Following a first attack, a deer and coyote size each other up. Absolutely amazing sequence of events this morning at Rocky Mountain National Park. The story is a bit lengthy but worth reading.
We were just starting out on a hike when we hear what almost sounded like a bird screeching or a kid making sounds. Didn’t give it much thought initially then there is a burst of motion behind us and a young deer is running through the grass with one coyote running alongside trying to latch on, another not far behind.
The deer smartly ran to the edge of the parking lot for safety while the coyotes were too skittish to follow near humans. Naturally I didn’t have the right lens on for this type of thing as I was planning to take landscapes (UGH!). I ran to my car, swapped lenses and captured this image.
The deer thought it was safe so bounded out the other side of the parking lot while the coyotes looked on. Unfortunately the deer chose to circle back where it originally came from and the wily coyotes did as well.
We hear more ‘screeching’ from the other side of a bunch of trees and here comes the deer toward us again at full speed. Again the coyotes backed off not wanting to come close to humans. They kept their distance as they worked their way around us, closely watching the deer.
Last we saw, the deer was bounding over a hill with the coyotes in pursuit. Just amazing to witness!
