been about 20 years since ive been yote hunting. i scouted a friends farm and a a cow that the farmer shot due to illnes has been laying dead in the woods for 4 months(mostly during the winter, im in ohio). the cavity has been opened-up by something.
i did not venture near it yet to check for tracks, scat yet.
should i consider this as a possible location to set-up? if so, what type of calling would be involved if any.?
Ya know, I just can't imagine a dead cow so bad that 'yotes won't eat on it....but as an old farm kid, I'm trying to thik of a time when they wouldn't eat on my neighbors deceased bovines.
I think all cattle farmers have that one spot where they drag all the dead beef that doesn't seem to make it through winter, or calving. The areas always seem to be scattered with old bones.
Even if they ain't eatin' I'd say 'yotes seem to always check out those spots looking for "snacks".
We have been trying to thin the skunk population, and every one we have shot is completely gone within a day or two. Makes me wonder what would get it if not a coyote or a buzzard, but the total carcas is gone and no sign of it to be found.
Yea they will. We hunt a ranch in Nebraska that has a lot of Coyotes and several years ago there was a dead cow that the rancher said the Nebraska wildlife Dept. had put some kind of poison in it and they had recorded over 40 Coyotes killed off it that year.
Originally Posted By: CindyYea they will. We hunt a ranch in Nebraska that has a lot of Coyotes and several years ago there was a dead cow that the rancher said the Nebraska wildlife Dept. had put some kind of poison in it and they had recorded over 40 Coyotes killed off it that year.
I really doubt that to be true. Another internet fable.
There is no way in he!! any state wildlife agency is going to put any kind of poison in a carcass where it may have the potential to kill birds of prey or other non target animals. Maybe 30 years ago. But not now days. No way.
Originally Posted By: 6mm06What about a dead skunk? Will they feed on that?
We have been trying to thin the skunk population, and every one we have shot is completely gone within a day or two. Makes me wonder what would get it if not a coyote or a buzzard, but the total carcas is gone and no sign of it to be found.
Ive been wandering the same thing its breeding season for the skunks and i have killed 4 around the house at night and in the morning they are gone. I think that the other skunks are dragging them off because i saw one try dragging one into a hole that i had already shot.
I have seen coyotes never touch a cow that has been sick and been shot up with medicine. I think they know when other animals are sick and choose not to eat them knowing that maybe they will catch what they had. As far as a cow or calf that has died of natural causes I have seen the hole thing be devoured in two to three days nothing left but bones.
I dont know if they will eat carrion unless they are super hungry. My buddy and I shot up some Jack Rabbits during a camping trip and we just let em lie like we were sposed to. They were about 100yds away from our camp and were not touched for the three days we were there. We heard the Yotes singing to us every night all around our camp and not one dead bunny was touched. Came back a month later and they were gone. We did the same thing about a mile away from our camp on this trip and again, for three nights, not one was touched. (head scratcher) I also took out a few Tree Squirrels over the winter by my house (DARN RODENTS DROPPED GREEN PINE CONES ON MY TRUCK AND LEFT BIG OLE DENTS ON MY HOOD!) and we have Yotes all over the place. I left the squirrles there to see if the Yotes would take em and they are still there, tracks leading up to and away from. Its been 3 months. So........
If that carcass is still in one piece but in the woods and you can drive to it you might throw a rope on it and relocate it in a field with optimum wind direction and field of fire.
As far as skunks, they don't have too many wild enemies except Great Horned Owls and I've heard boccats. A domestic dog is stupid enough to tackle one and then later roll and shove his face across the ground. We had a lab that stayed skunk squirted when I was kid and was a pain in the a$$ when we'd go camping and he try and sleep on our bedrolls. I had some that moved in and were eating our cat's food on the back deck and would keep us captive inside until they'd leave. You don't dare try and scare them off or throw anything at them. Then one night I downloaded a Great Horned Owl hoot and cranked up the volumn. I looked out to see their reaction and the skunks were not only off the deck they were galloping, I mean stretched out airborn with all fours off the ground, running across the road towards the neighbors. I didn't know skunks could run like greyhounds.
House cat observed what we have. If the animal has been medicated the coyotes don't seem to want to have anything to do with the carcass. Otherwise they will use it with no hesitation. The body cavity is often opened by possum where those carcasses used by coyotes seem to be opened from the anus and hind quarters. In my observations not a known fact.
As far as skunks are concerned I have seen fox eat them with gusto. I have not seen coyote eat them but I have only been seeing coyotes for a few years. My guess is that they do.
Originally Posted By: mbowermaHouse cat observed what we have. If the animal has been medicated the coyotes don't seem to want to have anything to do with the carcass. Otherwise they will use it with no hesitation. The body cavity is often opened by possum where those carcasses used by coyotes seem to be opened from the anus and hind quarters. In my observations not a known fact.
As far as skunks are concerned I have seen fox eat them with gusto. I have not seen coyote eat them but I have only been seeing coyotes for a few years. My guess is that they do.
Buzzards seems to be one of the first on a cow carcass and almost always starts the procedure at the non pointy end, pulling entrails out.
I figured fox also ate skunks but wasn't sure even though most bottled fox lures and scents have Tincture of Skunk added which you can smell in the background.
i bet myself 100.00$ before i openen this thread that TA17REM would chime in and mention his pic in the magazine. hahaha, getting quite predictable there dude
Here is another pic of mine that was used in a article in the trapper & pred. caller mag. showing the results of calling over a dead cow carcass.
