The Sidehill Gouger: Fearsome Critter
image via wikipedia
As far as fearsome critters go, the Sidehill Gouger is a very popular creature of American folklore. Of all the fearsome critter bunch, this one may have the most alternative names: Wampahoofus, Sidewinder, Wampus, Rickaboo Racker, Sidehill Hoofer, and many more.
The Sidehill Gouger is a alleged to look like a wolf/cougar hybrid, distinguished by it's too uneven pairs of legs. As a hillside dwelling creature, the Sidehill Gouger can be born with a longer set of legs on either the right or left side of the body, but there is always a significant difference in the sets of legs. While this is favorable in steeply-hilled environments, this presents some challenges to the animal. For instance, the Sidehill Gouger is said to stumble in circles when placed on flat lands, as its unevenly legged body is only suited to the mountainside.
The name "Sidehill Gouger" was derived from the method in which the creature catches its food. Legend has it that it digs deep holes, gouged in to the sides of the hills it inhabits. The small animals like rabbits that fall into these holes then become the meal for the Sidehill Gouger.
Tales of their migration from the Northeast to the West state that a left sided Sidehill Gouger and a right sided Sidehill Gouger stumbled along together, leaning towards eachother and using their two long sets of legs as though they were one creature.
image via lumberwoods.com
Up in the foot hills of Jemez, there were several pits that were dug into the tuft from the Valle Grande's past eruptions. One is up by barranca mesa in Los Alamos. Another was down on the Truck Route in Los Alamos. The latter is off limits now, since the land has been given back to the local tribe from the Feds. However, the latter used to be one of my favorite hiking spots when I was a teen. It was called 'Deer Trap' and folks used to speculate as to what it was for. Some thought the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly called Anasazi) would funnel deer through there and a few would fall into the pits. Others thought the native americans would lie in wait and use spears or bows to ambush the deer when they were chased that way.
Since there were multiple, more than the two I mentioned, I have to wonder if the Hillside Gouger was an attempt to explain the pits like those that were found.
i never seen this animal before..are they friendly animals sir!
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Marvellous painting, superb. this show that there is no shortage of talent in people. thanks for sharing it @pinkspectre
What a lovely kind of art it is. And nice trick is ised by the sidehill gouger to have his food.
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