Ol' Stumpy.

O

OKRattler

Well-known member
A few weeks ago I called in a big raccoon that only had 3 legs. Its front right leg was missing clear up past his elbow. I didn't notice it until I shot him. I shot one several years back that was missing a rear leg. Aside from that it was missing an ear clear to the base of its skull on the same side the missing leg was on. I shot a three legged coyote last year. It was missing half a leg.

I've killed a few other things I can remember that were missing toes,parts of an ear and things like that but it's always amazed me how tough critters are when I walk up and discover they're missing a limb. I can't help but wonder what happened to them and how they managed to live through it. There aren't any veterinarians out there for them. That really makes you stop and admire them for what they truly are. The word "survivor" in the Dictionary should have a picture of a coyote under it. Raccoons deserve a spot under that definition as well. Don't let them fool you. They're tough and cunning as all get out as well. Nuisance or not,love them or hate them they deserve our respect. Or at least I believe so.

How many of y'all have shot animals that had lost a limb or went through some other type of life altering injury and kept living it like it wasn't no big deal?
 
On a side note I shot that raccoon at 35 yards in the shoulder while he was quartered to me. The 55 grain softpoint didn't pass through. I didn't weigh him but that sucker was big.

Called him in to raccoon fight. You'd think he'd have avoided the sound of a fight being 3 legged and all. Makes me think that injury happened when it was a youngin and he never even knew no different.
 
Timely topic... I called a coyote Saturday morning that had a broken back right leg or hip. Dang thing got away too! I was handcalling and the coyote saw me before I saw him. He hobbled into a draw and out of sight before I could get a decent shot through the timber.
 
My buddy's first coyote was a stumpy legged one. The foot was deformed there was some pad and claws but it was a few inches shorter than the other leg.

 
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I usually kill at least one coyote a year, that has a broken leg that has healed up. Have killed a couple with a stump. In every case, I didn't notice a limp, or any signs of injury before shooting. Incidentally, the most severely injured were the fattest. I assume that they were less active, but also efficient hunters. One time, I tracked down a coyote that was paralyzed from his shoulders back. He was dragging his hind end around, scrounging salmon carcasses from a river....he was pitifully weak and thin, but still ticking.

These animals have my utmost respect.
 
Originally Posted By: BrownieMy buddy's first coyote was a stumpy legged one. The foot was deformed there was some pad and claws but it was a few inches shorter than the other leg.

IMG_2876 by Jason Mosler, on Flickr

IMG_2878 by Jason Mosler, on Flickr

This is Andrew's first coyote. You can see he has pads and nails growing out of a foot that is growing from the upper leg. Looks like his lower leg never developed. This is an older dog and he made it this far on 3-1/2 legs. It happens. They don't "feel" sorry for themselves, they have no choice but to deal with it and move on.
 
A few years ago, I caught a sow coon in a cage (nuisance). She was blind in both eyes, but her nipples were engorged, indicating a litter of pups somewhere. She lived just fine before getting caught. She's the only coon that would take a cookie from me and eat it. My guess is because she didn't know where the treats came from. Every other coon just snarls and snaps. I don't usually feed caught animals, but felt a little sorry for her and the pups that would be left orphans.
 
Watched this one come in from a great distance. He was very cautious, coming in at a trot but stopping regularly to scope things out. I first noticed the missing foot as I prepared to take this picture. Amazing how he adapted.

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I don't shoot coons, so AFAIK have never seen one w/missing limbs, but ya gotta admire this little guy who came in charging to a lip squeak in a driving rain with an apetite bigger than himself. I could have reached out an touched him where he stopped when I grabbed my camera. I chuckle every time I think about him.
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No welfare or freeloaders in nature!

Regards,
hm
 
I shot a 3 legged one once, it did seem to trot with a limp. Me and my partner were sitting together in snow camo on top of a bare hill. That coyote slowly came up within 30 yards of us.

My partner claims to have trapped the same coyote 3 times one winter. He knows this as he had 2 toes in the trap the first time, 1 toe the second time, and finally snagged the coyote the third. It was missing 3 toes off the same foot.
 
My first coyote had a front leg that was about 2" shorter then the other. It only had the main pad, 2 nails and ZERO toes. The nails just came out of the leg.
I didn't even notice it until I got it home and my daughter who at the time was 5 or 6 pointed it out. Never noticed any limping when he was coming in either
 
I have taken a few tripod coyotes, one I called within 10 ft of the truck. Maybe he was blind and couldn't smell either.
Have photographed a couple and 1 club foot in action taking a groundhog.
 
I live on the edge of a small town. Once the snow is deep, I feed the Deer a butter tub of corn each night. All Does and yearlings, just getting a snack before they browse for their fiber.

Around ten years ago, I noticed a three legged Doe, she has to hunch up every time she takes a step. Looked tough, and painful as she would cross the creek. Always the last in line...

I felt sorry for her and thought of putting her out of her misery. But each spring, she would have twins and at least one set of triplets. Stopped seeing her two years ago, I miss that old girl !
 

I have shot a few like that too. One had the lower right rear leg missing but still got around pretty good.
 
killed a few over the years. One last year I killed was completely missing a front leg. The rancher told me that he had shot the leg off that coyote two years earlier and figured it died. I killed it less than a mile from where he had shot it. Here it is.
DSCN1376 by Tim Richard, on Flickr

About three years ago a friend of mine and I killed a matching set of coyotes with messed up rear legs.
006 by Tim Richard, on Flickr

I also killed one many years ago that only had two good legs. Amazing how they can survive with such injuries.
 
I just wonder how those that lose limbs don't bleed out? It just doesn't even seem possible than anything could survive that. Especially those that are missing the whole leg clear up past the elbow.
 
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There's a blood clotting mechanism in their saliva. That's why they lick wounds, it promotes healing. I would say that unless you have severely damaged the artery that they have a very good chance of surviving.
 
Originally Posted By: tripod3For Mr P!

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I named these two 1/2 mouth and Stumpy. 1/2 mouth was missing most of his lower jaw and Stumpy was missing most of her back leg, you can see the femur sticking out of the bottom of her leg.

I shot both these coyotes about 2 miles apart on my 1st and 3rd stand of the day.

Obviously somebody doesn’t know how to shoot out there.
 
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