Found ANOTHER dead deer this weekend

[T J]

Story I heard from some folks I know with a ranch in Mason County. The Dad penned up a cow to haul off in a trailer the next morning. Next morning no cow in the pen. Got to looking around and only found a small piece of hide left in the pen. The Dad came to the conclusion that hogs had killed and eaten the rest of it from the sign. The Dad managed an exotic game ranch for years, so I figure he can read animal sign pretty well.

 

[springmom]

Which just goes to show why feral hogs have a shoot on sight order

Springmom

 

[Wineoceros]

The Dad came to the conclusion that hogs had killed and eaten the rest of it from the sign.

Eaten, perhaps. But hogs killing a cow? I seriously doubt that one.

 

[T J]

We also found a dead 8 point on our place a week or so ago. Buzzards tipped us off and Wife went to check out. Not too eaten up at that point, but the next day not much left after the Coyotes got their turn that night. I don't have a good theory on cause of death.

 

[Cosmoline]

These aren't likely poacher kills. No legs left, lower jawbone gone, back part of the hide up to the neck and head still there, everything else gone. As someone said, even poachers don't eat all THAT.

Can you see any bite marks in the remaining hide. There should be something if the predator ate that much of it.

 

[sojournerhome]

Cougars and Mules

I have seen several herds of cows around North Central Texas with one or two mules. I asked a friend. Mules are smater than horses and have been known to kill mountain lions/cougars.

Might add a mule or 2 to the herd if you can afford them.

Just a thought.

 

[littlegator]

lower jawbone gone,

Definately the work of Sampson.

So, what's the skinny on killing the cougar if on your property in Texas? I'm assuming it's okay to kill if it is endangering your property. Of course, in other areas in the US, endangering your property isn't sufficient - it would have to endanger a human. Good ol' Texas.

 

[joebogey]

Wild burros also make good watch animals. You know the kind they adopt out each year.
They hate dogs and coyotes.
Just make sure you get one that can at least be handled. Doesn't do much good to have one if you can't catch it and move it with the stock.

 

[skinewmexico]

I can't believe no one has mentioned aliens yet. Wear a tinfoil hat next time you go out......

 

[Stinger]

That is ridiculous. If aliens were involved there would have been some sort of probe involved. Nothing of the such was found. Or was it???

 

[MCgunner]

Bobcat will normally hunt smaller prey than deer,

Llano county whitetail resemble large jack rabbits. My bet is on a large bobcat. I've seen 55 lb bobcat killed in the hill country, as big as a Llano county doe. LOL! A bobcat certainly can take down a decent size Texas deer and they are quite abundant, more so than Mt. Lion. There are a few lion out there, wouldn't discount it, but my money would be on the bobcat for sheer numbers. My buddy's boy killed a 30 lber on my place this year. He's at a local taxidermist right now. On the way out there next morning, my buddy's talkin' about how rare a bobcat is around his home north of Waco (all open farmland) and another cat crosses the road, LOL. They are NOT rare around here!

Did anyone mention chupa cabras, yet???

Probe? You mean like they one they implanted in Cartman's rectum? (inside joke for South Park freaks)

 

[asknight]

I'm guessing that even poachers don't tend to gnaw on the carcass right on the spot.

No, but if they're trying to take one with a rimfire (common) the deer can run off and die. Then any size of predator will have first choice, coyotes especially.

 

[Art Eatman]

Cougars are not protected in Texas; not game animals. The population, generally, is slowly increasing. Densities vary.

It is common with a cougar's kill that the animal is dragged to some place where it can be covered with brush. Other than the paunch, they don't start in on the main carcass until it's had a day or two to "soften up" some.

OTOH, coyotes start immediately on supper.

I don't know much about bobcat dietary habits...

Art

 

[moosehunt]

If it is a lion, keep in mind that they tend to have a pretty good sized range. It likely won't cross your little spot (little comparewd to their range) again for weeks, maybeso months. Hoping to see or hunt it on that small area is pretty hopeless.

 

[MCgunner]

Hoping to see or hunt it on ANY size ranch is pretty hopeless without dogs. Bobcat will come to a predator call, but they're pretty wary animals and not easy unless they're hungry. I doubt this cat would be too hungry considering the deer herd density up there and the jack and cotton tail population. Heck, rabbit populations are cyclical, might be on a down side forcing the cats to seek bigger targets. At any rate, my money is still on a big bobcat.

 

[ccd]

If it is a mountain lion the only easy way to get it is with dogs and you are pretty much out of luck only having 25 acres. There are plenty of mountain lions in the Hill Country. If you have a neighbor with a much larger spread I am sure he/she would be most helpful in finding out also.

Is there a creek that runs through your property or close nearby? As other posters have stated they have large home and territory areas. You could unluckily be on a shared area that sees a lot of traffic, in which case I feel sorry for you. But this would also mean you have lots of deer which all of that area has.

Yes it could very well be coyotes or hogs also.TALK to your larger neighbors, I am sure they will have some clue. They would have a much greater pull with ADC or your county extension agent to help find a remedy, if the problem is that bad. If it is hogs, ADC is much more likely to do something about them versus coyotes.

