After a day of hunting the backside of the property, I noted a couple buck tracks and decided to set-up a camera on them and see if I could catch a glimpse of the potential rack of the deer that left them. On the way back home, I pulled a camera out of my backpack and hung it on a tree.
The next weekend I went out and reclaimed the camera and began reviewing the photos and that is when I noted that a coyote had likely been following me. I finished setting up the camera at 5:59 PM and at 6:11PM along comes Mr. Coyote. Considering it took me a few minutes to re-pack my backpack and put it on, the amount of time separating me and the coyote was probably less than 5 minutes. The coyote was likely watching me from a distance the entire time, attempting to determine if I was a target worth tackling.
While attacks by coyotes on humans are extremely rare, I am curious if had it been joined by others or had I been a woman or a child and of smaller build, if an attack would have occurred. While Maine law requires you to have an unloaded firearm, after the end of legal hunting hours, it does not limit your ability to carry a fully locked and loaded concealed weapon. Each of us needs to make his/her own choices about what it means to be safe and protected in the wilds, for me, peace of mind comes in the form of a handgun.
