what will eat a coyote?

Hedge

Hedge

New member
Here's the situation:

Tossed a skinned coyote carcass into my shelter belt. A few days later I checked on it. Something was munching on it. Entrails pulled out and some meat gone around the loins.

I decided to keep an eye on it. Over the next few days the carcass had been moved about 8' one day and 10' another. Always after I had checked it. More innards were missing including the intestines. Most of the big meat was untouched but the spine was pretty well cleaned off.

I put a camera on it and checked the next day. The carcass was gone. Not enough snow to leave tracks and no drag marks in the grass. My dog and I searched the whole area for a couple of hours and couldn't locate it. The d* camera didn't trigger. Something carried off a 20-25 lb. carcass.

Any one have an idea of what it was that was making a meal of it?
 
Nope. They can't carry off a carcass. No signs of scat of any kind in the area around it, either. Vultures are around a feeding area long enough to leave plenty of sign.
 
Coyotes will eat coyotes!

It all depends on the weather and food source conditions.

I have seen it numerous times here in Colorado.

Here in Colorado on the Eastern plains it could be any of the following - Badger, Swift Fox, Crows, Eagles, Magpies, Skunks, Raccons, Hawks, Coyotes
 
I thought it might be a coyote, but wasn't sure they'd eat their own. Had to be something big enough to carry it off. That left coyote or big cat. We have both, here.

I was leaning toward a cat because the horses were a bit edgy and dogs or coyotes don't bother them.

Weather has been mild and coyotes are everywhere. They've been tearing up the pheasants and rabbits and no doubt the mice.
 
We saw a golden eagle carry off a yote carcass. It can happen. I owuld bet that a golden or a bald would take it. Since there were no drag marks.
 
Hadn't thought about an eagle. There's a baldy that hangs around here. It would explain why I can't locate the carcass. Still 20 odd pounds of coyote meat is a lot of weight to carry.
Sure wish that camera worked.
 
I know it did'nt drag it off but when something was just picking away at first could it have been a fisher? A trapper dumped a pile of yote carcasses of at the end of an old tote road where i was deer hunting one year, the next day there were fisher tracks all around it in the snow. Could'nt tell if he was eatin it because the birds had made such a mess. Fishers are quite strong for there size. I would think they could move a skinned carcass a few inches, then maybe something bigger came along and took the whole thing.
 
Doubt it would be a fisher. We're a bit south for them (S. central ND). But, moose and elk have been showing up. So, it's a possibility it was chewing on it.
 
golden eagle's clean up the coyote i throw out.
had a bald eagle fly off with a hind quoter of a whitetail once.
took it 200 yards just feet off the ground then it got up above the trees.
it flew clean out of sight with it.
 
I have seen vultures get on a coyote within almost minutes of being killed.

They will generally start by pulling the guts out either a bullet hole or the butt. They also get the eyes first. 10 15 buzzards can reduce a coyote to a small pile of bones in a few hours, and the remaining bones get carried off by the buzzards since they still have some meat or skin attached.
 
Yeh, eagles like to care things away and eat it. they like to watch small dogs on a leach too, tied to a tree. they don't care if its a dog. they do carry off dead small critters, too. Osprays do the same thing, if around water. they both pick out good size fish out of the waters all the time.


these minatures vultures i see around all the time on road critters might do the same.


if it wasn't carried off and was just chewed on alot, could be a weasel. those little predators are very pesty. had one chasing my wife all the time when she walked out the door. i told her to just stomp on it, but she just a few months later took my musky landing net and caught a snapping turtle with it as large as the bottom of the carbage can and couldnot move around, because it was so big. and then she told me to clean it.
she wanted to make chillie out of it & feed it too her friends. they said it was delicious, then they asked what it was. that was a mistake for sum of them.
Thank GOD i am divorced now and cooking better.


wub.gif
wub.gif
lol.gif
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top