The Fox, My Cat, and a Promise
A field hugs my lawn like a big upsidedown letter "L". One side of the property includes a woodline. In the front is some lawn and then, well....a road. I like it that way. I live in the country. I'm not the only one who lives in the country. Really.
Last month I noticed a red critter in the field behind the house. He was the size of a small dog. Fox? During the day? Must be rabid, right? That was my initial thought. I don't know why. Someone told me that a fox in the daytime is a rabid fox. Another told me that a fox will eat my chickens. I don't own chickens, and if I did I imagine I would keep them in a chicken coop. That's the way it was when we had chickens. They lived in a coop.
I grabbed my telescope and confirmed my suspicion. Vulpes vulpes, the red fox. Neat. With five little babies or kits. Even neater. The kits were brownish black. My face was red, because I felt ashamed for wanting to kill this animal. My dog has her rabies shot, and I don't plan on sticking my hand in the fox hole.
A neighbor, who I don't know mentioned that "...you can get someone to get rid of that for you..". He said they kill deer. Nice guy though. Guess he just doesn't like foxes.
I like guns. Not like some people like guns. Still I like guns. I own a couple. I don't hunt, but I would if I was hungry. I suspect I'm missing the gene that makes so many men want to hunt. However, I am not missing the gene that makes so many men want to eat. I love meat, and have venison in my freezer. I don't think I would eat a fox, unless I was really hungry and all the cows were gone. The point I'm trying to make is this: If we kill every animal in our town, we might as well live in the city.
Hunt. Kill your deer. Eat the meat. Shoot that groundhog if it's eating your tomatoes. Spray the water hose towards that wandering housecat. Leave the fox alone. He taught me something this past month. He taught me that appreciating nature doesn't mean paying someone $600 to drop you in the woods in front of a fat old hamburger fed bear so you can have something to put in the corner of your living room. He also taught me that to survive, you must provide for your family. Hunting when needed. Wasting little.

A little over a month ago someone shot my cat. It must have wandered off of our lot and onto his property. He shot it. I know who it was. My cat survived. The bullet is lodged near his spine. He walks funny, but not too funny. He stays inside now. It's dangerous out there.

I live in the country.