The semi arid country sits below the foothills of the Rocky Mountain range to the west. Eons of sediment washed down from mountains to create the Great Plains and its the same mountains that influence the region’s weather. As clouds gather over the mountains, moisture is wrung from them. The result is a north to south running dry slot that encompasses about a quarter of the Texas landscape.
This patch of semi-arid ground is suited for many plant and animal species that are unique to this part of Texas. It’s a place where the density of people per square mile is scant and trees are perhaps as rare. Prairie dogs, while not as plentiful as historical records indicate, are still numerous. Their incessant burrowing crates habitat that supports numerous other high plains species like pronghorn antelope and a variety of reptiles and invertebrates. The prairie dogs themselves are a meal for animals higher up on the food chain.
As the sun rose across the immense prairie, my pal Chad and I were creeping through the shortgrass along a ranch road in his Ford F-250. Chad is an outfitter and a couple of months before the opening day of the pronghorn season, we were scouting for big males which his clients would invariably hunt.
From our vantage point, emptiness was all around. East to west there was prairie, an old barbed wire fence immediately outside the passenger side door, the rutted ranch road in which we parked, a prairie dog town, and more undulating prairie as far as we could see. Across the prairie dog colony - perhaps 400 yards away - we watch a small band of half dozen pronghorn antelopes skirt the town’s margins.
As we glassed the antelope, my binoculars began to wander as I watched prairie dogs skitter about the town. Running from burrow to burrow they weren’t as concerned with the pronghorns as we were. It was business as usually in dog town. Except for one thing: about one hundred yards from the truck I saw what I thought were baby coyotes.
“Look,” I told Chad. “Look at those coyotes!”
From a personal standpoint, I thought the find was significant as I’d never seen as many baby coyotes in one spot. When I put the binoculars to my eyes, I knew my snap identification was wrong.
“Those are foxes,” I told Chad. “Swift foxes.”
Until 1995, swift foxes were thought to be all but extirpated in Texas. Now, I am staring at five of them who are staring right back.
Camera on the window, I snapped a few shots and then did all I knew to do: I squeaked at it like I was calling a dog. When the sound traveled across the town, a male, lying next to the others stood up with his ears perked.
I squeaked again and he ran towards the truck. Bounding across the prairie dog town, he stopped short fifteen yards from the truck. One of the rarest mammals found in Texas is a mere 45 feet away and posing for my camera.
Any questions or comments? Contact Russell at russell@russellgraves.com or visit his website at www.russellgraves.com