The Neighbors Come for a Visit

I saw one of these cubs a couple of weeks ago, and wondered when I'd see the mother. It seems this one somehow found his way into my (unused) chicken coop, and got stuck. Mommy couldn't figure out how to get him out, and was beginning to panic. She and the other cub kept going over to a tree and starting to climb it, then looking back at the stuck one, as if they were saying, "Look, just climb the tree. Like this, see?"

After watching (and filming, for you) for a while, I decided that the only decent thing to do was try to help. So I went back inside, got dressed, and grabbed my rifle. The plan was to scare the mother away, using a shot into the trees if necessary, long enough to grab the cub and get him over the fence. Yes, Mother, I know. Breathe. But I couldn't leave him stuck and scared like that.

Remember, kids, don't try this at home. I've had years of practice being an idiot.

No need to worry, though, because my presence alone was enough to frighten the poor little guy into a frantic effort to climb the fence, and the little family scurried safely away into the forest. Sorry I couldn't get that part on video: I thought I needed to be attentive to what I was doing once I got close to them, and not distracted by trying to film it.