 

[springmom]

Lots of interesting ideas here. Yes, we have a wet weather creek through the property, and a good sized pond as well. We're actually thinking of putting up a game cam there, and on the trail where all the kills have been found. The issue with catching the predator(s) "in the act" is not the size of our spread, it's that we're only up there once a month or so. Once the cows get there, we'll have people on the place more often just to check in and make sure they're ok, but more often than not, there's simply no one out there to hunt the predators.

Some of our neighbors are also "absentee owners", so a sort of neighborhood watch for predators probably isn't going to happen. However, the wildlife technician for the area will be coming out to visit eventually, and I'll talk to him about it then.

The kills are always just off the trail, up in tall grass. I haven't looked for scrapes but didn't know to until I got back this week and started researching. There's not enough of the pelt left to reliably tell what sort of teeth went into it, but I can certainly check for large canine teeth marks (which would suggest a cougar).

If I go up next week to finish the gate, I'll try to remember to take my FIL's binoculars to scan the trees for bobcats. Unlike cougars, if there's a bobcat on or around, it's possible to find them during the day up overlooking their hunting spots.

No burros. I don't want to buy something that will try to run me off my own land, lol.

Springmom

 

[mbt2001]

Wild dogs, very very possible, but only if it was eaten some. The terror to the carcass that wild dogs would betray would be obvious. There would be legs, skin, and other things decorating the area. Wild Dogs are not experts at eating a kill and would most likely make a mess out of it, at least from the sign I have studied when it happened.

If you found a dead deer and it was just dead, otherwise unmolested, then most likely SOMEONE did it. Man smell can linger for a time and animals will stay away even from an otherwise enticing kill. Especially these days. The bold ones were shot long ago.

We can make up a list of usual suspects, but short of studying the area, I can't hazard a guess.

Was the kill buried? Dragged? If not, is it "on the trail" or hidden somewhat? Was there cover available to "ambush" or was it "in the open"? Cats ambush, kill and drag and bury. Bobcat might not be able to drag, but could kind of bury it. Kills in the open most likely dogs, as the ran it down and then killed it...

 

[springmom]

Please read the previous posts. There was nothing left of this latest carcasse other than the head, the spike antlers ON the head, and about a foot or two of pelt still attached. Everything else, including the lower jawbone, was gone. It was right near the trail that runs east on the property. The scat was near the kills in all cases. The kills were in deep grass, although it's impossible for me to determine whether they were intentionally placed there. We have seen no dog packs running anywhere around that area; we have heard coyotes howl at night (big surprise, this is Texas, lol). Most interesting is that the scat is rather large for a bobcat.

Game cams ought to reveal the truth of it as soon as we can get some put up. We also need to do "counts" for our work on a wildlife management plan, and that may enable us to get a sense of what's out there, as we'll be out watching what's passing at night.

springmom

 

[ronwill]

I agree with the most likely being coyotes or coy dogs. I also second the idea of getting a hunting camera, or two, and place them around the property. You may catch the culprit red whiskered so to speak.

 

[mbt2001]

Please read the previous posts.

I did

Even Sherlock Holmes had to "go to the scene of the crime" from time to time.

 

[jeepmor]

Foxpros work real well, but they are spendy.

A good mouth call and some practice should do the trick, and most are under $20 each. Get a couple of em would be my suggestion. The coyotes in SE Oregon tend to really like the woodpecker game call. Not sure why, probably just unique sound for the environment.

If that won't produce results, a big slab of meat where you can watch it all night might just do the trick.

If you're opposed to hunting the culprit, it might just cost you a cow.

 

[springmom]

If you're opposed to hunting the culprit, it might just cost you a cow.

Where on earth did THAT idea come from????? Did I indicate I was opposed to hunting the predator???????

We have purchased a game cam, a "wounded rabbit" decoy, and a digital caller. I'll let y'all know what we find.

Springmom

 

[BIGR]

Bobcat might be able to take a deer down, but it would appear that it might be a larger cat. I could see where it could be a challange for a bobcat to take down a healthy deer over 150 LBS.

 

[Markbo]

Story I heard from some folks I know with a ranch in Mason County. The Dad penned up a cow to haul off in a trailer the next morning. Next morning no cow in the pen. Got to looking around and only found a small piece of hide left in the pen. The Dad came to the conclusion that hogs had killed and eaten the rest of it from the sign. The Dad managed an exotic game ranch for years, so I figure he can read animal sign pretty well.

That's ridiculous. Hogs will eat meat, but they are not predators by any stretch of some wild hallucination... er... imagination.

If all that was left of a cow in a pen was a piece of hide, it either bolted out and ripped a piece off hide off on the fence or it was stolen. Hogs will eat carrion, but not cow bones.

I will be interested in hearing what they finally find is happening but it will be much more mundane like disease and subsequent scavenging or predation from Bobcat than killer Swine packs, alien probes or Men in Black.

Hey Springmom... let me know when you and hubby want someone to go spend a day or two up there camped out. I'll hang out and shoot whatever predators or Chupacabras show up for you!

P.S. I am in Tomball so we are practically neighbors