Predatory deer & easygoing cougars
The persimmons are turning from green to orange on the tree beside my gate, and I know what that means. The night before they're just ripe enough to pick, the raccoons will show up and strip the tree bare of fruit.
Already the blacktail deer are stripping away the leaves, which is no great loss because the leaves would soon fall off anyhow. Of course, both the deer and raccoons manage to break quite a few branches in their foraging. After the raccoons leave the tree, it looks like a bunch of little kids had climbed into it for a persimmon fight.
The deer, at least, are tidier. Their more delicate nibbling could almost pass for pruning. Last week I watched a doe balanced on her hind legs stretching for some high leaves. The doe held her front legs in front of her, but not straight out like a poodle trained to dance. Rather, the doe balanced by extending her legs only slightly, looking somewhat like a place kicker getting ready to take a run at the football.
Her fawn watched attentively but was content to merely munch on leaves on the ground.
One morning a week ago when I went out to get my Chronicle, I startled four deer clustered around my persimmon tree. Stopping dead still 20 or so feet from them, I tried using a low, sing-song voice to reassure them I meant no harm. Two of the deer eventually trotted away, but the other pair retreated only a few yards.
It takes me about four minutes to walk down my driveway, pick up my paper, and return to my cabin. On this particular day, by the time I got back to my gate, the two deer who had stuck around were already back feasting on persimmon leaves. I again tried setting the deer at ease, but I had clearly become a distraction, and they too trotted off - staying away for at least a couple of hours.
Two weeks ago in this column, I mentioned seeing a mountain lion near Nicasio Reservoir. Ever since then, I've been hearing from people who've seen mountain lions all over West Marin during the last couple of years: in Tomales, in the San Geronimo Valley, in Samuel P. Taylor State Park, in Tocaloma, at Limantour in the Point Reyes National Seashore, and north of Bolinas within the park.
I've heard biologists say we are seen by mountain lions far more often than we see them - which suggests that all these cougars are not a particular threat to West Marin adults; however, I wouldn't let a child wander alone in areas mountain lions are known to frequent.
The mountain lions hereabouts have been more of a problem - albeit not a big one - for ranchers. A mountain lion some time ago was feeding on sheep around Tomales. Another apparently developed a taste for goats in Dogtown while a third reportedly took down several calves on Bolinas Ridge.
But for all that, I'm only aware of one instance where a cougar was shot for preying on livestock. That wasn't recent. Nor was it legal. Without a special permit from the state, ranchers can't kill even lions that prey on livestock. Sports hunting of cougars is, of course, absolutely forbidden in California, and you could well end up in the hoosegow for just asking a taxidermist to stuff a mountain lion head.
Moreover, even if you could find an unscrupulous taxidermist willing to do the dirty deed, what would you do with the mounted head? Displaying it in your house would carry all the risk of displaying a kilo of cocaine. And if you have to hide it to make sure no one turns you in, why go to all the trouble in the first place?