I have a 25-acre ranch in southern Oregon, surrounded by 13 acres of virgin forest and 12 acres of metal land.

I'm surrounded by other large ranches nestled in and around many forested hills and mountains and wide expanses of BLM lands with millions of trees.

There are no cities out here, just a few small towns scattered around in the countryside,

connected by one major highway.

It's rural, to say the least.

I have a year-round creek along the back of my property and a 12-foot-deep spring-fed pond toward the rear.

Salmon run in the creek and the pond teems with resident beavers, turtles, and migratory

geese.

There are all sorts of livestock on the surrounding properties and lots of typical wildlife

in the countryside that come down from the hills to graze and forage or hunt and find easy prey.

Many a house pet, cows, and sheep have either disappeared at night or have been found dead

the next day from predation.

I had a black lab named Jupiter that I would take for walks twice a day, down to the creek and back up to our

house. Jupiter was a good dog, never barking at anyone or any other animal. He liked chasing deer,

though. Because of the danger of our local predators, I would never take him for a walk at night

without my flashlight and my sidearm,

both at the ready. Jupiter would run ahead of me and glee, leaving me to walk alone on the trail.

One night while we were walking down to the creek and passing by the pond, I heard something

new. It was loud and guttural. It was almost a growl. It came from the

tree line surrounding the back of the pond. I couldn't see anything in the dark even with my

flashlight. Whatever this was, it startled me and I pulled my gun. I caught up with Jupiter

and found him drinking at the creek. I told him it was time to go.

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