NF Any coyote/wolf experts out there?

[Beats]

So I was out at my parents place today and my Dad took me to out to show me something he had stumbled upon out in the woods. There are woods that border a corn field and from a little hill looking out into the corn field you could see something that was red out in the field. He takes me out to the area and it is a full sized deer that has been picked dry of meat with a complete skeleton laying there void of all meat/skin/hair except the head was left intact. My dad claims it wasn't there 2 days ago and in that time it has been completely picked clean. You couldn't find meat on that thing if you tried. There are dog-like prints all around the skeleton but doesn't look like more than 1 or 2. But it's hard to say for sure. From what we can tell it looks like the deer was out there, probably with a few other deer, eating corn remnants when they were attacked. Whatever it was that hit this deer took it down really fast as the corn cobs it would have been eating are about 10 feet from a heavily "padded down" area of snow where the finishing off/eating would have taken place, and the skeleton now rests about 5 feet from that spot. This is just west of London and I'm going to guess it was coyotes but other than that I guess wolves could be responsible but I don't hear much about them around here. I'll see if I can get pics of it one of these days. Again, the skeleton is perfectly intact and picked clean. Just a perfect bare skeleton as far as the head and then it left the head alone. The legs appear to have been ripped off and taken. There is surprisingly little blood and hair left at the scene. Looks like a total ambush that caught the deer by surprise. It didn't have a chance to do anything and died about 15 feet from the hit. I know it's tough to say, especially without pictures, but any guesses as to what could have done this? The prints in the snow aren't very big. I can't really describe them other than to say they look like a dog's.

[trapshooter]

Coyotes for sure. No wolves in S.ont. Even the coyotes are a good part wild dog nowadays.

 

There have been multiple cougar sightings west of London though. A horse was killed recently in parkhill and I know of 2 sightings in Delaware.

[Beats]

Yeah, I really didn't want to mention the whole cougar thing. It's funny though. My dad was following some tracks in the snow last week and then he came upon a fallen tree on the path and the tracks just went right under the tree without missing a beat. So we kind of guessed they were coyote tracks. He started jokingly mentioning the cougar but I mean, these paw prints are dog sized, not big like a cougar's. The supposed cougar that everyone is seeing I would assume is a large adult. WHo knows. I'm not saying they aren't out there, however unlikely, but I think most ppl get caught up in the hype and report what are actually large dogs, etc. BUt it did pop into my mind once I saw the deer today. I've never seen a slaying like this one. ALmost like a science to it or something. Perfectly executed plan. I just can't figure out where all that meat went. Must have been a few of them.

[chickenhawk]

Well, I'd say it was a pack of coyotes. I've seen a lone coyote chasing a deer so I can imagine what a pack of them would do.....

[mukluk]

Just wondering perhaps the deer was wounded during the deer hunt and got away; or hit by a vehicle and died of it"s injuries. Coyotes came by and stripped the carcase.

[Beats]

Just wondering perhaps the deer was wounded during the deer hunt and got away; or hit by a vehicle and died of it"s injuries. Coyotes came by and stripped the carcase.

 

 

I really don't think so. It's a few hundred yards from the road and in front of a small conservation area. No hunting close to the area. Just looking at the scene it appears the deer was feeding and got ambushed. There are deer tracks all over the area so I am guessing it wasn't alone at the time but was the only one taken out.

[Riparian]

This time of year weak deer are dying off from the onset of winter. Some get hit by cars and wander off before dying. I have found several carcasses stripped of meat as you describe in my woodlots that border major highways. My guess is that the legs of the animal wont be far. All the carcasses I found were void of appendages as well, but Ive discovered them as far as a half mile away.

 

Coyotes, or "coydogs" are refered to by locals because they are almost always a coyote/domestic dog mix around the london area. From what I know, they will not expend the energy to attack and kill a deer. Pack animals such as wolves will, but they are non existent in this area.

Edited December 10, 2007 by Riparian

[Landlocked]

Father in law has sheep and I've discovered those "stripped clean" carcasses many times...he has a know coyote problem in the area and he's located just NE of London.

[Beats]

Father in law has sheep and I've discovered those "stripped clean" carcasses many times...he has a know coyote problem in the area and he's located just NE of London.

