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Sunday, September 30, 2012

The Wolf At Spinney Mountain

For those of you who missed my post about watching a large dog tackle a full sized Antelope on the back side of Spinney Mountain near the barns I have recently witnessed a second much closer sighting!  I had my clients from a trip two days ago following me back from the Dream Stream on High Chaparral rd. towards highway 24 when we saw a few Antelope next to the road.  My clients stopped to take pictures and I continued down the road when I saw what I truly and honestly believe to be a Wolf.  Or rather it saw me because it was next to the road when it spooked and then started jogging the opposite direction.


This thing is massive and was clearly again after those Antelope!  It is dark gray bordering on black in color and has shaggy long fur, a long tail thick with fur, and is literally the size of a Great Dane.  I can tell you readers what I saw in complete confidence because I was extremely close to it when it started moving away from the road.


I called the division of wildlife to report it, and the lady I talked to put me on hold for 5 minutes after I gave her a description.  She got back on the phone and proceeded to tell me it was someones pet or a hybrid of somebodies pet that crossbred with a Coyote, and that they weren't worried about it.  Before we got off the phone I told her that it doesn't look like a hybrid though I can't ignore the possibility, and that either way it is displaying predatory behavior in broad daylight.  I also told her that I noticed the numbers of antelope have been steadily declining over the last 3 weeks, and that the only reason I have noticed is because this where I have done the vast majority of my fishing and guiding during those three weeks.  "Thanks for your concern sir" CLICK.


So here is the deal guys and gals.  I am a Colorado native who has seen a few Coyotes in my day and I can't in clear conscience not warn you all to be extremely careful and mindful of your surroundings while you are fishing anywhere near the Dream Stream below Spinney Reservoir.  You can either think I am crazy, or take what Im saying to heart and be careful.  If you think Im crazy I don't really give a crap, and you have been warned.  I know there are a handful of anglers that like to fish up there at night myself included.


So just know that there is a huge predator that doesn't mind tackling large Antelope in broad day light (I have a witness) so I doubt that it would have a problem chewing your butt at night.  Just so you know I plan on posting this on any social media, especially where the CDOW can see it because Im hoping this will inspire them to investigate.  If you appreciate my heads up and believe what I am telling you then please post this to warn as many anglers as possible, and lets look out for each other and be careful out there!  Thanks and tight lines!     

2 comments:

  1. Haven't been down that way this year, however, I commend you for being heads up and thinking proactively. Hope that the antelopes don't dwindle too much.

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  2. Thanks Mel! You know I knew that there would be a little backlash, and a few more people that think im a little crazy or just overly excited for posting this, but I felt I had to warn as many people as I could. Even though both experiences with the animal it ran from me the moment I approached it, but the simple fact is that what ever breed of canine this thing is it isn't tiny. It is surviving in the wild which means that as the season gets cooler heading into winter that it could turn it's attention from whats left of the antelope to the abundance of fresh anglers walking the river. It needs investigating for sure!

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