It is not unusual to hear them howling on a dark winter evening, as they make their rounds. The den is under an old barn that collapsed, about a mile south of our place. I have visited a number of times in the winter and the tracks make it plain that the den is under the main floor of the barn. Because the walls have given way, the floor of the loft now lies on top of the main floor. Most of the roof is still intact but it is dangerous to enter.
The pups are born in the den and then when they are old enough, they spend their time playing in the loft area. They are protected from the weather and prying eyes. As they get older they venture out of the barn and onto the snow drifts that surround the barn. The tracks in the snow show where they play.
When they are old enough to hunt with the parents, they travel further and further from the safety of the old barn. This particular den has produced coyotes for more than twenty years.
We have always had two to three Elkhounds at our place and as many as five at one time. Our dogs are vocal and howl back and forth with the Coyotes so that they are well aware of each other, and keep to their own territory. Howling establishes territorial boundaries.
On the nightly hunts the Coyotes bypass our property by sneaking by to the East or to the West. On the West they have a well traveled trail on the West side of our woods. To the East they move on the frozen creek ice that is sheltered by trees on each side. It is an unwritten rule that each other’s territory is off limits. For years I have seen the tracks that established their den and trails.
On a few occasions the coyotes have bent the rules, but only after the Elkhounds have carried off deer remains that the coyotes considered theirs. The details of one of those occasion follows
She is the last of eleven Elkhounds I have owned during the last 35 years.
She has never been tied up or even owned a collar. She is fearless and will stand her ground when faced with just about anything, She weighs close to a hundred pounds and is far too heavy and awkward to pickup and place on a scale.
For all of her impressive appearance, she loves children who visit and stands at the perfect height to lick their face and produce many a giggle.
I could write a hundred stories of my experiences with Norwegian Elkhounds, but they have taught me more than I have ever taught them.
This is an outdoor dog that loves winter but loves to sleep on a bed when no one is looking. She is welcome in the kitchen and spends a great deal of time sleeping on top of the big wood box lid, near the kitchen fireplace. This is a perfect spot to see what is going on in the house as well as keep an eye on the outdoors through the kitchen window.
She was raised with her sister Tillie, from the time they could first walk, to all the outdoor sounds and activities.
Before they were a year old they could howl back as perfect mimics to the family of coyotes that were raised in a den nearby.
The coyote parents learned to make a wide loop around our property because a single howl on their part usually produced a loud concert of replies from three to five Elkhounds in our woods. Many a cold winter night, with the sky filled with countless stars, I have stood transfixed by the coyotes and the Elkhounds howling back and forth to each other. I understands a coyote howls for many reasons but mainly to establish his territory with other coyotes. I think my dogs understood and at the same time made it clear what territory was theirs.
The Elkhounds were so good at producing a coyote’s long drawn out howl that I felt as if I were standing with my own coyotes.
Two full grown Elkhounds fighting will make a brave man step back. It rarely happened with our crew but it was an event to be remembered. I could step into the fray and break them up with a yell and a push and was never bitten, but then they always knew I was in charge.
I intend to use the Nor’ west Scribe Blog to record many of the experiences I shared with these loyal companions.
