Any dog canines I have ever felt, as you can't help but do while playing the 'sock-over-hand' game, are smooth all the way around. Not the wolfy, as she has a subtle serrated edge on the backside that runs the length of the four teeth, and creates a crazy cutting edge. Why did that last post appear in such small text.....can the mods fix this? Edited September 10, 2012 by Bigtex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Cooler weather coming, and some rain. Was out yesterday, and found several tracks in loose dry dirt, with what appeared to be at least two individuals. This was on a known pathway where I have found tracks for years. The '2-fer' picture shows what looks like 2 different prints, one coming in towards town along the creek bed, the other going back out. A lot of ground disturbances all through this area too, Deer & Hogs the cause of most, and they seemed to be moving fast with evasive maneuvers. These prints were numerous, and in the same areas as the apparent fleeing animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbhunter Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Howdy Bigtex.....I have not been as acitvely posting as I once was until a few days ago. Great to see your posts again in this thread! I always enjoyed them prior and I have read some today to catch up on them! KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Hey KB.......great to here from you, don't be such a stranger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbhunter Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I will be on more Bigtex! I have to keep up with your stuff there in Texas! I found a kill sight once, but not near the size of yours! The one I found was about 100 feet square. but, it was very deep in the woods, with no way to get close to it with a motorized vehicle. It was mighty strange. Yours though.....WOW! KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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