mnfats Thread

Not creepy, but this is as scared as I've even been.

I was fixing a jumped belt on an old Gleaner K2 in the middle of the field, in the middle of the night. When my dog (a 110lbs lab), who's usually sniffing for birds when I stop, is standing still and letting out a growl I've never heard from him. I shine my almost dead flashlight where he's looking and I see three sets of eyes change quickly from a glow, to a silhouette to coyotes. They're pretty harmless on their own, but in a pack they're relentless. I call for my dog and bolt for the cab, but he runs at them instead. I stood on the platform for what felt like hours, as my dog tried to fight off the now 5 coyotes. I couldn't let my buddy die, so I grabbed the hammer and wrapped my jacket around my arm. The second I got close, one of them went for my leg and I offered my arm instead, which it gladly took and I swung down on its back with all my might. Second coyote, same as the first, grabs my arm and I swing at his back. The other three are switching between fighting and dragging my dog into the corn and like an idiot I throw the hammer at the pack with no effect. I kick the one doing the most dragging and he thankfully runs off. I picked up the hammer and swing at the one my dog doesn't have and stood back and watch my dog chase off the 5th. He came back bloody and limping, but no worse for wear. But even with the rabies shot, he started showing symptoms about a week later. Toughest thing I had to do to date was putting that dog down.