Poacher or Coyote??? picture added
 

Just found a carcass from a big tom in the woods. Spurs were between an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half. I didn't have a knife on me or I would have brought them home.

Breast was gone as was the head and beard legss were still there.

I did find a spot that was covered with feathers about 40 yards from the carcass. Right by a down tree. Not alot of leaves were turned over in this spot. So I don't know if this is where the breasts were removed or the attack occurred.

Guts were still in the bird. This really made me wonder.

I checked the neck out found holes that could have been from bird shot or a Coyotes teeth. Obviously didn't find any bird shot or it wouldn't be a mystery.Might have been a bit too small for a coyotes Canines.

I will keep walking this hill if I find another bird I'll be calling the DEC.

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

Well if the guts are still in it and all that is gone is the breast and the beard im thinkin poacher![:@]

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

I say poacher

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

Think I'm going up there the next few days at sunrise and listen. Maybe talk to some of the neighbors and see if the have heard any shots.

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

the poachers i've seen arrested in magazines always kept the beards and spurs. kinda like a serial killer keeping a belonging of the victims to "relive" the moment. (don't you watch csi?) ;)

coyotes can be surgically precise when eating prey, i'm voting coyote.

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

As I sit here I can't rememer seeing the fan. I usually have a pretty good photographic memoryand I can't picture it.

I just not the bird I was hunting last year, but it was about 8o yards from one of the spots h liked to Roost.

I'mgoing back up tonight or tomorrow morning maybe I'll take a photo of the spurs or take em in case this does turn into a poaching case. You knows maybe they can use the dna from the bird down the line.

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

If there's anything left...

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

I say preditor. If I was going to poach a turkey I would not leave 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" spurs behind;) If I needed turkey meat that bad I would go in the store and buy it at 69 cents a pound instead of taking a chance on loosing my hunting privlages for a couple years:D

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

It could be a bobcat. They are the ultimate turkey predator.

RE: Poacher or Coyote???
 

Could be either really. I'd think you could tell a bit more from the way the breast was removed. Surrounding flesh might yield some clues, as long as the bird was recently deceased. If it was a poacher, perhaps he / she was an opportunist... took the meat and ran. For sure they can't call themself a hunter, so the items we collect would be of no value to them.