Disturbing hunt today
#21
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Missouri City TX USA
Posts: 18
RE: Disturbing hunt today
Do you have any cougars in your area? What you describe sounds like a mountain lion kill. The first thing they do is eat all the internal organs (high vitamin and mineral content). The next thing they eat is the hams, although I have come across a very fresh kill where the cougar had broken the jaw and eaten the tongue and not touched the hams.
If disturbed while on its kill, a cougar will leave immediately. If not disturbed, it will usually cover it with a thin layer of leaves and grass and return to eat until the meat starts to spoil. Multiple kills are rare, but a mother cat with youngsters under the age of three years has to kill enough for herself and her cubs. They do not stay with her, but rather roam on their own and locate her kills by following her scent trail.
A creek crossing would be a perfect ambush site for a cougar to catch a young buck (the fresh kill I found was a 4 pt. on rocky soil next to a high fence).
If it is a possibility (and be safe) you might want to set up with a camera/gun about 200 yards away if you find any more of these "mystery" kills.
Good luck and keep us posted.
(Good photo of mature lion on this site under the "other" category of trail cam photos)
If disturbed while on its kill, a cougar will leave immediately. If not disturbed, it will usually cover it with a thin layer of leaves and grass and return to eat until the meat starts to spoil. Multiple kills are rare, but a mother cat with youngsters under the age of three years has to kill enough for herself and her cubs. They do not stay with her, but rather roam on their own and locate her kills by following her scent trail.
A creek crossing would be a perfect ambush site for a cougar to catch a young buck (the fresh kill I found was a 4 pt. on rocky soil next to a high fence).
If it is a possibility (and be safe) you might want to set up with a camera/gun about 200 yards away if you find any more of these "mystery" kills.
Good luck and keep us posted.
(Good photo of mature lion on this site under the "other" category of trail cam photos)