Ava

As some of you may know, I've been hunting the river bank not to far from my house. I've been cracking the woods just about every day just to get my game on. I'm bored, what can I say...

I was there yesterday and when I went back today, I could smell the smell of death. I'm figuring that's my squirrel I lost. NOOOOOO! It wasn't! Look what I came across!

Two fawns...


The mother doe...


They weren't here yesterday. I know they weren't, I was sitting right where that doe now lays. I just couldn't believe my eyes and stood there in amazement as I tried to figure out WTH happened to them. I figured pretty quickly it wasn't a poacher but a preditor in a large pack, more like coyotes. We have them here although I've never seen them, it makes me wonder how safe I am hunting down by the river on my own.

They ate the hind quarters from all three deer and the head of momma doe. That one fawn had it's back eaten out too, the whole way down on each side!

I can see coyote hunting in the near future. I just went out today and bought a tree stand and safety harness. You know what I'll be doing in the back yard tomorrow don't ya? Yep! I'm going to be getting close and personal with my tree stand!

I got coyotes on my mind now and with an open season and no limit, I want to give them hell!

Three deer though within 25 yards of each other. It makes me wonder how many coyotes there were? I saw no drag marks in the leaves either.

Thoughts?

ETA Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6mSvjqTBy4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q6KR_pciZ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9haAnRGlYKc

bowhunter1984

not trying to sound like a smart butt here but you did check the "mama doe" to make sure that it was a female right Ive never seen a yote champ on a head like that from that pic it looks like a buck that has had his rack cut off and around yote kills there will be drag marks all over the place they pull there pray around trying to rip chunks off. like i said not trying to be a smart but just checking. around here i would lean more to wild dogs then yotes they seem to run in bigger packs and seem to just kill for the fun of it i couldn't see a coyote pack taking out 3 deer in 1 night that close to each other and leaving that much food with no sign look around there should be some poop full of hair or something. but what ever it is good luck and be careful

Ava

I don't think I'd be able to really identify that it is 100% a doe. The hind quarters were eaten completely off of all 3. When I first saw it, I seriously thought poacher because it did look like you said with the rack cut off but if it were a poacher, why not take the meat too? Why slaughter 3 deer and leave them lay? I showed the video to my BIL and his wife, they both said a pack of coyotes.

I honestly have no clue though between wild dogs or coyotes. I know we have coyotes down here... I'll cautiously go back and check it out in the morning but SIL figured it was a doe because of the two fawns very close by. She said she wouldn't have left them.

Your thoughts are more than welcome because I considered, when I found them, that I may have to call the game commission on a poacher. I'm just unsure of what to make out of it to be honest.

I also found the one fawns legs about 3 ft from the babies.

Really, one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had.

BurdBuster

I don;t know much about coyote hunting but I do know a lot about wolves because they used to be in my yard every other night. (and PETA can suck it. Lose a hunting companion (dog) to a pack and then complain about animal rights)

Could it possibly be wolves? Typically a wolf won't leave an animal in such good shape but it takes them days to finish off a carcass as well. Perhaps you scared off what ever was eating away at them on your approach (e.g. sound of your truck or something?)

haystack

That is the work of poachers. The dogs or coyotes might have fed on them after some A-hole got done with their dirty work. The buck has had his rack cut out and the fawn had its backstraps removed with a knife. I would definitely call the Game Warden!!

Kris24

If you go back look for bullet holes. I agree with "haystack". This looks like the work of poachers. Especially the way the back straps were cut off of the fawn.

Ava

But if it were a poacher, why didn't they take the back straps of the other two?

Seeing that older deer's head has me wondering if it was a poacher though??? Don't poacher's go for meat too? Why, if it were a poacher, would they leave so much left? I could see if they skun them all up and left the carcasses but they're pretty much whole with no signs of being shot with a gun or arrow. I dunno. I didn't touch or inspect them closely.

Something is back there eating at them though. I took the 243 back today to take a look around and the big one has it's back eaten out now.

Ava

Well, I just got off the phone with the game commission and the guy said it sounded like POACHERS too but there is nothing they can do about it because no one saw them do it.

Ava

UGH! Such a waste of life for these deer just to do that too them.

It pisses me off!

I need a trail cam!

NortheastHunting

I would love to see pictures of poachers that you caught. Of course try to hide it, I'm sure you won't have a trail cam anymore if they discover it. Then again they do make fancy ones that transmit wirelessly.