 

 

Yeah, there is a sheep farm across the road. I'll have to ask the guy if he sees them around. I know a guy that has lots of coyotes in his bush in Kilworth which is just down the road from this spot. Websites I check out keep referring to coyotes as currently being the #1 predators of livestock and the only animal that is increasing its territory even with man's negative impact on them. My dad's old friend (alot older than him) who we rented a farm house from 20-30 years ago said lots of ppl had sheep farms in East Williams township back in the day but there were too many wolves taking out the sheep so they stopped farming sheep all together. MY reading indicates that the hunting/wiping out of wolves in sw ontario has only increased the habitat of the coyote.

[Musky or Specks]

Dont over look feral dogs either they are a problem along the Grand river in the Kitchener area and often kill deer.

[oxcowboy]

not sure, any chance that some poacher may have popped it, then got scared to go get it do to traffic etc. i found a nice bodied buck earlier that somebody had shot and took the loins and horns and left everything else near our road. ive never seen any of our coyotes take down a deer, usually more opourtunistic, just finding downed deer from hunting season. interesting post

 

jason

[Beats]

I'll just have to try and get some pictures this week to show. Hard to hope for no snow or a melt that would ruin the tracks. Its just a few metres into a cornfield from the edge of the conservation area. I guess you really just have to see it. Theres a few cobs of corn on the ground where the hair/blood starts which makes me think thats where an initial attack took places while the deer was eating and then it went down about 10 feet from there in an area solidly packed down and trampled on at which point i believe the deer was killed/taken apart and eaten. Hard to say and since I haven't provided pics as of yet It's hard to explain. I'll try this week to get some. At no point did I get the feeling that the deer had simply died on its own and been eaten. The scene just looks like a "jumping". Made me look into the trees for a long while and wonder what the heck could have done that much dmg so quickly and devoured that whole thing that hadn't been there 2 days prior. *Picks up big stick*

[POLLIWOGG]

I wouldn't be surprised that someone shot it.

[bigfish1965]

The chances of a coyote or even a few of them taking down a healthy deer are extremely remote. Coyotes will scavenge deer, but take one down? Unlikely. They know the risk to the pack is too great. There isn't enough snow cover there likely to give a big edge to the coyotes.

It would have likely died from some other cause and been scavenged....shot or hit by car or otherwise sick.

Coyotes primarily eat scavenged carrion, rodents, hares and sometimes nuts and berries.

[KyleM]

trapshooter, there are a family of wolves living just outside Guelph.

There has been a small wolf population in the area for quite some time.

Not sure how South they go but Guelph is S Ontario.

[chickenhawk]

The chances of a coyote or even a few of them taking down a healthy deer are extremely remote. Coyotes will scavenge deer, but take one down? Unlikely. They know the risk to the pack is too great. There isn't enough snow cover there likely to give a big edge to the coyotes.

It would have likely died from some other cause and been scavenged....shot or hit by car or otherwise sick.

Coyotes primarily eat scavenged carrion, rodents, hares and sometimes nuts and berries.

 

 

Actually Rick, coyotes have been known to take down deer, studied it this year in Ecosystem skills and I have also witnessed a coyote in pursuit of an adult doe one morning when I was hunting. It was pretty cool!

[Ramble]

Coyotes take down deer. Ive found cleaned carcasses more then once. healthy deer can escape and defend themselves...deer that are sick or wounded are fair game. Lowers legs missing is a classic dog manouver. they chew the bones for the marrow inside. If you did a search of the area im sure you'd find them.

 

It's an excellent find by any means. i'd like to see pictures ig you have any.

 

-Ramble

[Riparian]

Alot depends on the size of the carcass, if it was a fawn or not.

 

All the coyotes ive seen in the london area woodlots have been coyote/dog hybrids, and have been traveling alone, not in packs.

 

In my area they are hunted with dogs quite frequently. It is open season on them all year round. Alot of them carry mange, and need to be taken down.

[taper]

There have been reports of wolves in the area. Doing some reading on the net it looks like the MNR and others are saying we have a cross between coyotes and Eastern wolves. The original territory for the Eastern wolf stretched a long way South of here so it is possible that there are a few in the area.

[cisco]

Coyotes got here from the USA around the late 60's and in around 1980 MNR was noticing with a bit of concern from their winter air fights that southern Ontario coyotes seemed to be learning to hunt deer in packs. That was years ago and I'm not sure if the coyote has adapted this way yet, but they're a pretty smart critter that's for sure!